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Two days before Chuseok
So I’m really not meant to take a break, thought Mira, as she cut the head off a demon. I either have to make a ton of fucking ugly songpyeon—she stabbed a demon on the gut, —Or deal with these fuckers. After kicking Gwima’s butt, Mira had thought his minions would be away for long enough to let them, the demon hunters, catch a break, but they had been popping all over the place for the last couple of days.
“And… that’s the last one,” said Rumi, letting her sword disappear again. She stretched her arms over her head and yawned. “I’m beat.”
“Me too,” said Zoey. “I can’t wait to go back to the States for Chuseok,” she said, twirling a couple of shin-kal in the air. “After everything that happened, I need a good dose of couch and bad TV. What’re you guys’ plans?”
Rumi shrugged.
“And you, Mira?”
“I’ll go back to Haeundae, I guess.”
“Oh, right. Your family lives there, don't they? My parents are travelling this year. My dad finally convinced my Mom to travel with him to New York. She said she needed a break from Chuseok this year.” She threw the knives, making them spin in the air, and caught them again. “Is it really that hard? My mom taught me how to make songpyeon once, and they were, like, horrible, but making them wasn't that bad…What about you guys? Is your family super, like, strict?"
Yeah, thought Mira. She shrugged.
Zoey turned to look at Rumi. “What about you? You usually spend Chuseok with Celine, don’t you?”
“What? Ahm, yeah. She… she’s not really into the cooking part, but we… we… uhm, we went to my mom’s grave.”
Zoey skipped a step and made the shin-kal disappear before they hit the ground. “Oh… sorry, I… I forgot about beolcho.”
Rumi shrugged. “It’s OK. Don't worry.”
“Growing up my mom explained Chuseok to me, but I always saw it as Korean Thanksgiving, you know?” she rushed to explain, “and I know it’s not really like Thanksgiving, but—”
“It’s OK…”
“ —I really didn’t mean to remind you about your mom and your dad… who ahm. But that's why Chuseok is very important...”
“She said it’s OK!” snapped Mira. “And we know you’re usually in the States for Chuseok! So you can stop.”
“Sorry,” whispered Zoey, “I…sorry.”
The trip back home was uncomfortably silent after that. Zoey avoided making eye contact with Mira or Rumi, and during the train ride, Rumi kept her eyes on the window, without looking at anything.
“Zoey?” asked Mira, before they each went to their own room at the house. “Sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you.”
“That’s OK. I know… I know I’m not Korean, like you and Rumi. Even after all these years, I still don't…” She undid her buns to let her hair fall and hide her face. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Chuseok is…” How could she describe it? The hours she spent in the kitchen, bent over on the floor for hours to make songpyeon that her mother and aunties criticized to hell and back. The comments her father and uncles made about her hair, and her attitude… no wonder she was alone, she would probably die alone, without a husband or a family of her own. And sure, Huntrix was doing great, but why didn’t Mira have as many lines as Rumi? “...very stressful. I’m glad you don't have to go through it. It's best that you stick to Thanksgiving. You always talk about how much you like pie, right?” said Mira, trying to cheer her up and smile.
“Right…” Zoey smiled awkwardly. “Good night, Mira.”
“Good night…” Zoey walked away. "And Zoey? You are Korean."
Zoey smiled, more sincerely this time, but it still felt like she was doing it all wrong.
One day before Chuseok
“And… that's a wrap!”
The filming crew clapped and cheered, and Huntrix relaxed.
“Great job!” said the director. “We got it. Have a good day, and happy Chuseok. Have a safe trip.”
“Thank you, everyone!” said Rumi, and Huntrix bowed to the surrounding team.
The crew turned off the cameras and lights and started packing everything up. The small studio felt crowded with so many people moving at once.
“That was great work, girls,” Bobby said. “We’ll have that video up and ready by tomorrow, so just focus on resting and spending time with your family.”
“Thank you, Bobby,” answered Rumi.
“Thanks,” said Mira.
“Thank you, you too.”
They all sounded like sleep-deprived zombies. Maybe Mira hadn’t been the only one twisting and turning all night.
