Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Karina adjusted her sunglasses, the dark lenses hiding eyes so blue they almost seemed unnatural. The gallery buzzed around her, crystal laughter, soft murmurs, the clink of champagne glasses, but she only felt the pulse of something rotten beneath it all. The curse in the room was thick and sour, like spoiled meat left too long in the heat. She could taste its bitterness on her tongue.

 

Nobody knew what they tasted like. A curse. 

 

Her tailored black blazer stood out sharply against the sea of sequins and designer arrogance. Every step of her polished oxfords echoed faintly on marble floors. 

 

"Honestly," she muttered under her breath, "the security here is pathetic."

 

She drifted toward a display case under a harsh spotlight. Inside, a fractured jade comb pulsed faintly, humming with resentment. Karina brushed her fingers against the cold glass. 

 

It's like you mixed vomit and shit together and drank it.

 

A man in a wrinkled tuxedo appeared beside her, nervous sweat dotting his forehead. 

 

"Ah, interested? That's a Ming dynasty piece, once owned by–"

 

Karina silenced him with a flick of her wrist. 

 

"Save it. I know it's hunting your asses and you want to get rid of it" Her words cut clean through his sales pitch, her tone casual but sharp.

 

Yet the disgusting taste and smell clung to her like second nature. She had lived long enough to know how to control the constant need to puke.

 

She felt the familiar warmth on her wrist, her tattoo glowing faintly.

 

Without another word, she reached through the glass as if it were mist and grabbed the comb.

 

The man next to her gasped. 

 

The curse erupted instantly, a wave of black sludge and screaming teeth. Karina barely sighed. With a snap of her fingers, the air folded in on itself. The curse imploded with a wet pop, leaving only the faint scent of salt and jasmine. She dropped the now cleansed comb into the man's trembling hands.

 

"Dispose of it properly," she said, already turning away. "Or don't. Your problem, not mine."

 

Her phone buzzed against her thigh. She glanced at the screen: Busan Port Authority Liaison. She answered without hesitation.

 

"Speak."

 

The voice on the line trembled under forced professionalism. 

 

"Karina-nim, it's the Geumgang Syndicate. They're moving cargo near Haeundae Beach, in broad daylight. Tourists saw the blood before sunrise."

 

Karina's jaw tightened. Humans. Always messier than curses. Curses were predictable, hungry, violent, simple. Humans, though? They layered their evil under excuses and paperwork.

 

"Send the coordinates," she said curtly.

 

The numbers came through. She ended the call mid sentence, sliding the phone back into her pocket. The lavish auction suddenly felt suffocating, too bright, too polished, hiding too much rot underneath. 

 

Humans. So fake and greedy. 

 

Outside, her matte black car gleamed like a shadow made solid. She slid into the driver's seat; the door closed with a soft, final thunk.

 

The engine's low growl filled the silence. She pulled out smoothly, the tires whispering against the asphalt as the city blurred past.

 

For two thousand and one hundred twenty four years, this had been her rhythm, exorcise, judge, kill, repeat. 

 

As a demon, Karina always walked around the edge of a knife, between corruption and salvation. Her clan, the LILIES, operated beneath every layer of the city: politicians, criminals, monks, celebrities, spies. And aside from that, she and her clan also worked as heavenly sorcerers, where they fight and exorcise curses, monsters that are born by humans negative emotions. 

 

To the non-sorcerers, she was Katarina: the carefree, womanizer, reclusive CEO of a well known hotelier and military company. 

 

To those who really knew her, they knew she was something far older, far "darker".

 

At first whenever she told the people of her clan who she really was. A demon, the Devil. People always asked the same dumb questions; Where are your horns? Are you gonna steal my soul? How does God look like? Are the illuminati real?

 

Karina hated it. 

 

Does she still souls? No. Does she kill people? Yes. 

 

But only the ones she considers filthy of sin, where she really sees darkness and evil around their souls, no salvation whatsoever, when she sees that this person can harm other innocent souls. That's when she steps in and kills them without a second thought. 

 

Does she have horns? No, what the fuck.

 

Does she have a tail?... Karina doesn't even reply at this point at the dumb ass questions she gets. She'll just laugh and threaten the other side to never bring the "Devil" from the bible ever again. 

 

She's just Karina. A demon, yeah. But she's still Karina. 

 

Karina doesn't know how she became a demon, she does know she was once a human, but has no memories of it whatsoever, just that one day she woke up and was an immortal being with a an incredible power.

 

Thats why she created her clan.

 

The LILIES Mansion sat deep within Seoul's wealthiest district, camouflaged behind wards and luxury. The steel doors recognized her presence and opened without a sound. Inside, the atmosphere shifted, the air thick with disciplined yet familiar energy. The inside decorated with paintings, art, all that luxury and billionaire shit, you name it.

 

The mansion's rhythm softened. The smell of doenjang jjigae and roasted garlic drifted from the communal kitchen. Sunlight poured through tall windows. Laughter spilled from the oak table where others argued over a board game. 

 

"Karina!" A bunch of high pitched voices called her. 

 

She turned around looking at the orphan kids she and her clan adopted a few months ago. These kids were casted as outsiders by the takers and others kids, for doing stuff other kids didn't do. Basically having been born with cursed energy. So they were kicked out of the orphanage. Calling them monsters.

 

Karina was told a few days later, and without a second thought she picked up those kids from starvation and put a roof on their heads. 

 

She smiled and kneeled in time to catch the tiny bodies with her long and strong arms. 

 

"Hey kiddos. Been training well?" She asked them, picking up a girl and a boy in her arms. She stood up. 

 

"Yup! Yunjin unnie is very kind and explains very well!" The girl on her arms smiled brightly. 

 

"Yeah, and Soobin hyung showed us some cools moves to use against curses!" A boy who had climbed up to her back screamed excited into her ear. Yet she didn't even flinch, and turned to look at the boy with a smile. 

 

"Is that so?" She ruffled all the kids hairs, not wanting to leave no one behind. "I'm proud of ya' kiddos" 

 

The kids eyes shined so bright at Karina's words, their tiny hearts filling with pride and recognition. 

 

"Now go and eat your lunch, Miss Park has the table set for you kids" She kneeled again, to put the three kids on her arms safety on the ground. 

 

"See you later Karina unnie!" 

 

"Noona go and visit us when you're free!" 

 

They all screamed as the run to the kitchen where food were waiting for them. 

 

Karina waved at them. 

 

Karina paused in the hallway for just a second, watching. A known pulling in her chest. She straightened her back and turned around. 

 

Deeper inside, the west wing buzzed with low light and cold focus. Banks of monitors filled the tech hub, casting their operators in pale blue glow. Fingers clattered across keyboards, decoding syndicate messages, tracking cursed artifacts across oceans. Screens flickered with port footage and encrypted ledgers. The air smelled faintly of coffee and donuts.

 

Beyond the hum of machinery lay the living quarters, a deliberate contrast. Plush sofas, shelves lined with books and manga, that the young ones used to beg Karina to buy them. The faint sound of laughter from the home theater. It was a balance between life and war, comfort and duty.

 

Karina entered the conference room last, pushing open the doors with a flick of her wrist. The chatter inside died instantly.

 

"Hope you saved me the comfy chair," she said, her voice low and amused. "Or did Ryujin hide whoopee cushions again?"

 

The tension broke. Ryujin, lounging against the table, grinned. "Maybe."

 

Karina smirked, taking her seat at the head of the table. Her posture was all lazy elegance, but the atmosphere bent around her authority.

 

Aeri tapped her tablet, the glow illuminating her focused expression. "These random thugs. They were spotted near Busan University's east gate. Witnesses say they were harassing students, asking about a brother sister pair. Some kind of unpaid debt."

 

Karina hummed quietly. "A debt chase on campus. That's new." Her gaze, hidden by her sunglasses, settled on Ryujin. "Send Beomgyu. He can pass for a college kid. Tell him to find out who those siblings are and why they're worth weak thugs attention."

 

She turned to Heejin next. "You'll oversee Beomgyu's recon. I want full profiles within the hour, family, finances, social ties. I'll decide later what kind of people they are... and what kind of end they deserve."

 

Her voice dropped lower, calm, detached, absolute.

 

When the staff left, only Karina, Aeri, and Ryujin remained. The silence felt almost comfortable. Karina leaned back in her chair, stretching her legs out.

 

"So," she said, bored but sharp, "A brother sister duo being a target of random thugs. Thoughts?" She raised perfect white eyebrows. "Besides the usual 'deadbeat dad gambled the rent again' theory." She waved her fingers

 

Aeri barely looked up from her tablet. "Could be. But these thugs aren't really that famous, they usually take over drugs and some little gambling" 

 

Ryujin leaned back, tossing a pen in the air. "Maybe the brother slept with the wrong girl. Or the sister pissed off someone higher up. Either way, I wanna know the beef"

 

"You just want an excuse to break someone's ribs again." Karina hummed, amused.

 

"Yeah," Ryujin said flatly. "And?"

 

"Try not to get arrested this time. Yeji can't keep saving your ass at the police station." Aeri snorted quietly. "The poor girl has to flirt with the receptionist every time" 

 

"Speaking of flirting, how was that charity gala, Aeri?"

 

"Productive. We got another deal with Jeju's military base" Aeri's mouth twitched.

 

"Uh huh." Karina's tone was pure mischief. "And by productive, you mean–?"

 

"One of the intern nurses was interested in the deal as well..." Aeri sighed.

 

"Define interested." Ryujin perked up immediately.

 

"I'm taking her to dinner this friday." Aeri finally looked up, deadpan.

 

"You're kidding." Ryujin blinked.

 

"Why would I?"

 

"Because some of us," Ryujin said, gesturing wildly at her own persona, "Are out here getting strangled by cursed mannequins while you're getting wined and dined by a hot nurse!"

 

Karina snorted. "Hey, at least the mannequin touched you. That's progress." She smirked at the girl. "Did you cum at the choking Shin?" 

 

Aeri cackled at her words, hands slamming the table.

 

"You guys are the worst." Ryujin groaned.

 

"You're just jealous. Not my fault I have charm." Karina stretched, smirking.

 

"Charm?" Ryujin scoffed. "You're literally the definition of emotional unavailability in heels."

 

"Thank you," Karina said smoothly. "It's part of the brand."

 

Aeri grinned "Honestly, Ryujin's right. Whenever me and Yunjin try to flirt, you always end up stealing them anyway" She pouted, still annoyed at that. 

 

It was always successful flirting, until Karina's fine ass enteres the room and suddenly Aeri and Yunjin are invisible. 

 

Karina leaned back, bored and smug all at once. 

 

"Not my fault ladies love me." She shrugged. 

 

"Nah, you're just hot and emotionally detached. People love that shit." Ryujin pointed at her.

 

"Funny, since i remember your ex was also hot and emotionally detached as well" Karina raised an eyebrow.

 

"You swore we'd never bring that up again!" Ryujin gaped.

 

"Oh my god." Aeri covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.

 

"At least be glad i didn't break the bro code" Karina said with a smirk. 

 

"You're a bitch."

 

"A powerful one." Karina tilted her head.

 

Aeri's eyes glowed with mischief. 

 

"Unnie, you've been alive for two millennial, your ass way mature to not pick a fight with children" She teased. The children being Ryujin. 

 

Ryujin jumped in, grinning. They never get tired of teasing Karina of her age.

 

"Yeah, grandma. Go take a nap before your joints lock up."

 

Karina froze mid smile, blue eye twitching behind her sunglasses. 

 

Before Ryujin could react, Karina lunged, two fingers jabbing straight into her ribs. Ryujin shrieked, doubling over.

 

"I could erase your entire existence before lunch" Karina said, voice dangerously calm.

 

"Okay, okay! Stop! I can't—!" Ryujin gasped between laughter.

 

Aeri was wheezing by now, clutching her tablet. 

 

"This is pathetic," she managed to say, right before Karina turned and poked her in the side.

 

"Shut the fuck up Aeri," Karina teased. "You used to need a step stool to reach the cup board" She brought an event that used to happen years ago.

 

"I was literally thirteen!" Aeri choked out, laughing helplessly.

 

When the chaos finally died down, the three of them were a mess, Ryujin still catching her breath, Aeri trying to fix her pino hair, and Karina standing there like she hadn't just started a tickle war in a multi billion won facility.

 

Karina leaned against the table, her smirk softening just a little. 

 

"You two are insufferable."

 

"You love it." Ryujin groaned.

 

"Ew fuck off you homo" Karina said with a fake gag. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The late afternoon sun hit the chrome of Minjeong's little grey car, as she shut the door with a soft thunk. A warm breeze tugged at the ends of her red hair, catching the light like strands of copper wire. Her sneakers scuffed the pavement lazily as she made her way toward the old, slightly beat up building that read Iron Roots. The steady thud-thud-thud of punches on heavy bags spilled out through the open doors, the sound of home.

 

The smell hit her first when she stepped inside, sweat, leather, disinfectant. It was gross, comforting, and familiar all at once. Heads turned the second she walked in.

 

"Young Boss!" Mr. Kim called from behind the counter, grinning wide enough to split his face.

 

A chorus followed from every corner 

 

"Minjeong-ssi!"

 

"Hey, boss!" echoing across the room. Minjeong felt her face go hot. She waved awkwardly, dipping her head.

 

"Guys please, just Minjeong" She laughed, her voice whining at the attention. "Seriously."

 

She slipped past the gym floor and up the stairs, each creak of wood like an old friend. The air upstairs smelled like sweat mixed with stew, looks like her grandpa beat her into making dinner. 

 

This little apartment above Iron Roots wasn't fancy, but it was theirs. The couch had patches, of the constant playful fighting she and her brother used to have as kids, the fridge hummed like it was dying, and the wallpaper peeled in spots, but every bit of it was built off hard work and sacrifice. After losing their parents, she'd learned to treat every won like it mattered. She was twenty seven and already carried a lifetime on her shoulders, but it fit her.

 

She didn't even reach the door before it flew open.

 

"Noona!" Yujin nearly body slammed her. At twenty three, he was all limbs and energy, towering over her and looking way too proud of himself as he waved a blackened spatula, Minjeong fell her heart drop at the sight. 

 

Yujin in the kitchen...

 

"You're just in time!" he announced, chest puffed out. "I was trying Grandma Kim's bulgogi marinade." He paused dramatically. "Keyword trying. The smoke alarm wasn't a big fan of it"

 

Minjeong blinked, sighing as the faint smell of burnt sugar and soy sauce reached her. She reached out and ruffled his hair. 

 

"You're gonna kill us one day"

 

Yujin ducked, laughing. But the smile in his eyes was soft, and for a second the act dropped. He tried too hard, always had. Behind the jokes and the energy, she could see the tiredness. The same weight she carried, he just hid his better.

 

She took the spatula gently from him, her thumb brushing over the scorched handle. 

 

"How's Grandpa?"

 

Yujin's grin flickered. "Same as always," he said too fast, eyes darting away. "Just tired. Said the smoke was 'character building.'"

 

Minjeong's jaw tightened. He was lying, badly. She could see it in his shoulders, the way his hands trembled a little. Grandpa was getting worse.

 

The old man had always been tough, stubborn to the bone. Wouldn't take his meds unless she practically shoved them in his hand. Still cooked for them sometimes, still trained them sometimes, still cursed at the tv like it owed him money. But she knew. Every cough hit deeper, lasted longer.

 

They cooked quietly after that. The sound of the spatula scraping the pan filled the silence. The smell of garlic and charred sugar hung in the air. Yujin set the table like he always did, bowls mismatched, chopsticks crossed wrong, but he did it carefully and with love.

 

"I'll go get him," Minjeong said softly, wiping her hands.

 

She opened the door to Grandpa's room and found him exactly as she'd pictured, slouched against his pillows, eyes glued to the news. The flickering blue light made the lines on his face look deeper.

 

"Looks like some gangster's been creeping around your brother's school," he said without turning. His voice was rough, like gravel.

 

Minjeong froze. The TV showed grainy footage of men in baggy clothes, broad and intimidating. She recognized the sharp cuts of their jackets, the slow, confident way they moved. Predators in broad daylight.

 

Her stomach twisted. She forced her voice to stay calm. 

 

"Dinner's ready, Grandpa. Let's not keep Yuji' waiting."

 

He let her help him up, his arm light on hers, bones sharp under thin skin. Each step down the hall sounded heavier than it should've.

 

Yujin was already at the table, phone in hand, grinning like an idiot. His food was untouched.

 

"Who's got you smiling like that?" Minjeong asked, setting her grandfather down into his chair.

 

"No one," Yujin said way too fast, flipping his phone over. "Just someone from my algorithms group. Homework stuff."

 

"Mhm." Minjeong arched an eyebrow. "Sure. Homework."

 

Grandpa Wonsik's dry voice cut through before Yujin could dig himself deeper. 

 

"Saw those bastards again on the news," he said, stabbing his chopsticks in Yujin's direction. "Stay away from them. No hero crap."

 

The air chilled instantly.

 

"But you always said–" Yujin frowned.

 

"Not this time," Wonsik interrupted. "These aren't punks on the street. They're gangsters. You hear me?"

 

His tone was firm, but underneath was something raw, fear.

 

Yujin stared, caught off guard. Grandpa never told them to back down. The man had raised them on, never let anyone push you around. Now suddenly it was, stay clear. It didn't add up.

 

Minjeong didn't speak. Just quietly ate, eyes fixed on her bowl.

 

Grandpa went on, voice slower now. 

 

"God gave us this life," he muttered, like reciting something half forgotten. "You never know when it's your time to go. So live clean. If you love someone, protect them. If someone picks on the weak, beat the hell out of 'em, not for pride" He blinked hard." But to remember you're still human. But also know when to step up or not. This time i want you to stay put"

 

His voice cracked then, just slightly. 

 

"Don't die full of regrets, enjoy the life God gave us. And don't be scared to love again... Like your father was."

 

The chopsticks slipped from Minjeong's fingers, clattering against the bowl. Her breath caught. Grandpa never talked about their father. Not in years. The way he said it, like a confession, made her chest ache.

 

Across the table, Yujin just stared. His voice came out too loud, covering the crack in it. 

 

"You finally losing it, Grandpa?"

 

Wonsik snorted and smacked him lightly on the head. 

 

"Life advice, dumbass, and that's your response?"

 

"Hey, just making sure you're still sharp, old man." Yujin laughed, rubbing his head.

 

The tension eased a little.

 

Minjeong finished her rice quietly, tuning out their bickering. Grandpa's gruff complaints, Yujin's easy laughter, it was the same chaos as always. But under it, that heaviness still sat in her chest.

 

God, being the only woman in this house really was exhausting sometimes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rhythmic tap of Karina's index finger against the polished leather steering wheel matched the low hum of jazz drifting from the speakers. Outside, Busan's neon heartbeat smeared across the rain slicked windshield in streaks of red and blue, but her focus never left the shadowed alley across the street.

 

A few months back, the LILIES Clan's sensors had tripped on something here. A flare of cursed energy, strong enough to catch their attention, slippery enough to piss her off. She sent people to catch this cursed energy, but not having any kind of success, so she decided to take matters into her hands. 

 

Whatever it was, it hadn't lingered. No residue. No malice. Just a ghost that vanished before they could trace it.

 

Her blindfolded gaze narrowed. The lack of evidence was the evidence. Something powerful was hiding, and it was doing a damn good job at it.

 

Karina leaned back in the driver's seat, the cool leather sighing beneath her. The jazz slid into the background, lazy sax, a bassline that felt like the city breathing. She didn't mind being here. Paperwork, party's and press conferences were worse than purgatory. A real leader didn't just sit behind glass walls; they felt the city. Followed its pulse. Watched how cursed energy bled into the cracks between people's lives.

 

Still, the boredom crept in, curling under her skin like static. Another dumb signal, another dead end. Her sigh fogged the glass. Busan's skyline blurred, watercolor lights, heavy rain, too much silence.

 

The car door clicked open.

 

Rain hammered down instantly, cold and heavy, turning the pavement into black glass. Karina stepped out without hesitation. The storm bent around her, drops sliding off an invisible dome of heavenly energy. Her boots clicked against wet concrete, untouched. Her hands as usual in her pockets.

 

She moved through the sleeping city like a ghost. A couple laughed beneath a flickering awning, steam rising from instant noodles. A salaryman stumbled home with slumped shoulders and too much regret. A mother dragged her giggling son through puddles, umbrella flailing. Karina's head tilted slightly as she watched them vanish into the glow of a bakery. Her jaw softened for a moment. Just a moment.

 

The sharp trill of her phone broke the rhythm. She pulled it from her coat pocket. Beomgyu. 

 

"Got something?" Her voice cut through the rain, calm and cool.

 

"Mhm." His voice crackled through static, clipped and tense. He spoke fast, too fast, like he was trying to hold back how bad it was. Karina's expression didn't move, but the air around her changed, her presence sharp as a blade drawn halfway, a lighting striking loud enough for people to flinch. 

 

When he finished, she didn't hesitate.

 

"Understood."

 

The word came out flat, final. She ended the call, her thumb resting against the black glass for a heartbeat longer than necessary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upstairs, the muffled argument had burned out, replaced by the hum of a tv and Yujin's occasional laugh bleeding through the ceiling.

 

Downstairs, the gym was empty, except for Minjeong.

 

Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.

 

The sound of her fists hitting the heavy bag echoed through the gym. The last of the daylight bled through the dusty windows, staining the mats in streaks of amber and violet. She hadn't bothered turning the lights on; the dying sun fit her mood. Sweat darkened her sports bra and stuck red strands of hair to her neck. Every exhale came out harsh, sharp, the kind of breath that barely kept the thoughts quiet.

 

She'd been hitting the bag for hours, the gym floor full of scattered sand of the broken bags.

 

The sound was like therapy to Minjeong.

 

Minjeong didn't complain about her life style. She had good grades in school, she enjoyed beating up bad kids with her brother. Joined a normal collage, she had a few crushes. She beat up a boy who was annoying the girl she liked back then. She almost got expelled, but her good grades saved her. She has an amazing best friend. Yizhuo who has saved her ass many times. She has her dumb and cheerful brother. Grandpa's tough love, the gym's rhythm, and that satisfying burn in her muscles after a good fight. It was enough. It should have been enough.

 

She hit the bag harder, once, twice, until her knuckles screamed and her mind went blessedly blank. A flash of her father's back, broad shoulders, the smell of coffee and cigarettes, came and went like a glitch in memory.

 

The loud thack of the sand falling to the ground made her stop. She looked at the floor and growled embarrassed, she broke another bag, great. 

 

She exhaled shakily, ripped her gloves off, and set them neatly on the chair.

 

Her stomach growled, low and violent. She glanced up at the windows, pitch black now, rain blurring the glass into streaks of silver.

 

"Perfect," she muttered. "Convenience store dinner it is."

 

She tugged on her faded hoodie over her damp clothes and shoved her hands in the pocket. The fabric stuck uncomfortably, but she didn't care. Sweatpants. Hood up. Done.

 

The rain hit like ice when she stepped outside, but it felt good, grounding.

 

She started jogging, like the training she did back then wasn't enough. The street was slick and alive despite the weather, neon reflecting off puddles like oil. She passed a pink umbrella, a pair of kids running, a barking dog tugging its leash. Their faces blurred as she moved faster. The city became streaks of color and noise.

 

A flash of white caught her eye, tall figure, sharp silhouette beside a black car. Hair like bleached moonlight, gone before she could even turn her head.

 

She didn't stop. Just kept running.

 

Just another stranger in the storm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Karina leaned back against the cold metal of her sedan, the rain still breaking harmlessly against her invisible barrier. Beomgyu's voice echoed in her head, the thugs, Busan Port, warehouse front. Simple, boring. Too clean.

 

Her fingers brushed the edge of the silver cross beneath her blazer, a habit she didn't think about anymore.

 

"Too easy," she muttered, a childish pout ghosting across her lips. "And I hate easy."

 

If she was going in, she wasn't going in alone. That would be a waste of good chaos. Aeri would have fun with this, the kind of fun that left bruises and broken ribs. Karina could already picture her right hand feral grin, the sharp rhythm of her kicks, that maniac laughter when things got bloody. The thought warmed her in a way the rain never could. And she could take the last blow, probably killing their leader, maybe even embarrass him, making him kiss their boots and beg for forgiveness. She shivered in excitement at the thought.

 

Yeah. Aeri deserved a call.

 

Just as she reached for her phone, a flash of red sliced through the corner of her blindfolded vision. Her muscles went rigid. Every instinct she'd ever honed snapped to attention. Her heavenly energy flared before she could even think, humming low and dangerous under her skin. The cross tattoo on her wrist suddenly burning. 

 

Her body reacting to it like second nature.

 

She turned sharply, the world slowed to a heartbeat, but there was nothing. The crowd was a smear of umbrellas and reflections, the street a watercolor of motion and rain. The space where that flash had been? Empty. Too empty.

 

Her jaw tightened. Her blue eyes behind her blindfold went on full mode, sweeping over the street, working fast. Nothing. No trace. No scent of cursed residue. Just damp air and exhaust fumes and the goosebumps all over her body. 

 

Karina clicked her tongue, irritation sparking like static. 

 

"Cute," she muttered. "Playing hard to get."

 

Then she moved.

 

The air cracked. Her boots hit the pavement once, and she was already gone, the city dissolving into streaks of gray and neon. People felt only a gust of cold wind as she tore through the streets, the rain bending away from her in shimmering arcs. That lingering trace of energy, metallic, bitter, alive, pulled her toward the backstreets. Narrower. Filthier. The kind of place where the city forgot its own name.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minjeong skidded to a stop outside the convenience store, her sneakers nearly eating it on the slick pavement. She caught herself with a hand against the wall, chest heaving, a laugh bubbling up in disbelief.

 

"Three minutes," she muttered, checking her watch. "Hell yeah." She punch the air in victory.

 

Fifteen minutes of walking, crushed in three.

 

The store lights spilled out onto the sidewalk, soft and golden. She shook her sleeves out like a wet puppy and stepped inside, the automatic doors sighing open.

 

The cashier, poor guy, looked at her like she'd just phased through the wall. Minjeong gave him a polite bow, dripping all over the floor. 

 

"Sorry," she said with a sheepish grin, brushing water from her hoodie. "Rain's trying to kill me."

 

He blinked. Twice.

 

She ignored him and beelined for the snacks. The craving hit like a divine revelation: shrimp chips, dark chocolate, and banana milk. Holy trinity. Her hands moved fast, autopilot level efficiency. She ripped open the bag of chips before she even reached the counter. She blamed her period that was due soon, for her impatience.

 

The cashier stared as she ate one, crunching loud enough to drown out the soft store music. She just hummed under her breath, hips swaying slightly as she waited for him to ring her up.

 

Her eyes drifted lazily toward the window, rain still falling in sheets, cars gliding past in streaks of light. Then she noticed them: a group of men standing by the entrance, too still, too quiet, their collars turned up high.

 

She didn't think twice. Probably just freezing their asses off. She handed the cashier a crumpled bill, grabbed her stuff, and slipped back into the rain.

 

Outside, the night wrapped around her again. She crunched another chip, humming a melody she couldn't quite place, something old, something that clung to her like a half forgotten dream.

 

Chocolate followed. Sweet, soft, comforting. Banana milk sealed the deal. She swayed her hips as she walked, tummy full and satisfied.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?!"

 

Karina's fist slammed into the damp brick wall of the fifth alley, a sharp crack echoing down the narrow space.

 

Nothing. Again. That flash of crimson hair, that electric cursed energy, gone like smoke. She'd checked every alley, every rain slicked corner, her six eyes perception stretched razor thin. Yet she took this as a challenge. 

 

"Bout' time i face something interesting" She smirked. 

 

She pushed off the wall, her boots splashing through a puddle as she bolted down the next street, a white blur cutting through the gloom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The moment Minjeong stepped back into the rain, something crawled up her spine. Not fear exactly, more like her instincts whispering, hey, dumbass, something's off. The air felt weird, static clinging to her skin, heavy and cold.

 

She walked a few steps, tossing her snack wrappers toward the overflowing trash bin beside the store, but the uneasy feeling didn't go away. If anything, it got worse, sharp, metallic, coiling in her stomach.

 

Trust your gut, girl. Always.

 

Her grandpa's voice echoed in her head, and her breath hitched. That was all the warning she needed. Minjeong spun around, fast, almost slipping on the wet pavement.

 

Three men stood at the mouth of the alley.

 

The one in front stepped forward, eyes glinting under the hood of his soaked jacket. Rain clung to Minjeong's hair, streaking down her cheeks, but her face stayed steady.

 

"What do you want?" she asked flatly, her tone calm enough to throw them off.

 

The leader blinked, clearly not expecting her to talk back. 

 

"Just a friendly chat, sweetheart," he said with a low, scratchy chuckle, taking another step forward while his buddies spread out behind her. "We think your family owes us a little money."

 

Minjeong frowned, confusion flashing across her face. Debts? Grandpa Wonsik ran the gym like a military base, everything neat, every bill paid. Yujin barely spent money unless it was for takeout or a new game. Debt wasn't even in their vocabulary.

 

"You've got the wrong person," she said, voice even but firm. "My family doesn't owe anyone anything." She shifted her stance slightly, nothing obvious, just enough to be ready if things went south.

 

The leader's smirk dropped, replaced by a snarl. 

 

"Don't play dumb," he spat, stepping closer until she could smell the cheap cigarette smoke on his breath. "We've been chasing this debt for years. Watching your family slip through our fingers. And now..." He grinned, cruel and wet under the rain. "Now we've got you."

 

His words were dripping with accusation, venom curling around each syllable. 

 

"Your father was good at his job, until he stole our money and ran off."

 

Minjeong froze. Her chest tightened, a dull ache settling behind her ribs. Dad? The word felt foreign. Heavy. Grandpa's broken expression flashed through her mind, that quiet pain he never explained. Her stomach dropped.

 

"My dad..." The words barely left her mouth, caught somewhere between disbelief and bitterness.

 

Then her voice changed, quieter, colder. 

 

"Then I'm sorry to disappoint you." She swallowed, her jaw tense. The confession hung in the air like smoke. Her tone was flat, almost detached, but her eyes were distant. "I haven't seen him in years," she continued, staring at the ground. "And honestly? I'm fine with that." She stepped forward, hoodie heavy with rain. "So if you'll excuse me–"

 

But she didn't get the chance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The spike of cursed energy hit Karina like a bullet. It was massive, raw, thick with anger. So much that can even attract curses. Her head snapped toward the direction instantly, a dark grin tugging at her lips.

 

Got you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minjeong didn't see it coming. A hand shot out, grabbing her arm so hard she gasped. Yet not strong enough for her to free herself easily.

 

"You don't get to walk away," the leader hissed, yanking her closer. His breath was hot, rancid. "I don't give a fuck about your daddy issues. We want the money. Now."

 

His other hand curled into a fist, shoulders shifting into a stance that screamed fight. His friends blocked the alley's exit, forming a wall of muscle.

 

Minjeong clenched her jaw, bracing herself. She could already see the punch coming, but it never landed.

 

A white blur cut through her vision like lightning. 

 

There was a sharp, crunching crack, then a wet grunt. The man's scream choked off as his arm bent the wrong way. He dropped, cradling his wrist, writhing on the pavement.

 

Minjeong blinked hard, rain stinging her eyes. She looked up. A woman stood in front of her, tall, sharp silhouette, white hair glowing faintly against the night. Her blazer was spotless. Not a single drop of rain touched her.

 

The woman didn't even turn around, but Minjeong could feel the smirk in her voice when she finally spoke. The baby hairs on her nape standing at the sound.

 

"Didn't your mommy ever tell you," she said, smooth and dangerously calm, "That it's rude to hit a lady?"

Chapter Text

"Didn't your mommy ever tell you that it's rude to hit a lady?"

The alley rang with the leader's strangled groan as he cradled his busted wrist. Rain hammered harder. The woman in white didn't even glance back, her broad shoulders protectively blocking Minjeong's view of the crumpled man, and the men's view of Minjeong. The other two men froze, caught somewhere between fear and disbelief, watching the stranger's unnervingly calm back.

Karina tilted her head just slightly.

"Leave" she said softly. The word was quiet but cut through the storm like a blade. One guy bolted immediately; the other hesitated just long enough to see the dumpster next to him fold in on itself like crushed foil. Then he ran too, scrambling over puddles as their leader whimpered behind him.

Only then did Karina turn around. The blindfold hid her eyes, but Minjeong felt her stare, heavy, focused, invasive. A slow smile crept across the woman's lips as she took in Minjeong's soaked hoodie, the pink tint in her cheeks, the way she tried so hard not to shake by her sudden appearance.

"So it's you," Karina murmured, her chuckle low and lazy, like velvet dragged over glass. She stepped closer, the scent of whiskey and honey cutting through the rain into Minjeong's nostrils. "Didn't expect the one hiding all that cursed energy to be..." Her hand on her chin, looking Minjeong up a down. "...a little maltese." Her grin widened, teasing but sharp. "Tell me, princess, you always pack that much energy in a body that tiny?" She got closer, hot breath on Minjeong's cold yet red ear.

Minjeong blinked, water dripping off her lashes. Cursed energy? Maltese? The words made zero sense, like someone threw her into the middle of a conversation she hadn't started. This woman, tall, dangerous, beautiful in a terrifying way, was radiating confidence like a bomb about to go off. Her blindfold didn't hide anything; it made her even more unreadable. Minjeong's heart was pounding so hard she could feel it in her throat.

"Huh?" It came out small, half drowned by the rain.

Karina tilted her head again, smiling as she stepped back to look again at the girl. Her unseen gaze swept from Minjeong's soaked sneakers to the wet strands of red hair stuck to her face. Again.

"Now that I actually look at you," Karina said, voice low and smooth, "you've got strength in you." She laughed softly, and Minjeong flinched. The sound was warm but unsettling, like a knife wrapped in silk. Minjeong tried to step back, only to feel the cold brick wall press into her spine. Karina didn't touch her, but her presence filled the entire space, drowning her in heat and pressure.

Minjeong's eyes flicked up to the black blindfold. How the hell is she seeing me? The thought pounded in her skull louder than the rain. Everything about the woman screamed control, her posture, her tone, the way she knew Minjeong's every move before she made it. It was wrong, impossible. Yet it made Minjeong's tummy to turn at the strangers strong sex appeal.

"What are you even talking about?" Minjeong demanded, her frustration finally cracking through the confusion and the annoying pretty woman.

First, random gangsters trying to collect debts that weren't hers, and now some blindfolded weirdo throwing compliments that sounded like threats.

Karina's smirk only deepened, teeth flashing white in the gloom.

She slid her hands into her pockets, all smooth confidence.

"You know how to fight, princess?" she asked, like it was small talk.

Minjeong's jaw clenched. Princess. Great. Another condescending bitch. Her patience, already thin from the night's chaos, was about to snap. Again, she blamed the situation and her upcoming period. Fucking hormones, she usually not this easy to irritate.

"I can," she shot back, voice tight. "Why? You looking to lose?"

Cute. Karina just hummed, amused. Her head tilted slightly.

"Hit me then, Princess." She lifted her right hand, palm open like an invitation.

"...What?" Minjeong blinked.

"Come on," Karina said, voice lazy, confident in the most infuriating way. "Don't be shy."

The smirk. The tone. The complete audacity. Minjeong exhaled through her nose, forcing down the burn in her chest. Fine. She'd play along.

Without warning, she moved. Rain exploded off her hoodie as she jumped, foot slicing through the air toward Karina's head.

Her kick hit nothing but wind.

The second her foot passed through empty space, her stomach dropped.

A shiver.

Minjeong spun, heart racing. Karina stood right behind her, not a drop of water out of place, that same smug grin plastered on her lips.

"Wow," she said, clapping slowly. "You're fast as hell."

Minjeong's temper snapped. She swung a punch, aiming right for that grin, but a strong hand caught the back of her head mid motion, pressing down just enough to throw her balance. Her knee hit the wet pavement hard.

Before she could react, something shifted. Weight. Pressure. This woman was sitting on her back, hands on her knees, calm as if she were on a damn park bench.

Minjeong froze, humiliation crawling up her neck like fire. The rain made everything worse, her hair sticking to her face, her hoodie clinging cold against her spine. She could feel every ounce of Karina's control in the way she didn't even try.

Karina leaned forward, voice dropping near her ear.

"You could've handled those thugs on your own," she murmured, tone almost approving. "But you're not beating me, princess."

The way she said it flat, certain burned worse than mockery.

Minjeong gritted her teeth, fury bubbling through the embarrassment. She'd trained too hard, bled too much, to be made into someone's joke.

With a raw, angry cry, she pushed back. For one second, she broke free, spinning, twisting, tearing out of the hold. Her hoodie ripped at the shoulder as she launched her next punch, straight for the girls face.

Karina didn't even move. Just raised one finger and tapped Minjeong's forehead.

The world shattered.

A sharp ringing filled Minjeong's ears. Her body went slack, knees buckling. She barely registered the fall before darkness swallowed her whole.

Karina caught her easily, slipping an arm around her waist as the girl crumpled. Minjeong's face pressed weakly against her chest, breath warm through the soaked fabric of her blazer. Her guard down. Rain started falling into her as well, getting wet like the girl on her arms.

She adjusted her grip, lifting Minjeong higher in her arms. Carrying her bridal style, as she looked down at the unconscious face half hidden by red hair.