“You sound dead on your feet!” Bobby pulled out his phone and started texting. “Go straight to the tower! I’ll have them deliver all your favorites!”
“Oh, Bobby, you don’t have to…”
“Don’t worry about it, Rumi! I’ll make sure it’s perfect!” He pocketed his phone with a pleased smile on his face. “Now, do you want me to call Min-Joon to take you home?”
Mira felt a ripple on the Honmoon. Demons. She met Rumi’s and Zoey’s eyes, and they nodded at each other.
“Actually,” Rumi said, “I think we’ll take a walk to work up an appetite.”
The demons were actually close to their home. Funny how things worked out sometimes.
In a way, killing demons was relaxing. The battles were so hectic that she didn't have time to think and get lost in her head. She could trust that her body would do what she wanted it to do, and she could trust that Rumi and Zoey would always have her back. Mira, the problem child who was too much, became a fearless demon hunter.
Only this time, Rumi was off. Again. She had managed to kill most of the demons who got close to her, and so far the worst wound she had was a scratch on her arm, but it was only because Mira and Zoey kept saving her butt.
“Duck!” Zoey jumped and tackled a demon behind Rumi. More demons were closing in on them. Mira was too far away, and Rumi was reacting too slowly. Zoey was having trouble getting off the floor; there were so many of them…
“NO!” Mira dug her Gonk-do on the floor, and a circular surge of energy blasted the demons away. Mira stood up and staggered. She felt dizzy.
Rumi and Zoey were running to her.
“Are you OK?” asked Zoey.
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry.”
She tried to stand up again, but Rumi stopped her. “You should sit.”
She still felt light-headed. She sat down.
Zoey and Rumi waited with their weapons ready to see if any demons would come back.
“You’re distracted,” said Mira. “What’s wrong?”
“I… it’s…” Rumi looked away.
Mira stood up. “Please don’t say it’s nothing. The last time you said ‘it was nothing’ and that ‘you were fine’, the world was crumbling apart.”
Rumi conjured her sword away and faced Mira and Zoey.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s just that… things have been very awkward with Celine. Ever since, you know, she told me she would rather keep hiding what I am instead of accepting… me.”
Mira and Zoey put their hands on Rumi’s shoulder. She smiled at them and continued: “And I want to visit my mom for Chuseok—, I have to, but… Celine hasn’t texted me anything about going. And I know it’s my mom’s grave, but it’s Celine’s house..what if I’m intruding? What if…What if she really can’t accept who I am?”
“Oh, Rumi!” said Zoey, tearing up. She hugged Rumi. “I’m so sorry you feel that way! And Celine…” She looked at Mira.
“Celine loves you,” said Mira, and joined the hug. “And we love you. Your human and your demon half.”
“Thank you, guys.” Rumi wiped a tear from her eyes. They broke the hug. “Why are you so testy, Mira?
“I don’t want to get sappy,” said Mira.
“C’mon, you had me spill my traumas here, in the middle of nowhere,” said Rumi.
Mira snorted.
“It’s just the same thing. I have, uhm…”
Daddy issues, and mommy issues. She sighed. She could do this. She could be honest with her friends, who she trusted, and it would be fine, dammit.
“I don’t want to go home for Chuseok!” There, she said it. “All they do is talk about all the ways I’m messing up: cooking, being respectful, getting married… but… part of me wants to do good, even if I suck, because part of me still wants to be part of their family.”
First day of Chuseok
The first thing Mira heard when she woke up was whispering. She looked at the time. She didn’t have to get up for an hour, but she felt too restless to sleep. So she got up and walked to the kitchen. Zoey and Rumi were sitting on the couches, wearing black, tactical-style clothes.
“Are you sure…?” whispered Zoey.
“Yes! I…”
“Mira!” said Zoey, with a big smile.
“You were out hunting again last night? Why didn’t you wake me up?”
Zoey and Rumi looked at each other.
“So, it turns out somebody broke out into the Huntrix administrative area…” said Rumi. Zoey nodded excitedly. “And, because of a system error —”
“It was us,” whispered Zoey.
“ —with no human intervention at all, all copies of the Chuseok video were lost.”
“What? Why…?”
“Except for the copy on the email that Bobby sent me.”