"Exactly my type," she whispered with a grin. "Aeri's gonna kill me though" she sighed, chuckling under her breath

Karina snapped her fingers, a sharp, clean sound that cut through the rain. Space folded around her, warping like soaked paper before snapping back into place. One second, she was in a grimy alley; the next, she stood beside her sleek black car under a flickering streetlamp, Minjeong still in her arms.

Rain hammered against the car roof as she popped the rear door open. The warm, dim light spilled out, painting Minjeong's face a soft gold. With care, Karina slid her down into the seat, one hand steadying the back of her head. Minjeong whimpered quietly, curling up instinctively, her soaked hoodie clinging to her like a second skin. Karina watched for a beat, unreadable under her blindfold, then sighed and peeled off her soaked silk blazer. It clung heavy in her hands before she draped it over Minjeong's trembling body. The jacket swallowing her body.

"Lucky brat," she muttered, closing the door with a muted thud.

Rain pooled under her polished shoes as she rounded the car, sliding into the driver's seat. She leaned back, exhaling, before fishing out her phone, she clicked her tongue at the wet device.

The glowing screen lit her blindfold faintly as she scrolled through contacts until her thumb hovered over: fuckass aeri.

She smirked and hit call.

"The fuck you want, hag?" came Aeri's voice immediately, sharp and laced with pure chaos.

Karina's brow twitched. Of course. She gritted her teeth but kept her tone steady.

"You remember that cursed energy spike our sensors caught months ago?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I found the source." Karina glanced in the mirror, Minjeong's red hair, damp and messy under her blazer, her breathing slow and soft. "It was a girl. Knocked her out. I'm bringing her back to the mansion, so tell the maids to prep a room."

There was a pause. A suspiciously long one.

Then—

"YOU DID WHAT?!"

Karina yanked the phone away from her ear as Aeri's screech nearly blew out the speaker.

"I said I knocked her out," she repeated calmly.

"I HEARD YOU, DUMBASS! THAT'S WHY I'M SCREAMING!" Aeri's voice cracked through the line, rapid fire curses following immediately. "Karina, we help people, we don't kidnap random people off the streets! We already talked about this—!"

Karina sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Relax. She's fine. Probably."

"Probably?!"

Minjeong stirred faintly in the back seat, mumbling something in her sleep. Karina's glared her, as if she made another sound, Aeri will hear it and kick her ass even harder.

"Just... tell the maids to prep clothes too. Oversized ones. Bye."

"Karina, don't you—!"

“Bet”

Click.

She tossed the phone into the passenger seat and slumped back, expression caught between smug and done with life.

The rain thudded on the windshield, rhythmic and heavy. For a moment, she let herself breathe. Despite Aeri's tantrum, there was a flicker of warmth under the annoyance.

 

Across town, Aeri's phone lay facedown on the velvet couch, still buzzing faintly.

"This little shit!" Aeri shouted, raking her fingers through her bubblegum pink hair. "Stupid, impulsive, hag idiot!" Her voice echoed through the massive living room, bouncing off the chandelier. She started pacing, barefoot, furious, and dramatically over it. "Why the hell does she keep kidnapping random people? I swear to god. We're supposed to help people, not start our own cursed orphanage! We already have enough with those little gremlins" She thought about the kids Karina adopted a few months ago.

Ryujin didn't even look up from where she sat on the couch, she arranged the cards on her hands. She hummed before placing a seven of hearts on the table.

"You're surprised? Remember the monkey shrine incident?" she asked, voice dry as hell.

"Don't. You. Dare." Aeri fell her eye twitch.

Ryujin kept going anyway.

"She said it looked lonely. We had poltergeists for a week."

Heejin, sitting cross legged beside her, lined up her cards on the tables adding the jack of hearts next to Ryujin's seven of hearts.

"Or the cursed spirit kid who spoiled all the milk," she added, deadpan.

"I cried for a week!" Aeri yelled, throwing her hands in the air.

Ryujin smirked.

"You cried because you're lactose intolerant, babe."

"You—!" Aeri's jaw dropped.

"I'm just saying, if Karina shows up with another stray, you might as well order more towels." Ryujin just raised a brow.

Aeri groaned, stomping toward the staircase.

"Fine! But she's explaining this one to the Elders herself” She looked at Karina’s texts. “Baggy clothes, she says. Who even says that like it's a size?" She stomped up the steps, still muttering under her breath.

 

Karina's car glided through the rain drenched streets, headlights slicing through the downpour. She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, eyes flicking to the reflection of Minjeong in the rearview mirror.

"Still breathing," she murmured. "Good sign."

By the time the car rolled to a stop outside the mansion, the rain had mellowed into a drizzle. Karina stepped out, her dress shoes splashing softly against the puddled driveway. She opened the rear door and leaned in, slipping one arm under Minjeong's knees and the other around her shoulders.

The girl was lighter than she looked, all wiry strength under damp fabric. Karina adjusted her grip and murmured.

"Let's get you somewhere warm, Princess."

The mansion doors opened before she could knock. Aeri stood there, arms crossed tight, her glare sharp enough to kill, victoria's secret pajamas intact and perfect, pink facial mask on her face.

"Fourth floor. The third door at the right"

"Missed you too, kiddo." Karina chuckled as she brushed past Aeri.

Aeri didn't even respond, just pinched the bridge of her nose as Karina disappeared up the stairs.

Inside the guest room, the maids already had towels stacked neatly and the bed sheets open to aid warmth and comfort. Karina set Minjeong gently on the couch, not wanting to wet the bed.

"Wash her off," Karina ordered, her tone soft but still commanding. "Be gentle"

As the maids moved to undress the unconscious girl, Karina's expression shifted. For a split second, something human flashed beneath the usual arrogance a kind of quiet protectiveness she feels towards the one in her clan.

She was gonna have fun with this one.

She turned around and left the room when she saw the maids lift Minjeong's hoodie up revealing milky and toned skin.

 

Yujin sighed, tossing his phone onto the crumpled comforter beside him. The screen glowed stubbornly with unread messages he'd sent hours ago:

where are you?
grandpa's worried. answer.
did you crash at yizhuos again?

Rain hammered the window, turning the neon signs outside into blurry streaks of color. He dragged a hand down his face. Minjeong was responsible, well, mostly. If she'd stayed at her friend's to dodge the storm, she'd text eventually. Probably forgot her charger. Again.

He flopped onto his back, staring at the ceiling. Grandpa's snores drifted softly from down the hall, steady and comforting. No reason to panic. Yet.

Still, something itched at the back of his brain. That wrong kind of quiet. He couldn't shake it.

Lunch replayed in his head, Grandpa Wonsik's trembling hands gripping his chopsticks, his voice cracking as he'd leaned in, eyes wide and sharp.

If anything happens... if anyone strange asks... you tell me immediately, Yujin.

The memory made his stomach twist.

He unlocked his phone again and scrolled through the group chat, messages from yesterday flashing by, stupid memes, banter, then the ones that made his pulse spike.

dude these gangsters were asking about you
     and minjeong.
we obviously didn't tell them shit.
even those seniors you beat up last year.
lmao guess you and minjeong scared 'em too
     bad last year to talk.

Yujin swallowed hard. It didn't sound like a joke to him anymore.

"Fuck..." he muttered into the dark.

His chest felt tight, breath shallow. He hadn't told Minjeong. Yesterday, when the texts came in, he'd brushed them off. Just idiots talking big, he'd thought. Minjeong wasn't even in collage anymore. Sure, they'd both gotten into fights before, mostly defending kids from assholes, but that was it. Dumb street stuff. Nothing serious.

That's what he told himself, anyway.

But Grandpa's words, it wasn't caution. It was fear. And that man didn't scare easy.

A chill ran up Yujin's spine. This wasn't just about old fights.

He clenched his phone, knuckles white. What if those thugs actually found her? She could handle herself, sure, but what if they brought a weapon? A gun? His brain betrayed him with the image: her red hair soaked in rain, her body on the pavement—

"Stop." He sat up, shaking his head violently. "Don't go there."

He inhaled deeply, one, two, then exhaled through his nose. She's fine. He repeated it over and over.

She's probably with Yizuho. Phone's dead. She's fine.

It didn't help, but he clung to it anyway.

Eventually, exhaustion dragged him down into half sleep. His last thought was of Minjeong laughing across a café table, Yizuho waving her hands wildly as she told another ridiculous story. Warm light. Steam rising from her hot chocolate. Minjeong's shoulders shaking as she laughed, genuine, unguarded.

That's how he wanted to remember her. Minjeong was a very peaceful girl, she wouldn’t get herself in a dangerous position.

 

Karina stumbled forward with a sharp gasp as a pair of long, and not so surprisingly strong hands yanked her pristine white hair.

"You pervert!"

The scream echoed off the mansions wall like a grenade going off. Minjeong was latched onto her back like a furious dog, legs locked tight around her waist, one arm choking her while the other kept tugging her hair like she was trying to scalp her.

"Ow—what the fuck—LET GO!" Karina's voice cracked, her composure gone completely. She staggered sideways into the wall, flailing uselessly.

A maid carrying laundry baskets froze mid step, blinked once, then quietly turned around. Two security guards by the stairs crossed their arms, clearly entertained. One even snorted.

"You kidnapped me!" Minjeong shouted, shaking her. "You stripped me and put me in hello kitty pajamas, you freak!"

"It wasn't me, you psycho! I have staff for that!" Karina wheezed.

Across the room, Aeri was gone, flat on the couch, tears streaming down her face, laughing so hard she could barely breathe. She was kinda the culprit into this whole disaster.

When Minjeong stormed out her room like a mad woman, screaming everywhere for the, annoying albino idiot. Aeri didn't waste a second and pointed at Karina, who was peacefully eating a sandwich on the couch. Eyes widen comically, cheeks puffed with food, hands hovering in the air awkwardly mid bite.

"I–I can't breath!" she gasped between wheezes.

"Damn..." Ryujin leaned against the doorframe, deadpan but with a tiny smirk.

"Oh, this is going straight into the group chat—" Aeri was already snapping pictures.

"AERI, I SWEAR—" Karina's head whipped toward her.

Before she could finish, Minjeong punched her in the chest.

The sound echoed. Karina folded over instantly, gasping.

"Low blow!" she wheezed.

"Deserved, bitch!" Minjeong yelled back. "You saw me naked without consent, boob punch was earned!"

Ryujin covered her mouth to hide her grin. Aeri just lost it completely, sliding off the couch.

Then Minjeong yanked again, and the blindfold slipped off.

It fluttered to the floor.

Karina froze. So did Minjeong.

Instead of blank, sightless eyes, Minjeong was staring straight into the brightest blue irises she'd ever seen. Sharp. Angry. Alive.

Minjeong panicked.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry! I didn't know!" She scrambled off her, tripping over her own legs and landing on her knees. She snatched the blindfold off the floor and awkwardly tried to shove it back onto Karina's face. "Here, take it back! I didn't mean—I thought—oh my God I just assaulted a disabled person—"

Karina caught her wrists mid air, sighing hard through her nose.

"Stop. I'm not blind."

Minjeong froze, eyes wide. Karina plucked the blindfold from her and stuffed it into her pocket, running a hand through her ruined hair with a tired flick.

"Oh," Minjeong muttered weakly.

The room went dead quiet.

Every staff member was staring. A few looked worried, but most just looked... entertained.

Minjeong's face burned red. She straightened up like she'd just remembered basic human posture, hands clasped in front of her, eyes fixed on her own bare feet.

If there was a hole nearby, she'd have jumped in.

Aeri finally stopped laughing, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes.

"Jesus, Rina," she said, still breathless, leaning her weight on her knee. "Didn't think I'd ever see the day you got your ass handed to you."

She straightened and crossed the room, her fluffy flip flops clicking against the marble. Her hand landed on Karina's shoulder with an affectionate smack.

"Payback's a bitch, huh? Especially when she's barely five six feet tall and hits like a truck."

She threw a grin at Minjeong, who have her a shy but polite smile.

"Hello, i’m sorry for the disturbance" Minjeong murmured, her voice small. "I'm Kim Minjeong." The nervous energy around her was almost painful, like someone who didn't know whether to bolt or bow. Her fingers playing together, to help her shyness.

Aeri's face lit up instantly.

"Oh my god, no way. You're so cute"

Before anyone could stop her, Aeri swooped in and wrapped her arms around Minjeong, squeezing tight.

"Wait, what—?" was all Minjeong managed before her face was buried in Aeri's big chest. Her hands hovered awkwardly in the air, unsure where to exist.

"I'm not even mad anymore about Karina kidnapping you," Aeri said, laughing against her hair. "Fuck it, I would've done it too." She faked cry.

"Aeri." Karina pinched the bridge of her nose.

Nothing.

"Aeri."

Still nothing.

"Aeri, you're literally smothering her."

Karina grabbed the back of her jacket and pulled her off like she was removing a sticker from glass. Aeri stumbled back with a yelp, still grinning, while Minjeong gasped for air, clutching her chest.

"Holy shit," she muttered, wide eyed. "Do all of you have... personal space issues?"

"Only for the cute stray ones" Aeri just shrugged, completely unbothered.

Minjeong blinked, unsure whether to feel flattered or terrified.

Karina, meanwhile, stood quietly, face unreadable. Minjeong finally got the chance to look at her kidnapper right. And fuck...

The light hit her just right, sharp angles, pale hair falling loose over her shoulder in a wolf cut, a faint sheen of rain still clinging to her clothes. Her eyes, icy blue and almost too calm, met Minjeong's for a fraction of a second, and something in Minjeong's chest stuttered. Fuck she's so tall... If Minjeong were to hug the woman, her forehead would lay perfectly on the woman's chest. She was probably like five nine or some.

She looked away quickly, cheeks warming. Fuck why did she have to be my type...

Karina's mouth curved, barely. "Like what you see?" she asked, her voice low and teasing. Used to these type of reactions.

"I—what. You wish" Minjeong's head snapped up.

"You're such a weird freak, boss. Kidnap her and start flirting before she even gets water." From the corner, Ryujin snorted.

Aeri burst out laughing, nearly doubling over.

Karina didn't react much, but her jaw tightened just slightly, enough to say she heard it.

"Seriously though, maybe start with a; hi, I'm sorry for kidnapping you, but you're actually kinda hot" Ryujin pushed off the doorframe, arms crossed.

"No, no—make it; hi, I'm sorry for kidnapping you, just thought that you needed a sugar mommy, considering your family's debt" Aeri wheezed.

That earned her a glare sharp enough to peel paint.

Karina exhaled slowly.

"Do either of you ever think before you speak?"

Both girls just blinked.

"You're unbelievable." Karina's eye twitched.

"You're old," Aeri shot back without missing a beat.

"Will you ever let that go?!" Karina turned toward her with the calm, murderous patience of someone counting down from ten.

"Hag," Aeri answered that instead, ducking behind Ryujin as Karina lunged.

"Don't use me as a shield," Ryujin laughed as Karina swatted at both of them. "I'm not dying for your bullshit."

"You literally called her a fósil the other day!" Aeri yelled from behind her human barricade.

Minjeong just stood there, wide eyed, watching the chaos unfold like she'd wandered into a sitcom instead of a hostage situation. Weren't these people supposed to be dangerous? Because they were arguing like sleep deprived roommates at 3 a.m.

Her confusion finally cracked into frustration. She took a shaky breath and raised her voice.

"Okay, what the actual fuck is going on?"

Everyone froze.

Aeri peeked out from behind Ryujin's shoulder. Ryujin's grin faded, and Karina straightened, the humor draining out of her face like a switch had flipped.

Minjeong's voice trembled, but she kept going.

"You—" she pointed at Karina, "knocked me out, dragged me here, and now you're joking around? Are you actually insane?"

Silence.

Karina didn't answer right away. Her face didn't change, but her energy did, quieter, heavier. When she finally spoke, her voice was calm, too calm. Her eyes went briefly and unnoticed to the grey folder sitting on the coffee table. Before snapping back to the girl in front of her.

"Apologies," she said, stepping closer. The click of her boots against the marble echoed in the stillness. "That wasn't how you were supposed to wake up."

Minjeong didn't move. Her pulse was a drum in her ears.

"I'm Katarina—or Karina" she said softly. "You're in the LILIES Clan's mansion." Karina stopped in front of her, close enough for Minjeong to catch the faint smell of honey and whisky she smelled last night.

"The what now—?" Minjeong frowned.

Karina's gaze stayed locked on hers, unreadable. "And you, Kim Minjeong," she continued, voice low but certain, "are exactly what we've been looking for."

The room suddenly felt smaller. Aeri's laughter was gone. Ryujin had gone completely still. The air shifted, from chaos to tension in a single breath.

Karina took a step back, just enough to give Minjeong space to breathe.

Aeri snapped to attention, her grin fading into a serious, businesslike mask. She smoothed her pajama and stepped forward with a small bow.

"Kim Minjeong" she said, tone suddenly clipped and formal. "I'm Uchinaga Aeri, Chief Executive Officer of LILIES operations." Then, with a crisp thumbs up: "Recruitment complete. Welcome aboard. No need to stress about paperwork."

Minjeong looked at the girl next to Aeri.

"Yo, i'm Ryujin" The girl just did a peace sign as a greeting.

"Huh?" was all Minjeong managed, blinking as she stared at the thumbs up and the peace sign. It was such a weird contrast to everything else that her brain short circuited. Her eyes darted from Aeri's perfect corporate smile, to Ryujin's loser face, to Karina's unreadable calm face.

Karina tilted her head, a faint smirk tugging at her lips when she heard Minjeong's confused little, huh.

"Your neighborhood was flaring with cursed energy these past months. We thought a curse had manifested." She paused, letting the words settle. "Turns out, it was you."

Minjeong blinked.

"Cursed... energy?" she repeated, like the phrase itself was fake. "Curse? What the fuck does that even mean?" She started sensing her surroundings, looking for an escape, or something sharp. Finding out she's probably in a mafia mansion, started to get her uneasy.

The silence that followed was sharp. Aeri, Ryujin and Karina exchanged a glance that said everything, she really doesn't know.

"Okay that's new. I'll just leave it guys to you" Ryujin patted Karina and Aeri on the back, she gave Minjeong a smile before disappearing into a door.

Karina's posture shifted slightly, less intimidating, more analytical.

"Alright," she murmured, her tone soft but firm. She motioned to the couch. "Sit."

It wasn't a suggestion.

Minjeong hesitated but sat, muscles still coiled with adrenaline.

Karina leaned back against the couch, her voice steady.

"Cursed energy comes from human negativity, fear, hate, regret. It lingers, festers. Think of it like emotional pollution." She lifted a hand. "Most people can't feel it. But some can. Some are born with it. Like you."

Aeri hopped up onto the explanation beside her, legs swinging.

"And curses?" she said, more gently now. "They're basically monsters made out of that energy. Like, imagine a kid's trauma getting a body and teeth."

Karina nodded once.

"They feed on suffering. Graveyards, hospitals, dark alleys, anywhere pain sits too long." She turned her head slightly toward Minjeong. "Your cursed energy is... loud. Like a moth to a flame."

"Cursed techniques are how we use our cursed energy. Everyone's is different." Aeri grinned faintly. "Mine's blood manipulation—Ryujin's has heavenly restriction, she doesn't have any cursed energy—but uses tools that have, and fights curses with them. And the boss here..." she gestured at Karina, "plays with space itself."

Minjeong's hands rested limp in her lap. "Space..." she echoed weakly. "Right. Totally normal." Her laugh was soft, a little shaky. The explanation sounded insane, but she couldn't shake the memory of that alley: how the air seemed to tense, the way Karina appeared out of nowhere.

Karina must've noticed her doubt. "You want proof?" she asked.

Aeri simply grabbed a lighter that was resting on the coffee table and without wasting a second threw it at Karina, the lighter stopped millimeters from Karina before falling into the ground.

"This," Karina said quietly, "is Infinity"

Minjeong stared. Her pulse stumbled, brain scrambling for logic. Looking at the lighter in the ground. Her face slowly losing its color.

"Your cursed energy isn't just strong," she said, her tone softer now. "It's messy, but the LILIES Clan exists to shape that, to make sure it doesn't destroy you or attract curses that can hurt people." She paused, then added, "Join us. Train. Become a sorcerer."

The words hung there, heavy but strangely... hopeful.

Minjeong's hands twisted together in her lap. For a second, she thought of her grandfather, of the promise she'd made to protect what little they had left. Her voice came out quiet but certain. Something screamed to her head to accept, fighting and protecting was all she knew. Yet something in her chest pulled her back from accepting.

"I can't," she said. "My family needs me right now. My grandpa's sick, and my brother..." She trailed off, exhaling shakily. "I can't just walk away from them."

Aeri jumped up, startled. "What? You're serious? Minjeong, this is—"

Karina's hand came up, resting gently on Aeri's stomach, stopping her mid sentence. No words, just a small shake of her head.

She looked at Minjeong, the silence stretched. Minjeong felt a little bit intimidated by the intense blue eyes, that read her like an open book.

Karina's eyes glanced again at the grey folder, this time longer. Her actions speaking words. Minjeong understood immediately.

Confused she glanced at the folder on the coffee table then back at Karina.

A weird shiver ran down her spine. She grabbed the folder and open it slightly, revealing barley half of the context inside. It looked like someone's profile.

Her heart sank.

Minjeong closed the folder with a loud thud that made Aeri jump slightly on her seat.

Minjeong closed her eyes shut. As if the action would somehow erase the memory. She was glad she only opened the folder a little bit. Enough for her to only read the first four letters on the paper. Enough for her not to see the ID photo.

"How did you..." Minjeong looked at Karina. Demanding an answer.

Aeri started to feel unease by Minjeong sudden change. Like she traspasad someone's trauma. And put salt on a open wound. She looked at Karina's calm expression.

"Our clan manages all type of stuff that can put people's life at risk..." She pointed at the forgotten folder. "We were noticed of some gangsters stalking a school—we obviously didn't know at that time it was your brothers school—so we investigated everybody's life background before taking actions" She grabbed the folder and placed it behind the couch. Minjeong seemed to breath again at that. "It was an amazing coincidence that i got to meet you last night"

Minjeong nodded slowly. Eyes falling to her feet.

"I see..." She then composed herself. And showed a small that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Then you most know why i can't leave then" She got up and gave both girls a polite bow. "I'm really sorry. But i can't accept this offer"

She closed her eyes tight.

Karina rested more comfortably on the couch. She once again gave Minjeong a look over. There was a long puse.

"Okay"

She opened her eyes surprised. And looked at Karina's face. Aeri mimicked Minjeong's confusion and surprise.

She'd expected pressure, but instead, Karina just... accepted it. The quiet understanding in that small gesture made her chest loosen a little.

"We'll call a driver to bring you home safely. Sorry for kidnapping you" She gave a polite smile, that didn't reach her eyes. "You don't need to worry about those gangsters i'll take care of them myself" She got up and grabbed the folder.

"Thanks," Minjeong said softly. The smile she gave was small but real. "For understanding."

Her eyes went back to the folder for one last time.

Kim Roohan. Her father.

Just who was he really?

Chapter Text

Minjeong leaned her forehead against the tinted limo window, watching the Seoul streets fade away, and welcoming the Busan ones. The city looked too damn alive for the knot in her chest. The leather seat underneath her felt too soft, too expensive, so unfamiliar. It smelled like money.

Karina's voice still echoed in her head, smooth and sharp, like the edge of a blade wrapped in silk.

Your cursed energy... is like a moth to a flame.

Minjeong flexed her fingers and waited for something, sparks, light, a flicker of proof. Nothing. Just the same calloused hands that had punched through too many training pads and people's noses.

A shiver.

Her father's name like always, came to her mind. His board strong back, the smell of coffee and cigarettes. God she hated him.. And hated him even more in knowing that he was part of this world too, knowing how dangerous it could be, he still left. The folder Karina showed her was enough proof. She didn't even need to see the full page. His name written on that page was enough. She was glad she didn't open it fully to see his face. To not remember how he looked like.

It was enough to get her angry; at her father, because what the fuck, he first abandones them, then later she realizes hes been living and working on a world that she didn't even know about, and even if she didn't join Karina she's still part of it. She was confused; did her grandpa know? Is that why he always trained them to be strong? To protect and never back down a fight? She was scared; she was used in having the upper hand in situations and fights, but this was something way too different, it felt like a curse. Having this power yet not doing nothing to polish it. Don't get her wrong tho, she would happily accepted Karina's offer, she just didn't want to be like her father and abandon the little family she has left, especially now when her grandpa could in anytime die.

Even if her father wasn't anymore in their life's, his actions still gave consequences to their life's. For god sake, he's debts got her and Yujin stalked by gangsters, and even corned her last night. Even if she could protect herself, and Karina was there to scare them off. It was still a burden to their life's. There were only three of them, but she doesn't know how many there are out there. Maybe that's not the only people her father angered.

Minjeong wanted to bang her head against the window. She could already feel a headache start to form. The only good thing from all of this is that she finally got to have a good night sleep (even if she was knocked out by stupid Karina) She thanked the woman in her head. But it still wasn't enough for her migraines to subside. She hasn't been able to sleep well this past months, and now she had to add this new information that monsters called curses exist, and that she has cursed energy in her body. It was still so much for her tiny head to swallow.

Maybe Karina was wrong. Maybe Minjeong was just another overworked twenty seven year old with (obvious) anger issues and daddy issues.

Her jaw clenched. And if she had it... did Yujin have it too?

She sighed, hitting her head softly against the tainted windows.

"We're here" The deep voice of the driver stopped her thoughts.

She looked outside and he was right. The morning lights hit just perfectly at the logo of her gym. Home.

"Thanks for the ride" She bowed at the man who gave her a little smile. She stepped out, and looked around for her keys. Her yesterday clothes now washed and dry.

She unlocked the side door, the keys cold against her fingers, and stepped into silence. It was too early for the gym to be open so she walked freely around. Seeing the mess she did yesterday. Sigh. Looks like she'll have to clean before getting some rest (She prayed she didn't have any nightmares)

Carefully gathering the sand and broken bags into the trash can, she gave the place a quick look over. Satisfied she clasped her hands, and started heading upstairs.

Already imagining Yujin's early bird ass already making himself breakfast, with his silly sailor moon pajamas. The thought made her smile, her brother calming the storm on her heart, she grabbed the key to the house and opened the door. A bratty comeback to Yujin's silly pajamas on the tip of her tongue, but when she opened the door. She was met with nothing.

Just stillness.

A shiver ran down her back. She immediately grabbed her phone from her back pocket. Her stomach drop.

00:23
where are you
are you at yizuhos?
just text me when ur free, okay?
u know i get worried :(

4:47
grandpa started having a seizure
idk what to do minjeong please reply
where are you!?!??
911 just got here
please minjeong answer

Minjeong's throat closed.

"Fuck..."

 

The hospital smelled like bleach and dread. Her sneakers squeaked against the floor, drawing the attention of no one. Everyone here had their own ghosts to chase.

That's when she saw him. And god, Minjeong hated what her eyes were looking. Her baby brother.

Yujin sat slumped outside the ICU, his hoodie pulled up, his body folded in on itself. The second he looked up, Minjeong's stomach turned to stone. Tears trying to fall from her chocolate eyes. Guilt already forming in her chest. Minjeong wanted to punch herself.

"Where were you?" he said, voice raw and low. "He was asking for you."

She didn't answer. She couldn't. The words landed harder than punches.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I... couldn't answer." She didn't want to tell him what happened. She didn't want him to worry even more.

"Couldn't answer?" He laughed, brittle and broken. "He had a heart attack, Minjeong. He almost died. If i hadn't been awake at that hour waiting for you, he could've died" The sight of Yujin's trembling body, made her remember the little boy who used to always sneak into her bedroom asking if they could sleep together because he was afraid of the dark.

She loved her little brother so much. She wanted to tell him about Karina, about their fathers debts, about how everything changed the second that woman appeared, but what could she say? That she'd been kidnapped by a blindfolded woman who said she could see monsters? That she was supposed to be a sorcerer who kills this monsters called curses? That her father was also in this world, and that the men who visit his school were actually looking for them? She didn't want that. So instead she asked:

"Is he... okay?"

"They stabilized him," Yujin muttered, scrubbing a hand down his face. "But he still hasn't woken up"

A nurse appeared, voice clipped and gentle. "Kim Minjeong? Kim Yujin?" They immediately stoop up. The nurse smiled at the warmly. "He's okay. You can see him now. Just keep it calm, please."

Minjeong grabbed Yujin's hand and headed to the room their grandpa was resting.

Inside the ICU, hrandpa Wonsik looked small. The man who'd taught them to fight until their knuckles bled now seemed swallowed by wires and pale sheets. His skin looked paper thin, his breathing shallow. Minjeong froze in the doorway until Yujin nudged her forward.

"Grandpa?" she whispered, touching his hand. It was cold. Too cold.

He stirred, barely. His eyes fluttered open, finding them through the fog of painkillers and time.

"Kids..."

"We're here." Yujin leaned closer, voice cracking.

"I–" A fit of coughs interrupted him. 

"I'll go get him some water" Yujin sprinted outside, worry still attached to his back and shoulders.

The old man's lips twitched, a ghost of a smile.

"Minjeong... you're so strong." His voice deep and broken.

Her breath caught.

"So help people," he continued, his voice a fading thread. "Doesn't have to be all the time. Just... whenever you can... Don't expect thanks."

Minjeong's throat burned. She squeezed his hand harder.

"Don't be scared to love" he rasped. "When it's your time to go... make sure you're surrounded by others." Then, barely audible: Don't end up like me.

She bit her lip hard for it to bled, containing her tears.

"Don't talk like that," she whispered, shaking her head. "Just rest."

But he didn't. His eyes lingered on her for a moment longer, as if trying to say something else, but then his gaze slipped past her, unfocused. His fingers loosened in hers. His eyes closing in sleep.

The machine beeped. And kept beeping.

Minjeong didn't move.

Days turned into weeks. The ICU became their second home. Yujin handled the morning classes at the gym while Minjeong ran the closing shifts and slept between visits. She lived on energy drinks and guilt.

Grandpa didn't wake up.

She never mentioned Karina. Never mentioned the men or the alley. Karina had vanished like smoke, but her words stayed, burning quietly, refusing to fade. Echoing inside her mind. She hasn't seen her, but her presence always seemed to follower her.

Like a moth to a flame.

The image of Karina broad back in the alley came to mind. The lighter falling before touching her. The deep blue ocean eyes that seemed to know everything. The folder hiding too many secrets.

Sometimes, while cleaning the gym, Minjeong would try to summon the supposed cursed energy to her fingers. She doesn't know how it looks like or if she should feel anything. She thought that since she now knows about her power, it would be easier to "control" this power. Yet every time she tried. The only thing she ended summoning was a fucking headache.

So she stopped trying.

One night, after locking up, Minjeong jogged toward the hospital, hair still damp from a rushed shower, hoodie half zipped. She scrolled through her texts as she walked, this was the only free time she had of the day. When she walked to the hospital, talking to Yizhuo and her new life updates.

 

lesbian wanda: so did you guys kiss or what?👁️

pillow princess: YESSSS😭😭😭

pillow princess: minjeong istg it was the best kiss i ever had

lesbian wanda: bitch you say that every time you kiss a new girl

pillow princess: I KNOW BUT SHES DIFFERENT STFU

pillow princess: jus say that ur jealous. ill understand babes

lesbian wanda: 😐

pillow princess: 😐

lesbian wanda: i'm not downloading that sugar app ning yizhuo.

pillow princess: WHY😭 THE😭 FUCK😭 NOT

lesbian wanda: cause ew wtf and i don't wanna get kidnapped.

 

Not again at least, she thought.

 

pillow princess: ur not gonna get kidnapped

pillow princess: what in the straight 365 days are u watching

lesbian wanda: huh none? its literal common sense.

pillow princess: 😒ok ill jus buy u a pink toy

lesbian wanda: EXCUSE ME!?!???!!😟😟😟

pillow princess: shit purple then

lesbian wanda: please get some help

pillow princess: sorry my moms calling😛 gotta go

pillow princess: hope you get laid!!!

lesbian wanda: 🖕🏻

 

Minjeong laughed at their silly texts, their childish banter replacing her anxiety with warmth. She shoved her phone in her pocket and picked up her pace.

Meanwhile, hidden in the night skies, two figures watched from the hospital rooftop.

Aeri sighed, hands stuffed in her leather jacket pockets, as Karina leaned casually against the ledge like she owned the skyline. The demon's white wolf cut fluttered in the wind, catching the faint blue glow of the city.

"So," Aeri said flatly, "Gonna explain to me why you let her go the other day, only to drag me all across Busan to stalk her?" Aeri pressed, tapping her foot, "Besides, if I remember correctly, you already killed those bastard that were chasing Minjeong and her brother, so it's not like she's in danger or whatever" She sighed dramatically. "It's exhausting trying to read you when you're being a misterios hag."

Karina hummed softly. "You were the one who said to let her decide."

Aeri growled low in her throat, the sound pure petulance, like a kid denied candy.

"Yeah, before I realized she's actually cool as fuck" Aeri snapped. "She's like a little puppy. I could use someone like that around the compound. Everyone else there's either a simp or emotionally constipated."

"You just want someone to bully who won't cry about it." Karina chuckled, crossing one leg over the other on the ledge.

Aeri pointed a finger.

"First of all, accurate. Second of all, shut up." She hesitated, then mumbled, "Also, her cursed energy is crazy. If we polished it she can easily become a special grade"

Silence settled for a moment, the city humming below them.

"She'll come back" Karina said quietly.

"You sound way too confident about that." Aeri frowned.

"She's the type who says no out of guilt," Karina replied. "But guilt doesn't last. Regret does."

"You looked her up, didn't you?" Aeri studied her for a beat.

Karina's smirk was all the answer she needed.

"Maybe i did"

"Unbelievable," Aeri muttered, dragging a hand down her face. "You're actually insane."

Karina just shrugged. "It's fine. The only thing keeping her from saying yes is her grandfather." Her tone softened, just slightly. "And honestly? I don't think he'll make it."

That shut Aeri up.

For a while, neither spoke. Until Karina clapped her hands sharply, the sound cracking through the rooftop silence like a gunshot. That infuriatingly cheerful grin snapped back onto her face, wide and blinding. She bounced on the balls of her feet, suddenly animated, throwing up twin peace signs right in front of Aeri's bewildered eyes. One foot kicked playfully into the air behind her.

"Besides! I already manipulated the situation if the old man doesn't kick it!"

"You did what—"

"Don't worry about it~!" Karina was already skipping backward

That's when Aeri lunged.

"YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

Her fist connected with Karina's shoulder, then another to the ribs. Karina yelped dramatically.

"OW!–Hey!–This is workplace harassment!"

"Workplace my ass!" Aeri shouted, raining a flurry of open palmed smacks across her arms. "You manipulative peace of shit!"

Down below, a couple walking past the hospital looked up at the rooftop.

"You hear that?" one murmured.

"Probably interns," the other said. "Weird ass kids these days."

"AERI, PLEASE!"

 

Meanwhile, a tall figure moved through the fluorescent corridors below, every step too calm for someone this annoyed. Black spiky hair, sharp jaw, expensive coat, the picture of someone who definitely didn't want to be there.

His phone buzzed in his hand. He unlocked it, glanced at the message, and sighed so deeply it came from his soul.

"Stupid Karina..." he muttered, dragging a hand down his face. He'd lost count of how many times she'd dragged him into one of her stupid errands.

Ten minutes and three wrong hallways later, he was ready to text her a paragraph of pure rage when he spotted someone slumped at the far end of the corridor.

A guy, around his age, pale, fingers tangled in his hair like the world had already ended for him.

He straightened his posture, smoothing invisible wrinkles from his turtleneck. The tired professionalism kicked in automatically. He stepped closer, his footsteps barely echoing.

"Kim Yujin?" His voice was calm, even, the kind that could cut through any kind of noise.

The boy's head lifted slowly. Yujin looked like he hadn't slept in a week, eyes red and hollow. And then he froze, taking in the stranger, too polished, too perfect, like someone who belonged in an expensive magazine, not in this white and depressed hospitals walls.

"...Yeah?" Yujin croaked.

"I'm Hushiro Minwoo. Grade two sorcerer of the LILIES Clan." Minwoo's tone was matter of fact, almost bored.

"Huh?" Yujin blinked.

"I have an offer for you." Mingyu leaned in slightly, lowering his voice just enough for it to sound dangerous.

 

Minjeong rounded the ICU corner, clutching a half eaten kimbap and already ready to scold Yujin for skipping meals again. But when she saw the open door to Room 407, her stomach dropped.

Her steps quickened. The machines were silent. The bed, looked empty except for a sheet pulled over something still and unmistakable.

Her throat closed up. The kimbap slipped from her fingers, hitting the floor with a soft thud.

Yujin sat outside, hands in his hair, shoulders shaking. He didn't even look up as she approached. His voice cracked like old wood.

"I fell asleep holding his hand... And when I woke up, he was—" He couldn't finish. His whole body trembled as the words broke apart.

Minjeong stepped forward, numb, until she was kneeling beside him. She pulled him into her arms, his sobs muffling against her shoulder. Her own tears blurred the world into white noise.

They stayed like that, two kids clinging to what little they had left.

"I'm so tired Minjeong, i can't keep living like this. Mom died, then dad left us, and now grandpa is also gone..." He shakes his head against her shoulders. His voice broke. "I can't... It's too much..."

Minjeong felt her heart break.

They stood like that for what felt like hours, Minjeong didn't even care her knees were hurting from the hard floor, she stayed put, holding the only family she had left. Her tears now dry on her face, listen to Yujin's calm breathes. It took him over an hour to calm down.

Yujin pulled back slowly, his face was wrecked but his eyes full with determination, his fist trembling by how tight he was holding onto Minjeong.

"Let's leave the gym, Minjeong," he said suddenly.

"...What?" She blinked.

"I can't keep living like this, so i found us a job," he continued, standing straighter. "It's perfect for us, they help people. Just like grandpa always wanted for us—and maybe the work it's kinda different—but they still help people!" He started pacing, his words falling fast from his mouth that Minjeong could barely catch up. "And we don't have to worry about the money, they'll give us a place to live. Food. A roof" He stopped in front of her, grabbing her shoulders tightly. "Come on Minjeong, please it's perfect"

Minjeong stared at him, tears drying cold on her face. She was confused by his rambling but also hurt at seeing the euphoric state her brother was in. He was definitely hyperventilating.

"Yujin, you can't just—what job? You don't even know them."

His hands gripped her shoulders tighter.

"What do we have left, Minjeong? We're alone." His eyes were wide, tired but at the same time full of hope.

"I know Yujin but we can't just make this decision like nothing. We don't know these people and don't know what does this job ask for, what if it's a trap?" Minjeong tried reasoning with her brother. "What if this men come back and are the ones trying to trick us and—"

"Come back?"

That's when Minjeong froze, realization of her slip up.

"I–"

"You met them?" Yujin voice sounded desperate.

There's no point in hiding it anymore.

"I did" When she saw Yujin sigh and pacing again she immediately explained. "Hey no, it's not like that. Nothing happened someone was there and scared them off" She placed her hands on Yujin's.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He looked more sad than angry.

"Because i didn't want you to worry, and they said it was about dad debts and i know how sad you get whenever he's mentioned"

Yujin's eye widen at the name, wound still open not yet healed. He let out a dry laugh.

"Of course it was" He dragged his hands along his hair. And decided to change the topic. "Who helped you by the way?" He asked instead.

Minjeong was caught off guard again.

"Oh... Just this girl i met" She avoided his eyes, not knowing why, she just did.

Wait... She felt like a deja vu. The job offering Yujin said, now sounded way too familiar.

It's like a moth to a flame.

The confident smirk of Karina appearing on her head. That idiot... Of course she'll find another way of getting her to accept, she didn't know the woman but still surprised her when she let her go that easily, especially since she took her time to kidnap her.

"What did this people said about the job?" She asked.

Yujin eyebrows knitted about the sudden question.

"Oh, well they didn't give much details, just that they're not like a mafia or some shit, just that they work in handling bad things in order to protect people"

Of course, her eye twitched.

"That albino idiot..." She cursed.

"Albino—what—"

She felt a headache start to form, she hissed, pressing her temples, but the answer fell out anyway, raw and automatic.

"...Okay."

"What are you for real?" Yujin's eyes widen.

She said it way too quickly before her mind could process it but still went with it, something telling her that this was the right choice.

"Yeah, like you said what is there to lose?" She smiled at her brother.

Yujin's arms wrapped around her immediately, desperate, grateful.

"Thank you," he whispered into her hair, already pulling away. "I'll tell them. You handle the paperwork for Grandpa." He pulled back, and turned his head towards the room, giving his grandpa one last look with a smile, before sprinting down the hallway, phone already in hand.

Minjeong stood there, numb, the ache in her head fading as the silence swallowed her again.

Looks like this was it.

She walked towards her grandpa room, slowly got closer to the bed, a small smile on her lips she started tracing where his hand should be, the white sheet not letting her see him, but she didn't mind, this was enough.

Help the others, not because you want something back. But to remember you're human

She sighed, and gave a kiss to his clothed hand, before closing the door behind her, leaving her childhood days behind the room, not forgotten, just behind. Deciding to start a new chapter for her, one that she wants because she thinks it's the right thing to do and because that's what her grandpa would've wanted.

The image of her fathers broad back suddenly hit her mind, she clenched her fist without noticing, a fire blossoming on her chest. She wasn't gonna end up like him.

She worked on autopilot, heading towards the receptionist, asking for the paper to sign.

She doesn't know why he left them, for fuck sake, she doesn't even remember his face, or the sound of his voice, any trace of him locked in a box in grandpa's closet that she never dared to look, she didn't want to. It would only bring her pain. At first she always thought that maybe her and Yujin were the problem for him leaving, that they were a pressure for him to raise, that's why he got fed up and left, but years went by and she realized she never did anything wrong for him to leave, she doesn't get to decide who her family is, she's just born with one. It was her father's decision to have them along side their dead mother. So if he decided to leave, then Minjeong didn't have to blame herself for it. She was just a kid, and she didn't know anything about the real world, at that age her only concern was to avoid Yujin eating and smashing her toys, nothing more. There was no point in eating her head with what if's.

She sighed, and filled out the forms, signed the lines. She bowed to the receptionist, and walked out of the hospital feeling like a ghost in her own body.

Not that i care anymore. Not that i care at all. She kept repeating like a mantra. Hands on her jacket pockets, suddenly too cold.

Her phone buzzed.

 

sailor moon: im outside

 

Minjeong sighed again, hoping that her suspicions were real and Yujin didn't get them in some mafia gang or those men trap, she crossed her fingers and pushed through the glass doors.

"There she is!"

The voice was smooth and teasing, and immediately pissed her off. Her body reacting before her own mind could process.

She looked up.

Karina leaned against a sleek black car, arms crossed, a smirk painted across her stupidly perfect face.

"You're late, Minjeong."

Aeri stood beside her, arms folded, her eyes screaming, don't even ask, while a tall guy with spiky black hair lingered nearby. And there was Yujin, smiling way too brightly for someone who'd just lost everything, but Minjeong knew deep down it was only a mask he wore in front of these people.

"Minjeong! This is them!" he said, voice too cheerful, like he could will the world back to normal.

Minjeong's gaze flicked from her brother to the blindfolded woman smirking at her like an evil cat.

At the end her suspicions were right yet it still annoyed her knowing that Karina went that far to convince her brother in order to convince her. Her lips parted just enough for a single, flat word to fall out.

"You little shit"

Chapter Text

Minjeong's knuckles tightened around her phone as she stared at Karina's infuriatingly smug grin.

"You little shit" she repeated, higher pitch this time.

"Minjeong, this is Karina! And Aeri noona, and Minwoo!" Yujin gestured wildly, his voice cracking with cheer. "They run the Lilies Clan! They're gonna—"

Minjeong cut him off with a sharp wave of her hand, her eyes never leaving Karina's amused smirk.

"We've met," she stated flatly. Her gaze flickered to Aeri, giving her a small smile, then hardened as it landed back on Karina.

Karina pushed herself off the car hood with languid grace, her polished oxfords crunching on the gravel. She took a deliberate step closer, the scent of whiskey and honey cutting through the antiseptic air.

"It's been so long, princess, not gonna give me a kiss to make up the lost time?" She purred.

Aeri grimaced yet didn't say anything, meanwhile Minwoo, looked sideways embarrassed by his boss mere presence.

"I'd rather eat shit" Minjeong flipped the girl off.

Karina simply chuckled not amused by the girls bratty responses.

Yujin blinked, his gaze darting between Minjeong's clenched jaw and Karina's lazy smirk.

"Wait," he stammered, confusion etching lines across his forehead. "You two... know each other?" His voice held a note of betrayal, as if the carefully constructed bridge he'd built between their worlds was suddenly crumbling beneath him. He pouted.

"We did" Minjeong glared at Karina.

"Of course we did, it's impossible to forget such a pretty face" Karina sent her, what she thought looked like a wink. The stupid blindfold, thank god, didn't let the wink show.

Yujin's brow furrowed deeper, his innocence radiating like a beacon in the tense silence. He tilted his head, genuinely perplexed, he looked between the two girls, eyes wide with earnest confusion,

"Did you guys, like... hook up or something?" The words hung in the air, blunt and unfiltered. "Did you finally agreed to that app Ning—"

Minjeong's face ignited, a furious crimson blooming from her neck to her temples, ignoring Karina's and Aeri's laughter.

"Yujin!" she hissed, her voice cracking with mortification. She kicked the floor like a child, embarrassed, hands fluttering uselessly. "What the fuck are you saying?"

"Oh sorry i just thought..." He scratched his neck, smile way too bright and innocent, for Minjeong to get angry at.

"Oh, princess," Karina murmured, her voice a husky whisper that sent an unwanted shiver down Minjeong's spine. "Don't lie. You'd love to hook up with me." Before Minjeong could explode or stammer a retort, Karina straightened abruptly, clapping her hands together with jarring cheerfulness. "Alright! Enough chit chat. Hop in, kids. Time to see your new home."

Minjeong sighed, the sound escaping like air from a punctured tire. She shot Yujin a withering glare, he just grinned back, bouncing on the balls of his feet like a kid promised candy. Karina's car swallowed them whole: Minjeong slid reluctantly into the plush leather backseat beside Yujin, while Karina claimed the driver's throne. Aeri folded herself gracefully into the passenger seat, her expression unreadable as polished stone. Minwoo settled silently beside Minjeong, his presence a cool shadow against her simmering annoyance.

"Sent a team to your gym while you were signing papers. Your gear, clothes, it's already in route to the mansion." She tapped the steering wheel lightly. "Consider it a welcome package. Saves you the hassle of packing boxes while grieving." Karina gave them a smile from her shoulder.

Yujin leaned forward, his earlier grief momentarily eclipsed by wide eyed gratitude. "Karina-nim!" he exclaimed, voice brightening the tense atmosphere. "That's really kind of you! Thank you!" His earnestness was palpable.

Karina stretched her long arm and ruffled Yujin's hair, eyes still on the road.

"No need to be so formal kiddo, its okay to call me by name"

Yujin beemed at this.

"Kay' Kay' Rina" Instead he gave her a nickname, Karina laughed at it, already fond of the kid.

"Is it the same mansion?" Minjeong asked, her tone clipped, directing the question toward the front seats.

Aeri shifted slightly in the passenger seat, her gaze fixed ahead. "Seoul," she stated flatly. "We have a lot of headquarters around Korea, but since you've been picked by this loser" She pointed at Karina, who pouted with a little, hey not nice. "You get to live in the same mansion as us" She smiled warmly at the siblings. "Glad to know you guys accepted, we need your potential for the world"

Minjeong smiled at Aeri. "Of course, i already felt bad for rejecting you guys the first time, i didn't want that to happen again" She placed a hand on Aeri's shoulder and squeezed it. "Thanks Aeri"

Karina frowned at that. "What—Hey! I was the one who scouted you, why am i not getting any pats or shoulder squeezes" She protested like a child, pout out and cheeks puffed.

Minwoo growled and slid more into his seat, wanting the leather to swallow him.

"Here get your squeeze, damn" Minjeong said flatly, and pinched, hard, on Karina's cheeks, stretching them like gum.

"Ow—Fuck—Not again! Minjeong Sto—" Karina didn't have the time to react, words coming out muffled by the assault of her cheeks, trying her best to not crash the car.

Minjeong let go of Karina's cheeks, not before giving them a last hard slap, she leaned back in her seat, satisfied with the assault.

"Holy shit you strong little puppy..." She hissed caressing her now red and swollen cheeks, pout still there.

Aeri laughed, showing her phone screen to Karina. "Should probably make an album by now" She laughed.

Karina scoffed like a kid, smacking Aeri's phone away.

Yujin then turned towards his sister. "They're fun, right?" He asked brightly at his sister.

Minjeong faked annoyance, nodding her head lazily.

 

The car rolled through the towering iron gates, its tires crunching on gravel as the driveway wound through perfectly trimmed gardens. The Lilies Clan mansion came into view, a massive, modern fortress of dark stone and glass that caught the fading sunlight. When the car stopped, Minwoo slid out quietly, movements stiff and precise. He gave Minjeong and Yujin a short bow, face unreadable.

"Welcome," he muttered, voice flat, before walking off toward a side door.

Aeri stretched with a groan, letting out a dramatic yawn. "Jet lag's beating my ass," she mumbled, dragging herself toward the big double doors. "Don't trash the place before I nap, yeah?" She disappeared inside, leaving Minjeong and Yujin standing awkwardly beside Karina and the idling car.

Karina lifted a lazy hand toward the entrance. "Right this way, princess," she said, amusement dripping from her voice.

Inside, their footsteps echoed across the marble floor. The place was huge, vaulted ceilings, spotless white stone, the kind of place that looked like a luxury hotel and a cult base had a baby. Minjeong finally gave the big ass mansion a look over. Last time she didn't get the chance, considering she was kidnapped.

"Welcome to Lilies headquarters" Karina said like it was no big deal. "Ground floor's got common rooms, kitchens you'll never touch, and the training halls where Ryujin's probably breaking something right now." She pointed down one hallway. "That way's classrooms. You'll be hitting the books, curses, energy manipulation, boring theory crap. Congrats, you're students again." Her blindfold turned slightly toward them. "Consider yourselves enrolled." She stopped near an open archway where heavy thuds and shouts echoed. "Training arena," she said casually.

Minjeong walked in silence, still taking everything in. Yujin, on the other hand, fired off questions like a caffeinated toddler.

"Wait, classes? Like actual school? Who teaches? What kind of curses?"

Karina chuckled, adjusting her blindfold. "We've got teachers for that, but mostly it's me. Lucky you."

She started walking again, shoes clicking against the marble.

"Let's start with the basics," she said, slipping effortlessly into lecture mode. "Curses are born from human trash emotions, fear, rage, despair, all that fun stuff. Our job as sorcerers is to find them, dissect them, and exorcise them before they make a mess."She paused near a big oak door carved with lilies. "This is the archive. Every curse we've faced is logged in here. You'll memorize them."

"How did you managed to gather all of this information?" Minjeong looked at Karina, who simply smirked at her yet didn't respond.

Karina gestured to a staircase. "Rooms are upstairs" She smirked slightly. "Cursed energy manipulation is key. It's not brute force, it's control. Think threading a needle with lightning." She continued explaining.

Yujin raised a hand like he was in class. "How do we see curses?"

Karina chuckled softly and tapped her blindfold. "Perception. Curses are basically made of bad vibes. If you don't have cursed energy, you can't see them. It's like your brain's filter just goes, 'nope, too scary,' and blocks it out." She shrugged. "Once you start using cursed energy yourself, you'll start seeing what's actually out there. Think of it as switching from wifi off to wifi on."

"Us the LILIES are sorcerers, but aside from killing curses we also take care of bad sorcerers who take advantage of the curses and attack non sorcerers"

Great there are also evil sorcerers, Minjeong though. This world just kept surprising her even more. If someone told her that the illuminati was real and there were clones of her out there, she'll believe it.

Karin suddenly stopped. The shift in her vibe was instant, no smirk, no sarcasm. Just stillness.

"Since you're officially part of Lilies," she said quietly, fingers brushing the silver cross on her neck, "I should tell you something."Her tone didn't change, just casually dropped, like she was commenting on the weather. "I'm immortal. A demon, actually. And no i don't have horns or a tail" She immediately clarified the annoying questions she always gets.

Yujin froze his whole body going sideways, his soul leaving his body by the shock. Minjeong blinked hard, her face pale as snow, words failing her.

Fuck demons were real as well...

Karina smiled faintly. "So if you ever see someone stab me through the heart or blow my head off," she added, way too calmly, "don't freak out. It doesn't stick."

Yujin made a weak noise halfway between a gasp and a dying bird. Minjeong's eyes went wide.

"How the hell can you just say that so casually?" she snapped. "You're what, stealing souls now?"

Yujin swallowed hard. "Wait, you're like... the Devil?"

Karina tilted her head, expression unreadable behind her blindfold. The silence that followed was heavy enough to crush air.

Minjeong looked over at her body language to see if she was bullshiting or not, yet Karina's stillness, the eerie calm replacing her usual playful arrogance, held a weight that froze Minjeong's breath in her throat. She's the type of person to joke around but she could tell that Karina was serious right now and wasn't the type to spread lies. Minjeong's gaze instinctively snapped to Karina's hand stuffed in her pockets, faint outline of a cross tattoo visible beneath Karina's sleeve cuff, stark against her veined wrist. It wasn't a symbol of faith worn lightly. It felt like a brand. Beside her, Yujin's face had gone utterly pale, his mouth slightly agape, disbelief warring with a dawning, terrifying acceptance. They didn't question it. The sheer, unnatural gravity radiating from Karina in that moment was proof enough.

"Relax. I am the Devil," she said, explaining to the siblings. "But like i said not the horned, pitchfork wielding caricature scribbled in your bedtime stories. I don't bring chaos, like the bible says. I keep it in line." She lifted her chin, a flicker of undeniable authority hardening her features. "Aside from being a sorcerer, I'm also the one who's in charge of judging the people who sinned." Her gaze, unseen behind the blindfold, seemed to pierce through them both. "I don't tempt. They tempt themselves." The words landed with the weight of undeniable truth.

Minjeong swallowed hard, the weight of it sinking in.

"So... you're good?" she finally asked, voice barely a whisper.

Karina smiled, but it wasn't cocky this time, just tired. "No one's good in this life, princess," she murmured. "Not in this world." She turned away and started walking again. "I hate the sin," she added simply, "not the sinner."

The shift in mood vanished as quickly as it came. Karina spun on her heel, grin back in place. "Alright, kiddos! Enough heavy shit. Bedtime!" She clapped her hands once, the sound echoing. "Yujin, left room. Minjeong, right. Fresh sheets, clean closets, uniforms designed by me, so hope yall like them" She winked, grin sharp. "Sleep tight. Training starts at dawn"

Yujin beamed, murmuring a "Thanks, Rina," before giving Minjeong a quick kiss on the cheek and fleeing to his room.

That left her alone.

"Dream of me tonight, will ya?" Karina's voice came low and smug behind her.

Minjeong froze mid step, then turned, face twisted in disgust. She didn't even bother answering, just flipped her off, again, middle finger high, expression murderous. Karina's smirk widened.

"I'll pour holy water on your coffee"

Minjeong slammed her door hard enough to rattle the frame.

Her breath came out shaky as she leaned against the wood, letting the quiet swallow her. The room was absurdly nice, big bed, tall windows, soft sheets that probably cost a fortune. She kicked off her shoes, peeled off her hoodie, and collapsed face first into the blankets. The lavender scent was the last thing she noticed before sleep yanked her under.

 

The dream hit like a truck.

She was tied to a chair, wrists burning, a chessboard glowing in front of her. The pieces shimmered, white bone, black obsidian, and the air pulsed with dread. Pain burst behind her eyes, white hot and blinding. She tried to scream, but nothing came out.

Then everything shattered.

She bolted upright, heart pounding like crazy. Sweat clung to her skin, hair damp, breath ragged. The nightmare clung to her like smoke. The room's moonlight felt too bright, too sharp. Good, another nightmare.

Slowly, reality came back. She was safe. For now.

She dragged her feet out of bed and went to retrieve her phone from her discarded jeans. She taped the screen to see if she was in time for the morning training yet the lock screen made her breath hitched, her and Yizuho in middle school, both mid laugh. Minjeong's chest ached. She hadn't told her about Grandpa, hadn't explained where she'd gone. Guilt crept in. Now she definitely didn't know if to tell her or not, considering the world she just got into.

She sighed and walked herself into the bathroom and flipping the shower on cold. The freezing water hit her like a slap, shocking her awake, washing away the nightmares residue until her skin went numb.

Afterward, she wrapped a towel around herself and found her new uniform waiting. A white tank top, navy blue baggy jeans, and black combat boots, her vibe exactly. She smiled faintly, pulling the navy blue jacket next to it on. It was soft inside, heavy in a comforting way.

When she was done, she slipped into the hallway and knocked on Yujin's door. No answer.

"Probably downstairs already," she muttered, rolling her eyes.

She walked down the stairs, trying her best to remember her way to the kitchen, and sure enough, voices drifted from an open door. Voices coming from it, and one Minjeong could recognize as her brother.

Minjeong walked in and the first thing she saw was Karina leaning against the counter, hair damp, white compression shirt clinging to toned muscles and prominent chest (that she punched btw) sweatpants hanging low on her hips. The light hit her just right. Minjeong's brain betrayed her with a single thought, if only she weren't just an ass, what a shame.

"Morning, noona!" Yujin yelled, launching himself at her like a puppy.

"Ugh, get off, you're heavy" she grumbled, shoving him off, but smiling a little.

"Coffee?" he asked, gesturing to the espresso machine like it was his child.

"Bless you," Minjeong muttered, taking the mug he handed her like it was holy. She slide into the seat next to Yujin.

Aeri who was sitting on front of them gave her a smile.

"Morning, Minjeong," she murmured, her voice a calming the counterpoint to the espresso machine's hiss.

"Morning Aeri" She gave the girl a smile, quickly noticing the bob haired girl next to her, that's a new face.

"Kim Chaewon," she introduced herself, friendly smile on her face, extending a hand. Minjeong returned the smile, instinctively softening her usual guarded expression.

"Kim Minjeong, are you my unnie?" she asked with a little tilt of her head, polite yet cute.

Her natural cuteness seemed to hit Chaewon and Aeri like a physical force; Chaewon clutched her chest dramatically while Aeri let out a soft, involuntary coo, both radiating playful 'cuteness aggression'. Minjeong ducked her head slightly, a shy and confused laugh escaping.

"See?!" Aeri hissed, slapping Chaewon's arm lightly while pointing an accusing finger at Minjeong's shy smile. "I told you! She's the cutest!" Their gazes locked onto Minjeong like lasers, radiating pure, predatory adoration usually reserved for fluffy puppies or irresistible desserts.

Yujin laughed at her sister awkwardness, unlike him she was a huge introvert.

Chaewon leaned across the counter, "There's no need to confirm this shit with a birth certificate!" Chaewon declared, her voice bright and teasing. "Ask whatever you want, Minjeong-ah, and unnie will give it to you!" She jabbed her finger decisively in Karina's direction. "I can't even beat this loser if you want her gone!" Karina scoffed loudly, crossing her arms over her chest, her expression hidden as she turned slightly away, but Minjeong kept her own gaze firmly fixed on her coffee mug. A strange, frantic pressure built behind her temples, a silent scream warning her, don't look up.

“I’ll keep that in mind” She responded politely, laughing at the girls suggestion.

Karina scoffed, pushing off the sink with a lazy roll of her shoulders.

"Beat me?" Her voice dripped with amused condescension, sharp and clear as shattered glass. "Your tiny ass can't even reach a punch to my face" Chaewon gasped dramatically, slamming a palm on the countertop.

"Yah! You wanna go? Right now?" She jabbed a finger towards the spacious kitchen floor, eyes blazing. Aeri dissolved into soft, melodic laughter beside her, shoulders shaking as she nudged Chaewon playfully. "Although i would love to see that, let's not start a fight this early" She then glared at Karina. "Stop being so mean to Chae" Karina scoffed again.

"She started it!" She childishly pointed a finger at Chaewon who was now sticking her tongue out at her.

"They really like teasing you here, Rina" Yujin chuckled into his mug, the sound warm and genuine, clearly enjoying the familiar clash.

"You have no idea kiddo" She pouted at him.

Minjeong laughed as well, yet her eyes still fixed on the swirling steam rising from her coffee, the rich aroma a comforting shield against the escalating banter. She took another deliberate, slow sip, savoring the bitter warmth, willing herself to stay anchored in the simple pleasure.

Karina's annoying voice cut through the playful chaos, dripping with that familiar teasing lilt.

"Anyways," she drawled, leaning casually against the countertop, her posture deliberately loose and distracting, "No good morning kiss for me, princess?"

Minjeong's face instantly redden, anger already bubbling up on her chest. This annoying loser. She turned around ready to smack Karina, when she suddenly stop at the breathtaking sight in front of her. Fuck, she really shouldn't have looked.

The blindfold was gone. Karina's eyes wide, startlingly clear, and the exact shade of deep ocean blue Minjeong had only ever imagined, were fully exposed, fixed on her with unnerving intensity. Minjeong's gaze flickered downward without permission, taking a better look on that compression shirt from up close, eyes landing without shame on the womans big chest, before snapping back up. Damn it, she thought, panic tightening her throat.

She swallowed and quickly hid her surprise. Bratty smile in her face.

"Maybe keep your creepy ass eyes covered next time, demon, nobody wants a jump scare this early" She tossed her red hair over her shoulder, going back to her coffee.

Karina burst out laughing. "Such an angry maltese," she teased, stepping closer.

She reached out to ruffle Minjeong's hair, mistake. Minjeong caught her wrist midair and kicked hard. Her boot hit Karina's knee with a crack that echoed.

Karina hissed, clutching her leg, but even through the pain she started laughing again. "Ow, not again Minjeong!" It was already turning into a routine.

Karina ignored Aeri's delighted cackling and Chaewon's sharp whistle of approval. Even Yujin's shocked gasp faded into background noise.

"Don't think I forgot about the other day, you pervert!" Minjeong screamed, her voice cracking with raw indignation, the memory of waking up kidnapped, freshly showered, and dressed in unfamiliar clothes igniting fresh waves of humiliation and rage. She truly believed Karina had done it.

"I already told you it wasn't me!" she snapped, eyes begging for mercy.

Minjeong merely huffed, her jaw clenched tight, and slammed her empty coffee mug onto the counter with a loud clack.

Aeri tapped Karina lightly on the shoulder, her expression caught between exasperation and amusement.

Beside her, Chaewon leaned on the counter, face resting on her hand, and offered a lazy smirk.

"Deserved, bitch," she drawled, her voice dripping with satisfaction.

Aeri whistled. "Okay, enough foreplay, you two." Aeri clapped her hands. "Need yall on your best behavior”

“Why?” Chaewon narrowed her eyes at the pink hair girl.

Aeri grinned like an evil cat. “My new girlfriend coming to watch us train."

Chaewon whistled. “Ryujin’s gonna fall to her ass…” She was already pulling her phone out.

Karina's head snapped around so fast it was a miracle she didn't break her neck. "Huh..." She blinked at Aeri, still hunched over in pain. "Aeri did you just invite a non-sorcerer here?" Her voice was all teeth.

Aeri just grinned, and shrugged totally unbothered. "So? she's hot. And she's already on her way."

Karina sighed, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "I hate everyone." Then she turned to Minjeong and Yujin. "Alright, kids. Training field. Move it."

 

They followed her outside. The early sun painted the grass gold, the air crisp and quiet.

Karina pushed her sunglasses on and faced them. "We're starting light. Show me what you've got. I'll see what needs fixing."

Yujin's eyes sparkled. "Fuck yeah! Now i'm excited" He immediately started jumping, getting his muscles ready.

Minjeong stretched beside him, trying to ignore how domestic this all weirdly felt, still not used to it.

"You know Rina, even though Minjeong is the eldest, i was actually the one who helped her improved" He bragged, eyes looking up at Karina like she was a type of hero he admired from comic books.

"That it's totally not true, but i'll let it slide" Minjeong glared at her brother.

Karina chuckled, ruffling his hair. "Flattery won't make training easier, kid."

Before Minjeong could roll her eyes, a loud voice shouted from the distance:

"YO, LOSERS! READY TO GET YOUR ASSES KICKED?"

Minjeong and Yujin whipped around simultaneously, their eyes widening in disbelief. There, hand in hand with Aeri, stood a familiar figure with soft brown hair and wide, startled eyes.

"Yizhuo!?" the siblings gasped in unison, their voices tangled in shock and confusion.

"Huh!? What the fuck?!" Yizhuo screamed.

Chapter Text

The silence stretched taut, broken only by Ning Yizhuo's sharp intake of breath. Her wide eyes darted between Minjeong's frozen disbelief and Yujin's open mouthed shock, her fingers tightening instinctively around Aeri's hand.

"Minjeong? Yujin?" she stammered, her usually confident and sweet voice now trembling with confusion and anger.

This was bad.

"Uhm..." Minjeong looked back at her brother, eyes trembling nervous. Yujin looked back, eyes shut tight. "Fuck, where do we hide?" She whispered screamed, looking everywhere to hide.

It was an open field.

"The fuck i know?" Yujin whispered screamed back at his sister, arms moving fast and desperately.

"I can still hear you!" Yizhuo screamed back, making Aeri flinched beside her.

Yujin screamed like a kicked puppy and hid behind Minjeong.

"Dude what the fuck, get off!" Minjeong started moving around, like her brother was a bee.

"KIM MINJEONG!" Yizhuo started heading towards their way.

Minjeong saw her life flash before her eyes. Survival instincts on, she quickly hid behind Karina, (who was just there) Yujin trailing behind her, still clutched onto her back.

"Don't hide!" She started running in circles as Minjeong (and Yujin) started moving Karina's body to avoid Yizhuo's anger. "Your old man was hospitalized, barely heard from you two and now i see you here on this big ass mansion!? What the fuck is wrong with you!? Do you know how worried i was!?" She started to ramble, all while throwing punches directed at Minjeong and Yujin, yet all of them hitting Karina instead.

"Ow—Wait—Stop" The demon started putting her arms up trying to dodge yet still failed, getting punched. "Why is it always me!? Minjeong get off!" She grabbed the girls arms that were wrapped tightly around her waist.

"We can explain Yizhuo!" Yujin the ever so nice soul tried to peek behind the two woman's back, only to duck when Yizhuo tried to grab his hair.

"Kim Yujin don't give me the annoying puppy eyes! You're not ten anymore!" She threw another punch.

"My boob!" Karina grabbed her throbbing chest. Why is it always her and her chest.

"Damn..." Aeri grimaced at the scene (phone in hand recording everything)

"...and now you're suddenly in a multi millionaire mansion!? You got a sugar mommy and didn't tell me!? Even after i showed you that sugar app!? I feel cheated on!" She now jumped into Karina's torso, hands tugging white fluffy hair, trying to get a grab a the siblings.

"Ow—Not the hair" Karina's face was now smushed in Yizhuo's stomach.

Aeri was on the floor, phone shaking in her hands, tears in her eyes, tummy in pain from the laughs.

"Okay that's enough!" Karina finally got Minjeong's death grip off her, the siblings tumbled back. She grabbed Yizhuo by her legs, and easily got the girl off her torso.

"Yizhuo calm down i can explain!"

"Bitch then start talking!"

"Can you let go off my hair!?" Karina's tall body was now hunched over to Yizhuo's smaller frame.

Yizhuo finally realized the poor woman under her grip, anger subsiding a little.

"Shit my bad, sorry" She grimaced letting go. "Oh wow you're hot" She gave the demon a shameful look over.

That got Aeri's attention.

"Yizhuo!"

Yizhuo ignored her girlfriend, her attention at the siblings who were trying to leave unnoticed, backs hunched, walking on their tippy toes. (Yujin still clinging on Minjeong's back)

"KIM MINJEONG KIM YUJIN"

Karina teleported to the siblings, grabbing them by their clothes, feet moving fast on air.

Yizhuo stopped dead on her tracks, face going pale as snow.

"Karina let go!"

"Oh my god Rina you can do that!?" Yujin no longer scared, looked at Karina with bright eyes.

A loud thud was heard, all heads turned to Yizhuo's unconscious body on the floor.

"Yizhuo!" Aeri ran to her poor girlfriend, who obviously did not except Karina to teleport from thin air. "Dude what the fuck!?" She glared at her boss.

Karina sighed, eye twitching.

 

Yizhuo was woken by voices who tried, yet failed, to whisper.

"This is your fault"

The voice she recognized as her amazing hot girlfriend.

"Sorry i guess..."

That's a new one.

"You don't even sound apologetic!"

"That's because i'm not"

"Can the two of you just shut up"

That's her puppy best friend.

"Mmm..." She slowly opened her eyes, the beautiful blue sky of the morning, and four head hunched over looking at her poor body. "What—

"Fuck, Yizhuo are you okay?" Minjeong looked worriedly at her best friend. She then harden her gaze to Karina. "You idiot, you should've have done that"

Karina simply rolled her eyes. "This is all Aeri's fault for bringing her non-sorcerer wifey to our mansion" She shrugged.

Aeri scoffed. "You still could've approached in a different way"

Yujin put his hand on Aeri's shoulder, trying to calm her down. "It's okay noona, she didn't mean it in a bad way" He turned his eyes at Karina. "Right, Rina?"

Karina scoffed and the boy puppy eyes, heart softening. "Yeah. Sorry, i guess..."

Yujin then beamed at Aeri, i told you so, written all over his face, proudly.

Minjeong seeing Yizhuo even more confused expression at the trio stupid fight, she sighed gathering their attention.

"Could you leave us alone for a minute? Go train for the mean time, i'll handle this" She asked softly, trying to ease the tension, all while grabbing Yizhuo's hand.

"Sure" Karina smiled at her, and grabbed Yujin by the arm and dragged him to the field. "Let's go kiddo, gonna kick your ass"

"Uh—What..."

Aeri turned to her girlfriend, gave her a peck and started walking to Karina and Yujin.

Now all alone.

For a beat, they just stared, Minjeong at Yizhuo's familiar, angry expression, Yizhuo at Minjeong's puppy eyes, cheeks flushed from all the action.

Then, simultaneously, they burst into laughter, a sudden, bright sound that shattered the lingering tension. Yizhuo swatted Minjeong's shoulder, grinning wide.

"Okay, what the actual fuck is happening here?" she demanded, getting up from the grass to a sitting position, her voice thick with amusement. "Did you and Yujin actually get yourselves a sugar mommy? Is that albino hottie paying your bills? And how the fuck did she do that earlier" She gestured vaguely towards Karina who started sparring with Yujin. Aeri encouraging them on the side. Phone in hand.

Minjeong choked on air, shaking her head wildly. "Oh my god, no!" she gasped, swatting Yizhuo's arm again. "Karina's not... that!" Her cheeks now flushed by another thing.

Yizhuo just raised an eyebrow, her grin sharpening.

"Mhmm. Then bitch," she countered, planting her hands on her hips, "you better start telling me why you're living in this big ass mansion and fighting alongside albino hottie over there." She then immediately straighten her back, palm on the air. "No homo though"

Minjeong sighed, her laughter fading into the quiet morning air.

"There's a lot, actually..." She tucked a stray strand of red hair behind her ear, her gaze drifting to Yujin and the the two sorcerers.

She started explaining everything. How bad people were stalking Yujin's school, asking for their whereabouts. And how they eventually found her, and asked for their father's debts, and how she almost got into a fight with them, and how Karina saved them. How she rejected her offer. To their grandfather's death, and to how they got here. And also explained the whole curse thing, not leaving out a single peace of information.

Yizhuo listened, her playful grin vanishing, replaced by wide eyed stillness. No interruptions, just the soft rustle of cherry blossoms drifting down around them.

"Shit," Yizhuo breathed, the word hanging heavy and stunned in the quiet air.

Minjeong chuckled softly, a humorless puff of breath escaping her lips as she stared down at her new brand martini boots scuffed against the green grass.

"Yeah," she murmured, the single syllable thick with unspoken weight. Yizhuo's snicker was a brittle thing, cracking the tension before dissolving into silence.

"Hey," she murmured, her voice losing its teasing edge. "I'm really sorry about your grandpa, Minjeong." Her hand, warm and steady, settled gently over Minjeong's clenched fist resting on the grass. "I know you guys loved him so much." She paused, the silence heavy with shared memory. "Especially... especially after your dad." The name landed like a physical blow against Minjeong's ribs, a familiar, icy spike of grief piercing through the fragile calm.

Minjeong swallowed hard. Yet, she forced her lips upward into a small, fragile smile, meeting Yizhuo's concerned gaze.

"It's okay," she murmured, her voice softer than the rustling leaves above them. "And besides... I could tell Grandpa was getting depressed." She looked down at their hands, Yizhuo's warm fingers still covering her own clenched fist. "Since he got older, he couldn't train us like before. He just... got drowned by his thoughts." A quiet sigh escaped her. "At first, I was so sad." She lifted her head again, the smile gaining a touch of genuine warmth, chasing away the shadows in her eyes. "But now I know he's okay. He's resting, and he's finally at peace."

Yizhuo smiled back, a genuine warmth spreading across her face as she leaned in and wrapped her arms around Minjeong's shoulders. The hug was tight, grounding, a familiar anchor in the whirlwind of curses and chaos.

"Good to know, bestie," she murmured into Minjeong's hair, her voice thick with unspoken relief. For a moment, chilled air and distant hum of Karina and Yujin's sparring faded, replaced by the simple comfort of shared history. Minjeong relaxed into the embrace, breathing in Yizhuo's familiar scent.

"Now, mind explaining how Aeri is actually your super hot and amazing kisser girlfriend?" She changed the topic, teasing smile on her lips.

Yizhuo laughed, cheeks reddened. "Yeah, we met at a party the hospital CEO invited me, something about an alliance, don't really get it. But got to meet Aeri" She shrugged like it was nothing, yet her eyes shined brightly.

Minjeong was informed on yesterday's ride, that outside the jujutsu world, Karina worked as a CEO of military weapons and hotelier. Probably got another business with the hospital Yizhuo is working as an intern. Although is not usual, for a hospital to collaborate with a company like Karina's, it doesn't surprise her at all, Karina can be very convincing, and would do anything to get what she wants. (she learned that the bad way) (she got kidnapped)

"Well, i'm glad i finally got to meet her" She smiled at her best friend. "I'm happy for you, and even though i still don't know Aeri that much, i know she's a good person, so kudos to her. I approve as your best friend" She gave her a thumbs up.

Yizhuo laughed. "Thanks bestie" She gave her another hug.

"Minjeong! Get your pretty ass back here!" Karina's voice interrupted the cute moment between the friends.

Minjeong growled, stepping away from the hug.

"Shut up! I'm going geez!" Minjeong threw daggers at Karina's annoyingly handsome smile.

Yizhuo whistled beside her.

"Damn girl, are you sure she's not your sugar?" She decided to tease her friend. She knew it wasn't an easy thing to get Minjeong riled up.

"Yizhuo"

"Shit okay okay" She lifted her hands in forgiveness, teasing smirk still on her rich lips.

Minjeong rolled her eyes, yet still laughed. She's really glad Yizhuo's here, it's been so long since she'd laughed like this.

 

"Evil sorcerers" Karina pointed at the projecting screen. "They've always been walking around earth, even before i was born"

Yujin raised his hand. "Even before you Rina?!"

"Does that mean curses have always existed?" Minjeong questioned.

Karina nodded, changing the image on the board.

"Although we don't know the exact year curses were born, since that part of history was a long time ago, we do know they've always been roaming around earth thousands of years ago, and that they used to be way stronger than today" She started walking around the classroom, sitting on top of a desk. "Being a sorcerer back then meant having a secured death, you had curses on your back and evil sorcerers as well"

This got the siblings attention.

"You always mention them, but never explained what they really are" Yujin tilted his head.

"How does that even work? Aren't sorcerers made in order to exorcise curses to protect non-sorcerers?" Minjeong founded the name stupid. "Aren't they contradicting themselves?"

"You couldn't have placed it more beautifully, princess" Karina crossed her arms, getting comfortable. "The ever first evil sorcerer. They called them The Unwritten, they go against any rule or politic sorcerers have, they decided to create their own rules and ideologies, all of that just to gain power, that's mainly the story behind evil sorcerers" She shrugged, turning off the data, bored expression on her face. "Some say their name was erased from history, too powerful to be spoken, because once you do, history bends to remember them again. Although i wasn't born when they existed, some say they were a powerful sorcerer"

Minjeong felt a shiver. How strong and dangerous could someone be that people erased them from history.

"Shit..." Yujin shakes his body, getting goosebumps. "Were they really that strong?"

Karina hummed. She never got to meet this person, since she was born a few years later, yet even a demon like her couldn't gather that much information of this person, the only traces being from the mouths of people whose late ancestors were told about when they were kids.

"Some still say they're alive. That the Unwritten is still out there, waiting for someone to remember their name" Karina waved a hand. "A bunch of bullshit if you ask me"

Minjeong laughed.

"Well it looks to me that someone is scared" She teased at the demon.

Karina scoffed childishly, pointing an accusing finger at the red haired.

"Am not. I just think is a dumb bedtime story people made back in the day" She took off her sunglasses, blue eyes meeting chocolate ones. "Besides, it's impossible to erase someone from history"

"Denial is the first step, babes" Minjeong rolled her eyes, she's someone who sees to believe, she has the same opinion of the demon. She just likes to tease Karina.

But before Karina could talk back. Yujin got up from his seat, eyes shining in admiration.

"Rina, let's say. If this person really existed, and comes back..." He made a dramatic pause.

Minjeong growled beside him, head resting at her desk. Yujin really thought Karina was some type of hero.

"And you two fought" He grinned at the demon. "Would you lose?"

The silence stretched.

Minjeong lifted her eyes at the silence, she was also curious. She looked at the demon. Who was smiling from ear to ear, no teeth showing, blue eyes hidden again by the sunglasses, yet her mere presence, only screamed one thing.

Confidence.

"I'd win" No hesitation, just a pure obvious statement.

Minjeong's eyes widen, not surprised by the answer, but at the natural laid back and confidence she had while answering. This was someone who was literally erased from history, too powerful for people to remember (probably a bed time story, yes). Yet Karina didn't hesitate. Minjeong questioned to herself, just how strong was Karina. People don't call her the strongest just because. Even herself would've put her hands on fire that Karina could win.

Even if it was just a myth.

Yujin shrieked beside her. Fists punching air in victory.

"Shee, Rina you're so cool" He even jumped. Karina laughed at the boy. "Rina, i want to be just as strong as you!" He even flexed his already big biceps.

Karina's mouth opened. Taken back. But quickly masked it with a chuckled. She got up from her seat, and walked towards Yujin.

"Is that so?" She ruffled his hair, her gaze directed towards ahead and not at the boy, yet her smile could still be seen. "Then you should work hard, kiddo. I'm counting on ya" She then looked at Minjeong, her sunglasses sliding a bit from her pointy nose, so Minjeong could see her eyes. "On both of you" She gave Minjeong's shoulder a little squeeze, and a smile that made Minjeong want to slap herself.

Minjeong scoffed and looked the other way, trying to hide her blush.

"Whatever..."

Karina laughed. But didn't mention the obvious blush she could see on Minjeong's adorable ears.

"Anyways, i should let you guys know that the anual party of the jujutsu world is being held in a few months. So i want you guys to train hard so i can rub it in their faces"

"The what now?" Minjeong looked at Karina's smug grin.

"It's a party that's held every year by all the big fishes of the jujutsu world, head of the big three clans, the elders and the jujutsu high school directors" She waved a hand. "And obviously me. We just sit around and enjoy at the start and later on have a meeting were we discussed the rating of curses, events and all that boring crap"

"Jujutsu school!?! There's an actual school!?" Yujin big brown eyes glow at this point.

Karina laughed.

"Yeah, it's where all the young sorcerers from clans train and learn"

"So if we've been found years ago, that's mean we've enlisted in that school?" Minjeong asked.

Karina scoffed.

"Yeah. But gladly you didn't and i was the one who found you guys" She crossed her arms, a big frown on her pretty face. "The other clans, and schools are controlled by the elders, which means every mission and order are sent from them. And unlike us, they just focus on excorcising curses. And i being the boss here, don't take any orders from those old geezers, they don't care about anyone other than themselves. That's why i'm always adopting strays"

Minjeong looked at Karina. Really looked. Her usual confident posture, carefree persona. The same old Karina.

"They sound like trash if you ask me..." Yujin said.

Their voices muted to Minjeong ears. Her eyes still focused on Karina. A small smile on her lips, as she looked at the demon.

 

Who's Katarina?

"An idiot womanizer. But also..."

"She's my boss! And also the one who took me in, she's also..."

"I really don't know much about her, just that she's lived long enough to know everything and everyone..."

"She's flippint, egocentric, arrogant. But without a doubt, i trust her enough to give her my life. She's also..."

"Technically she's my benefactor, technically. But she's also the same to many people. She's also..."

"My teacher? I guess hehe, she's the same to everyone, or my boss? i don't know how to call her, but without a doubt she's..."

Karina is a very hard person to read, people think Karina as an egocentric idiot who only cares about her clan, rebelling against the norms in the jujutsu world, and going by her own. Rubbing her fast success to others, her need to adopt stray sorcerers as an act of greed, like she's stealing every sorcerer out there from the hands of the elders. To mock them. Karina wasn't an easy person, you can never read what's on her mind or what actions she's gonna do next. Her whole person is an enigma. Not even Aeri who's the closest to her, knows her fully. Doesn't know her past, knows her fears (if she even has them), what's her dream. Nobody who has met and worked with Karina know her.

No one really knows who Katarina is.

They don't seem interested in knowing her either. The jujutsu world always see Karina as the strongest, their greatest weapon. Karina's mere presence keep the world in perfect balance. Even if they hate her, and have envy of her success and power. They still brag about her, that she works with them, she keeps everyone protected and in place.

And even if people want to know her, there's no use. All they get are big walls around Karina's heart. People even doubt if she has a heart. She's the devil, they always say. Don't forget her real origin, they say.

She has lived so much, has met so many people. As seen all type of humans. And their ending is still the same. Death. She's been the one to witness that.

Again and again. Forever.

So there's no use in letting someone in. They'll die. She'll live. What's the point? None.

It's better for her, human emotions are weakness, a distraction. Her mission is to kill curses, judge sinful people, and move to the next. Nothing else. And she's happy that way. She's got everything, it's in her nature. That's just who Karina really is. A demon. The strongest. A weapon.

"You're an idiot, Karina" Minjeong laughed. Punching softly at the demons shoulder.

"Huh!? What's that coming from?" The demon looked at Minjeong with a big pout on her lips.

They were both sparring, when suddenly Minjeong called her an idiot out of nowhere.

Minjeong shrugged. Her red hair up in a ponytail, sports bra hugged her figure perfectly. Sweat falling down her back.

"Thought i had to remind you" She threw a punch, who was caught easily by Karina.

Karina could only laugh, because of course Minjeong had to mock her in any way.

"And you're beautiful, Kim Minjeong" She even winked to the girl, her sunglasses making it easier for Minjeong to catch it.

Minjeong turned around. Walking to her water bottle, hoping to hide her flustered face. She really needs to get a grip, maybe Yizhuo was right and she needs to get laid. Because she really can't have those dirty thoughts about her own boss! Besides, she's an idiot. An annoying idiot.

So instead she says; "Flattery won't get you in my pants"

Karina watched her, a small smile on her lips.

"We'll see about that"

Chapter Text

Minjeong collapsed onto her bed, the soft mattress sighing beneath her weight like a weary friend. A full month. Thirty relentless days of Karina's brutal, unforgiving training regimen. Her muscles screamed protest with every twitch. She was used to hard training wit her grandpa, but now that she has to learn in controlling her cursed energy, can be very tiring.

Karina hadn't wasted a single second, transforming from cryptic demon to ruthless sensei. She even went far enough to wake Minjeong up at five am, ordering the girl to take fifty laps around the beach.

And just Minjeong! She didn't even wake Yujin up, said that the boy is still growing and needs to have a good sleep.

Mind you, Yujin is a twenty two year old grown man.

Minjeong felt like dying that day, and tugging at Karina's annoying fluffy white hair off her head. Yet gritted her teeth, and finished the fifty laps in a half and hour. Let's just say the proud smile of Karina was enough to make her anger subside.

Besides, all this training paid off. She could do it now, channeling cursed energy wasn't just a terrifying surge anymore. She could coax it into a focused hum, wrap it around her fists like invisible armor, push it outward in controlled bursts. Control's forming. Solid foundation. It felt like sunlight breaking through storm clouds.

Minjeong sighed, a soft sound of pure relief yet anxiety escaping her lips as she saw her bed waiting like an oasis. Without a second thought, she launched herself forward, collapsing face first into the cool, welcoming sheets.

She grabbed the sheets with force, calming her breath and repeating like a mantra on her head that, tonight will not be one of those nights, that she'll have a normal sleep, where anxiety doesn't linger on her chest, wondering if she's gonna have another nightmare.

The simple thought sent a wave of anxiety through her body. She shook her head. Thinking of the anxiety that she might feel if she has a nightmare, isn't gonna help her. Only make her worry.

It's okay, last night she slept well, didn't get any nightmares. And dreamt of going to lotte world with Yizhuo. She was okay.

A forced happy smile spread across her face, pressing into the pillow. Trying to trick her body that she wasn't anxious and that she was gonna be okay.

And little by little, she let the sleepiness take control of her body, setting aside the anxiety. She focused on the smell of her pillows, the warmth that her sheets provided her. And the slow beats of her heart.

Her muscles finally unclenched, surrendering to the soft embrace.

The blissful embrace of sleep shattered instantly. Instead of the soothing darkness she whisked for, Minjeong's consciousness plunged into roaring crimson.

Flames licked at the edges of her vision, immense and terrifyingly real. She lay paralyzed on a cold, gritty floor, the acrid stench of smoke and burning wood thick in her nonexistent nostrils.

Panic surged, a cold wave drowning her thoughts, she strained against invisible bonds, desperate to scramble away, but her limbs refused to obey, heavy as stone. Through the choking haze, she glimpsed splintered wooden chairs scattered and the outline of a vast, ruined hallway stretching into darkness, jagged holes where windows once stood letting in slivers of cruel moonlight.

Minjeong's throat closed, sharp and metallic, as the flames roared louder.

Through the thick, swirling smoke at the far end of the ruined hallway, a figure emerged. Distorted by heat haze and ash, its outline blurred, a dark silhouette against the flames. It moved with agonizing slowness, dragging one foot slightly, almost limping, yet each step landed with unnerving precision. A long, shadowed blade trailed behind it, scraping faintly against the wooden floor, the sound swallowed by the fire's roar. Minjeong strained to see their face, but the smoke coiled thicker, obscuring everything above the waist. Her breath hitched; the paralysis deepened, cold dread spreading through her veins like ice.

The figure drew nearer, each dragging step echoing louder than the flames in Minjeong's paralyzed mind. Smoke thickened, swallowing the hallway's ceiling and walls until only the advancing silhouette remained, a shadow puppet against fires backdrop. She could make out the worn leather of its boots now, scuffed, bloody and ash coated, and the cruel, tapered point of the sword scraping grooves into the charred floorboards, also covered in blood.

Her vision blurred at the edges, darkness seeping in like spilled ink. Panic screamed in her veins, but her body was stone, her breath shallow rasps tasting of cinders and dread.

Minjeong gasped, her body jerking upright in bed as if yanked by invisible wires. Sweat plastered her thin sleep shirt to her skin, cold against the frantic drumming of her heart. The scent of smoke still clung to her nostrils, the scraping echo of that blade fading into the predawn silence of her room.

Another nightmare.

She pressed trembling fingers to her temples, where a dull ache was already gathering force, the familiar, unwelcome herald of a migraine. She felt the inevitable tears swell on her eyes, desperate and anger tears. She did sleep, but at what cost. She was so tired mentally, that she couldn't bear it sometimes.

Five months. Five months of these paralyzing terrors stealing her rest, leaving her frayed and hollow eyed.

Minjeong's trembling fingers brushed the cool glass of her phone screen. The harsh blue light flared to life: four am. A low, frustrated sob escaped her lips. Her chest choking with anxiety.

Her gaze darted frantically around the moonlit room, trying to distract herself from the pain in her chest, the neatly folded clothes on her chair, her gaming set she sometimes uses to play with Yizhuo and Yujin, the soft glow of the moon coming from her window.

Nothing anchored her. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, fingers digging into her ribs as if she could physically hold the panic at bay. The silence pressed in, thick and suffocating.

Three sharp raps echoed against her bedroom door, startlingly loud in the quiet. Minjeong flinched, her heart lurching into her throat.

Yujin.

She sighed, a ragged sound escaping her lips as she pressed her palms against her soaked eyes, trying the best to erase any proof that she was crying.

Of course he'd heard her frantic whispers, the choked gasps escaping her nightmare. She'd woken him. Guilt washed over her, cold and sharp, mingling with the lingering dread. She didn't want her brother to know about these nightmares. Worrying Yujin was never on her plan list.

Dragging herself off the sweat damp sheets, she padded barefoot across the cool wooden floor, already formulating the lie.

Just a bad dream about spiders, she'd tell him, forcing lightness into her voice. Nothing serious. Anything to mask the paralyzing fear that still clawed at her insides.

Without adjusting her oversized shirt that showed her shoulders, and how little it covered her milky thighs, thinking it was her brother on the other side. Minjeong pulled the door open, the practiced lie about spiders already forming on her lips.

Her breath hitched, sharp and sudden, freezing the words in her throat. It wasn't Yujin.

Karina stood in the dim hallway light, leaning casually against the doorframe. The usual blindfold and sunglasses were absent, her unnerving blue eyes exposed and startlingly clear in the dark hallway. She wore a simple black windbreaker zipped halfway up over a plain tee, paired with loose black sweatpants. And Minjeong felt a laugh bubble up her throat at the absurdity of her footwear, bright green, cartoonish dinosaur slippers with googly eyes, clashed violently with her sharp features and the predatory stillness radiating from her.

Minjeong opened her mouth, ready to stammer an apology for the noise, but Karina spoke first, her voice unnervingly calm and strange softness.

"Want some tea?" The question hung between them, simple yet disarming. Minjeong blinked, her rehearsed excuses dissolving into stunned silence.

She stared at the two steaming mugs Karina now held out, a deep blue ceramic one and a white one, she hadn't noticed before, its warmth radiating faintly in the cool hallway air. The scent of chamomile and something earthy, like ginger, drifted toward her, incongruously gentle against the lingering terror of her nightmare.

Without a second thought, Minjeong accepted the mug. Her fingers brushed Karina's, a fleeting, electric contact that sent an involuntary shudder down her spine.

She ignored it, clutching the warm ceramic like an anchor. Karina's lips curved into a small, unreadable smile, devoid of mockery or malice.

"Can I come in?" she asked softly, her voice still that same calm ripple in the dark. Minjeong nodded mutely, stepping aside as Karina slipped past her into the moonlit room, her dinosaur slippers silent on the floorboards.

"Is this a new way to get into my pants?" Minjeong blurted, clutching the warm mug tighter as she leaned against her doorframe.

The joke felt rare, lacking her usual defensive bite, just words hanging in the quiet dark, testing the strange intimacy of Karina standing there in her ridiculous slippers.

To her surprise, Karina chuckled, a low, genuine rumble that echoed softly as she sank onto Minjeong's small couch. Moonlight caught the curve of her unguarded smile.

"Is it working?" she countered, tilting her head, the playful challenge glinting in her exposed blue eyes.

Minjeong couldn't help it, a startled laugh escaped her, shaking her head as she crossed the room.

She perched carefully on the opposite end of the couch, leaving a deliberate width between them, the scent of chamomile weaving through the lingering chill of her nightmare sweat.

Minjeong lifted the mug to her lips, the steam warming her face as she took a cautious sip. The tea flooded her mouth, smooth, subtly sweet with earthy ginger and a hint of chamomile calm. A surprised, pleased hum escaped her before she could stop it.

"Is it good?" Karina asked softly, already knowing the answer.

Minjeong nodded fast, her eyes widening slightly.

"Yeah," she breathed, taking another careful sip after blowing gently across the surface. "What flavor is it?" The warmth spread through her chest, loosening the knot of panic still coiled beneath her ribs. Karina watched her, the moonlight softening the sharp angles of her face.

"Chamomile, peppermint, lavender," Karina replied, her voice soft like naming these herbs was sacred. "It's just a tea I've been making my whole life." She gave a little shrug, her fingers tracing the rim of her own mug.

Minjeong lifted a perfect eyebrow, eyes glowing with teasing curiosity.

"Your whole life as in your millions years of life as a demon?" she asked, half joking, half serious.

Karina laughed, a low, rich sound that filled the quiet room, and shook her head, strands of white flully hair catching the pale light.

"I'm not that old as Aeri says," she defended herself with a smile, looking directly at Minjeong. Blue eyes met chocolate ones. "I'm only two thousand one hundred twenty four years old" She corrected, her tone casual, even lifting her pointer finger, to make her point clearer.

Minjeong's mouth formed a perfect 'O', her eyes widening with genuine fascination.

That expression, pure, unguarded curiosity, was too much. Karina couldn't contain herself; she reached out and pinched Minjeong's cheek hard, the soft skin yielding beneath her fingers.

"Ow!" Minjeong yelped, slapping Karina's hand away with force. Karina just laughed louder, the sound echoing warmly against the walls.

"You deserved that," she chuckled, rubbing her own wrist where Minjeong had struck her.

Minjeong's playful glare froze mid scowl, replaced by a sudden widening of her eyes. She scrambled upright on the couch, the forgotten mug clutched precariously in one hand.

"Wait," she breathed, her voice hushed with dawning, almost reverent astonishment. "Does that mean... you're older than Jesus?" The question hung in the quiet room, charged with a childlike wonder that erased the lingering traces of her nightmare.

She leaned forward, the moonlight catching the eager spark in her chocolate eyes.

"Oh my god, did you meet Him?" Her words tumbled out, quick and breathless, she was Buddhist, but come one, anyone would be fascinated to know this type of information.

Karina's laughter faded abruptly, replaced by a shadow that crossed her face, guard let down slowly.

"I am older," she confirmed, her voice losing its playful edge, "and yeah, I did meet Him." Her gaze drifted past Minjeong, fixed on some unseen point in the moonlit room, her expression turning distant, almost haunted.

Minjeong tilted her head, the playful curiosity in her eyes deepening into something more solemn as she watched the ancient demon wrestle with a memory older than empires.

Karina sighed, a sound heavy with the weight of immortality.

"I was there too, at His crucifixion." She paused, her rosy lips pressing into a thin line. "It was..." Another sigh escaped her, deeper this time. "Can't even explain it into words..." She caressed her cross tattoo. Her fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around her wrist.

Minjeong felt her heart clench, a sharp pang of sorrow for the man she'd only known through scripture and stained glass, now made painfully real by Karina's quiet confession.

Karina offered a faint, almost melancholic smile, her rosy lips curving without warmth.

"I respect Him," she murmured, her voice low and thick with sorrow. Her unnerving blue eyes, usually sharp and playful, turned glacial, fixed on the steam curling from her untouched tea. "I obviously wasn't part of His apostles, but still had my own moments with Him" She laughed, at the memory. "Did you know that He's kinda sassy?" She asked Minjeong. "He would also get angry, be sad, feel anxious" Minjeong heart clenched with pain. "He was human, and yet people still let Him down" She exhaled, her shoulders hanging with an unknown weight.

Minjeong smiled softly, a genuine warmth spreading through her chest.

"He sounds lovely to me," she said quietly, her eyes got the tight fist on Karina's sweat pants. "Never thought I'd talk to someone who was actually at the crucifixion." She tried to lighten the heavy air with a small, awkward joke.

Karina chuckled softly, a low, humorless sound that barely stirred the air. Her unnerving blue eyes remained distant, fixed on the steam curling from her untouched mug.

"It wasn't that good to be there..." she confessed, the words escaping her lips like stones dropped into deep water. She exhaled sharply, a long breath that seemed to carry the weight of centuries. "I was angry." Minjeong watched the tension tighten around Karina's jawline. "At Him." Minjeong didn't need clarification, of who she meant by him.

Karina was a demon after all. Yet she didn't feel scared. If anything after knowing Karina these months, she feels safe with her. Karina was like a blanket, heavy but comforting.

Minjeong shifted subtly on the couch, turning her body fully towards Karina while maintaining the careful distance between them. The moonlight caught the earnest curiosity in her eyes as she studied the demon's profile, the sharp line of her jaw still tight with anger, the way her fingers clenched almost imperceptibly around the mug and her sweatpants.

Minjeong felt a quiet thrill at seeing this vulnerability, this raw emotion so different from Karina's usual teasing arrogance or detached confidence. She wouldn't dare mention it, wouldn't risk slamming shut the doors Karina seemed to be opening without realizing it.

The heavy silence stretched, thick with the scent of lavender and unresolved millennia, before Minjeong dared to break it, her voice soft but clear in the predawn stillness.

"How did you become a demon?" she asked, leaning forward just a fraction. "Were you born one?"

Karina met Minjeong's gaze, her unnerving blue eyes widening almost imperceptibly. Something unfamiliar stirred low in her stomach, a disorienting pang at the girl's earnest curiosity.

Interest, genuine and unguarded, directed at her, not her strength or her title.

"I know I was once a human," Karina replied, the confession feeling strangely heavy on her tongue. Her fingers traced the rim of her cooling mug. "Although I don't remember that life. Not a face, not a name." She paused, the silence stretching taut. "I just... woke up one day... And I was this" She pointed at herself like she was pointing at some random object. "Judging sin was already on me like second nature." She didn't break eye contact, letting Minjeong see the stark, unsettling truth in her gaze, the void where a human past should reside.

Minjeong simply replied, "Mmm, I see," her voice soft and thoughtful in the quiet room.

The response, so characteristically understated, caught Karina off guard. She immediately turned her gaze toward the open window where dawn's first pale light crept across the sill, avoiding Minjeong's eyes as if the moonlit breeze could cool the sudden heat prickling her neck.

Clearing her throat roughly, Karina shifted her weight against the couch.

"By the way," she asked, her tone deliberately casual yet strained, "are you okay? I heard you whimpering earlier." She finally met Minjeong's gaze, her own expression carefully neutral, almost guarded. "That's why I came here." The confession hung between them, stark and unadorned, a raw admission that pierced through layers of demonic composure.

It was Minjeong's turn to get caught off guard. The intensity of Karina's gaze, stripped of its usual playful malice, pinned her in place.

All memories of her constant nightmares and anxiety evaporated the moment she opened the door and saw Karina standing there.

"Oh, yeah, I just..." she stammered, scrambling for an excuse, Ryujin's bad sushi, the summer heat, anything but the raw truth. But the uncharacteristic softness in Karina's expression, the genuine concern etched around her eyes, dismantled her defenses. She sighed, shoulders slumping. "I just started having lots of nightmares," she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper. "And sometimes they get too much."

Karina hummed, a low, melodic sound that vibrated in the quiet space between them.

"Good to know I brought the tea," she murmured, her gaze flicking pointedly to the mug still cradled in Minjeong's hands.

"Helps with anxiety and tiredness." The playful mask slid back into place, seamless and practiced, locking away the raw glimpse of the woman beneath the confident and laid back smile. "So..." she added, her voice dropping to a suggestive purr, "I don't mind if you come to my room for more some nights."

Minjeong rolled her eyes hard enough to strain the muscles, but the traitorous curve of her lips betrayed her, lifting despite her best efforts.

"You're too much," she muttered, turning her face away as she shoved Karina's annoyingly handsome features away from her personal space. The demon's sharp cheekbones but squishy cheeks, and those unsettlingly blue eyes were far too close for comfort at this ungodly hour.

Karina's grin widened, predatory and sharp.

"Oh, I know you love it, princess," she purred again, wiggling her toes inside the ridiculous dinosaur slippers.

Before Minjeong could react, Karina pinched her ribs with the plush T-Rex head, the motion lightning fast and absurdly precise. Minjeong shrieked, jolting backward on the couch so violently the tea sloshed dangerously close to spilling. She quickly placed her mug on the tea table.

"Oh my god—Ew—Stop!" she gasped between bursts of laughter, swatting wildly at Karina's offending feet. "I hate feet!" The declaration was half shout, half giggle, utterly undignified.

Minjeong dissolved into helpless giggles, scrambling backward on the couch like a startled cat, desperately trying to evade Karina's wiggling dinosaur feet.

"Stop! Seriously, they're creepy!" she gasped, batting futilely at the plush T-Rex heads aiming for her ribs.

Karina's grin turned positively wicked.

"Oh, come on," she coaxed, her voice dripping with mock sincerity as she deliberately slowed her movements, letting one slipper hover dangerously close to Minjeong's cheek. "They're adorable. Give 'em a little pet?" The absurdity of the demon overlord offering her fuzzy footwear for affection was too much.

"You're such a loser, oh my god!" Minjeong choked out between laughs, tears pricking her eyes.

Minjeong lunged forward, laughter bubbling out of her as she seized both of Karina's wriggling ankles, trapping the fuzzy T-Rex slippers firmly in her grip. Before Karina could react, Minjeong dug her fingers ruthlessly into the soles of her feet through the soft fabric.

The reaction was instantaneous and utterly priceless: Karina let out a sharp, piercing scream, high pitched and utterly undignified, her eyes widening comically. Minjeong's laughter doubled; regretted not picking her phone to record the sound and show it to Aeri and Chaewon.

Karina bucked wildly beneath her, trying to twist free, but Minjeong pinned her thighs down with her own weight, locking her in place on the couch cushions.

"Payback!" Minjeong gasped triumphantly, her fingers dancing mercilessly over the sensitive arches. Karina dissolved into breathless, uncontrollable giggles, her head thrown back against the armrest, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Minje—Stop!" she choked out, her voice cracking with helpless laughter. "I give up! I give up!" The mighty demon overlord reduced to a squirming, giggling mess beneath Minjeong's tickling assault was a sight Minjeong knew she'd cherish forever.

Karina gasped, her laughter dissolving into ragged breaths as she suddenly grabbed a fistful of Minjeong's red hair, anchoring herself against the tickling assault. Her other hand pressed firmly against Minjeong's waist, fingers digging into the soft fabric of her sleep shirt.

"Minjeong, for fuck's sake, stop!" she choked out, her voice strained between desperate amusement and genuine overwhelm. "I can't take it anymore!" Minjeong only laughed harder, the sound bright and unrestrained, her mind racing with regret for not filming Karina's undignified squeals.

She ignored the electric jolt that shot through her scalp where Karina's fingers tangled in her locks and the warmth blooming beneath the hand splayed possessively on her hip.

"Don't wanna!" Minjeong retorted childishly, twisting fully around on Karina's lap to face her. Her fingers curled, poised to unleash ticklish hell on the demon's vulnerable stomach.

Karina's eyes widened behind her tousled white hair, genuine terror flashing in those unnaturally blue depths. Both hands shot up, tangling fiercely in Minjeong's long red locks, anchoring herself against the imminent assault.

"Minjeong, don't you da-" Karina's hissed warning was abruptly severed.

Light exploded overhead, harsh and sudden. Both women froze mid struggle, heads snapping toward the doorway. Yujin stood there, silhouetted against the hall light, his own hair sticking up in wild tufts. His eyes were wide saucers, face flushed crimson.

"Oh my god—" he stammered, voice cracking. "I'm sorry—I didn't know—oh my—I didn't see anything—oh I just heard noises—I didn't!" His words tumbled out in a frantic, mortified jumble.

From his angle, the scene was devastatingly intimate: Minjeong sprawled across Karina's lap, face buried against the demon's stomach, Karina's face flushed scarlet and damp with exertion, her unnaturally blue eyes wide and watery, and both her hands knotted fiercely in Minjeong's red hair.

He looked genuinely traumatized.

Minjeong scrambled off Karina's lap like she'd been electrocuted, her face burning crimson. She frantically tried to smooth her wild red hair, hopelessly tangled from Karina's desperate grip, but the strands just sprang back rebelliously.

Across the couch, Karina slumped bonelessly, head thrown back against the cushions, her chest heaving as she dragged in ragged, gulping breaths. A low, exhausted moan escaped her lips.

"Shit," she gasped, voice hoarse, "thought I almost saw the light there..." (ironic isn't it)

Minjeong whirled around instantly, shooting the demon a venomous glare for the disastrous phrasing. She jabbed an accusatory finger towards Karina, then pointed emphatically at her own sleep shirt and Karina's oversized tee.

"Yujin, no, it's not what it looks like!" she insisted, her voice pitched high with panic, sounding utterly unconvincing even to herself. "We were just messing around! Look, clothes! Still on!" Yujin blinked slowly, processing the frantic explanation through a haze of sleep deprivation.

He managed a shaky exhale and a jerky nod, his own face still flaming, his brain clearly struggling to reboot. Yujin blinked rapidly, the flush deepening on his cheeks.

"Okay, uhm," he stammered, voice thick with awkwardness, "I'm just gonna... go." He backed out slowly, pulling the door shut with exaggerated care, sealing the room in abrupt silence.

Only the sound of Karina's breathing remained, slower now but still audible in the stillness. Minjeong sighed heavily, the tension draining from her shoulders as she slumped back onto the couch cushions.

Karina let out a sharp, breathless laugh, pushing herself upright on the couch.

"Well," she rasped, running a shaky hand through her disheveled white hair, "that's a rumor I definitely don't need spreading through the staff right now." Her exposed blue eyes, still bright with residual laughter and exertion, flickered towards the closed door where Yujin had vanished.

Minjeong felt an odd, unfamiliar flutter beneath her ribs at the words, a quick, hot pulse she couldn't name. She shoved it down instantly, burying it under a wave of defensive irritation.

"Like I'd want people thinking I'm hooking up with your ancient ass," she retorted, crossing her arms tightly over her chest in her best approximation of a petulant fortress. The bratty posture felt safer than acknowledging the confusing warmth.

Karina simply laughed, shaking her head as she got up. She smoothed her rumpled clothes, the windbreaker now twisted awkwardly, and hunted for her scattered dinosaur slippers. One was wedged under the couch, the other peeking out from beneath Minjeong's bed.

She shoved her feet into them with a soft thump thump.

"Should probably go," she murmured, gathering the empty mugs, their ceramic cool against her palms.

Minjeong watched her, an unexpected hollow opening in her chest. She pushed herself off the couch, drifting to where her phone lay charging. The screen blinked: seven am. Time had dissolved like sugar in hot tea. Without meaning to, she turned, catching Karina's gaze. A faint, unintentional pout touched her lips.

"Yeah, you should rest too," Minjeong replied, the unintentional pout lingering on her lips.

Karina paused mid step, her hand resting on the doorknob. She turned back, her exposed blue eyes widening slightly, a fleeting crack in her usual composure. Then, a genuine smile softened her sharp features, warm and unexpectedly tender.

"Sleep well, princess," she murmured. "Wouldn't want you lacking in our training tomorrow." The door clicked shut softly behind her, leaving Minjeong alone in the sudden silence.

The warmth Karina's smile had ignited bloomed fiercely in Minjeong's chest, clashing violently with the lingering embarrassment over Yujin's interruption. She pressed her palms against her flushed cheeks, willing the confusing heat to fade.

Minjeong grabbed the neck of her shirt and bit it in frustration. She flopped face first onto her bed, the cool sheets a welcome shock against her flushed skin. She buried her nose deep into the pillow, teeth still assaulting the fabric, she inhaled the faint scent of detergent and something inexplicably. Karina. She immediately got up and grabbed the hem of her shirt and brought it to her nose. The scent of whiskey and honey more powerful there.

She growled back into her pillow. What the actual fuck was all of that? The tickle fight, the shrieking, the casual conversation... and then that look. That soft, unexpected smile Karina had given her before leaving.

It felt like her brain was short circuiting, overloaded with conflicting signals: mortification over Yujin walking in, the cute yet loser smile of Karina and her stupid dinosaur slippers, and this... this confusing warmth blooming low in her stomach whenever she pictured Karina helpless with laughter.

She didn't understand a single thing she was feeling, except the undeniable truth, that she really liked hearing Karina laugh like that again. Raw, unguarded, completely unlike her usual arrogant smirk.

I want to hear it again...

 

Karina slammed her bedroom door shut, pressing her back hard against the cool wood. The practiced calm she wore like armor shattered instantly. Her breaths came in sharp, ragged gasps she couldn't control, filling the sudden silence of her room. She pressed a trembling hand flat against her chest, feeling the frantic, unfamiliar drumbeat beneath her ribs.

Thump thump thump.

Too fast. Too loud. Alien. A cold sweat prickled her skin despite the room's stillness. This wasn't exhaustion. This was something else. Something new. And new, for someone like her, an immortal being, felt terrifyingly dangerous. Scary. The word echoed in her skull, sharp and unwelcome.

Karina squeezed her eyes shut, pressing her palms hard against her temples as if she could physically crush the images flooding her mind. Minjeong's teasing smirk, the way her nose scrunched when she was indignant, the soft puff of her breath against Karina's neck during their struggle, each fragment flashed brighter than cursed energy, searing her thoughts. She tried to calm her own breathing, taking slow deep breathed.

Instead, her traitorous pulse hammered against her ribs, her body remembering the sensation of her hands digging into Minjeong's small waist, the softness of red hair tangled around her own fingers. That damn pout lingered most vividly, that fucking damn pout, sparking a visceral, unfamiliar ache low in her belly. Control slipped like smoke through her fingers.

Karina pushed herself off the door with a sharp exhale, the wood cool against her palms.

"Get a grip," she muttered into the silence of her room, giving herself a small slap.

She stumbled toward the bed, the plush carpet muffling her steps. With a heavy thud, she collapsed backwards onto the mattress, the impact jarring her bones.

Immediately, she flung her arms over her face, pressing her forearms hard against her closed eyelids. The darkness behind her lids offered no escape; Minjeong's flushed cheeks, her triumphant smirk, the soft warmth of her waist beneath Karina's hands, it all flashed brighter than the sun, searing and relentless.

Then, the girl's earlier confession echoed in the silence: nightmares. A small, humorless chuckle escaped Karina's lips.

"Looks like we have something in common, princess," she whispered into the empty room, the words tasting bitter.

She swallowed hard, a sudden sharp ache flaring down her back. Instinctively, her fingers traced the raised ridges beneath her shirt, and the back of her waist, jagged, intersecting lines etched into her skin like a map of forgotten suffering.

She doesn't know how she got them. They were simply there, relics of a human life she no longer remembered. Yet, their presence screamed one undeniable truth: weakness. The human she had been was vulnerable enough to be marked, scarred. That frailty disgusted her. It was a constant reminder of what she despised most.

Karina clenched her fists until her knuckles went bone white, nails digging half moons into her palms. The sting of those scars burned hotter than any curse she'd ever exorcised.

Weakness.

That's what they screamed. A human life so fragile it let itself be carved open, marked forever.

Pathetic.

She wasn't that trembling human anymore. Here, draped in immortality and power. Strength was her armor, her purpose, the only truth she needed. The title of the strongest, was her anchor, a reminder that she was always in control. No matter what.