“And, it would be really bad if, I don’t know… Rumi deleted it by accident,” said Zoey, dramatically.
“Terrible, really. We would be forced to record a new video, or do a livestream…”
“And we would lose our flights! How horrible!”
Rumi let out a sigh, unlocked her phone, and handed it to Mira.
“It’s your choice,” she said, genuinely. “You don’t have to go.”
Mira looked at Rumi’s phone. It had Bobby’s e-mail with the final video. It felt wrong. She could have an excuse; not even her parents would be able to talk trash about her if she didn’t go because of a sudden change in plans with Huntrix. Her finger hovered over the screen. It could be so easy. She could just… avoid all that.
It felt wrong.
Zoey put a hand on Mira's shoulder and smiled.
“Whatever you decide,” said Rumi, “we’re with you.”
Mira deleted the email.
Rumi and Zoey were getting ready to record in the other room. They were deciding between setting up a camera or using one of their phones. Mira braced herself and dialed her mother’s number.
“Hello, eomeonim, is Father busy? Oh, I know. Yes. I’m sorry, the producers decided to do a livestream for Chuseok this year at the last minute. We’re getting ready to record, but it was impossible to get a new flight. I’m sorry I won’t be able to visit you and Father this year. I sent the gift I got for you with CJ Express. I hope it’s to your liking. Happy Chuseok.”
She hung up the phone.
It felt wrong to be avoiding her responsibilities, her duties… and worst of all, she felt relieved.
“Mira! Are you ready?”
Mira walked into the room. They checked their make up, their outfits, and sat down on the couch. Zoey’s phone was on a tripod and ready to transmit.
“Are you ready?” Rumi asked them.
“Let’s go!” said Zoey. Mira nodded.
Rumi started he live stream. They had close to a thousand viewers in a minute. “Hello, everyone! We want to wish you all a happy Chuseok.”
“Please travel safely, and keep yourselves warm! This season the temperature can be very low, so be careful not to get a cold,” said Zoey.
“We hope you have fun with your families and friends. Eat lots of tasty food!” said Mira.
They continued the live stream for fifteen minutes more, answering the fans' questions, talking about their favorite things to do on the holiday, and their favorite foods to eat. They ended the transmission, and Huntrix wentgoes from perfect-idols-on-camera to goey-messes-slouching-on-the-couch.
“So, now that duty made you lose your flights, I…” Rumi trailed off.
Oh, shit. Zoey! She had plans to see her family! Shit shit shit.
“Zoey! You missed your flight too? What about Thanksgiving?”
“Don’t worry about it!” said Zoey, shaking her head. “We wanted to help you!”
“Are you sure? But…”
“Yeah! Ahm,” she blushed, “Thanksgiving is actually in November, so…”
“Oh.” Mira blushed too. “So…” Sshe cleared her throat., “...now that we don’t have flights, did you have something in mind, Rumi?”
Rumi blushed all the way up to her ears.
“I mean, if you want to, that is…. and it’s OK, if you don’t. You could probably do without having to prepare all the food, and the rituals, but…”
“Yes?” asked Mira.
“But…” Rumi started playing with her braid, “Would you like to come with me for Chuseok?”
“YES!” screamed Zoey., “Yes! A million times, yes!” she jumped over Rumi and hugged.
“Thank you for inviting us, Rumi.”
They travelled to Celine’s house on the new Huntrix private jet.
Celine’s house was always peaceful. Mira would always remember it as the place where Celine had them over for training retreats. They crossed the garden and walked to the main door. Rumi pulled a key from under a pot and opened the door. Mira had expected the place to be dusty and to smell like stale air, but the house smelled of fresh air.
“Did Celine know you were coming?” Mira asked.
“I texted her this morning, but she never answered.”
The house was spotless, and the sheets smelled clean and fresh. They had brought enough to cook, but the kitchen was stocked and ready to use. There was even fresh fruit.
“So… what do we do? What do we start with?” asked Zoey.
“We need to cook the food for Charye tomorrow, we should do it early in the morning, and the food we’re going to eat,” answered Rumi.
They started with galbijim, the beef short ribs would need to boil for several hours to be soft. They cut taro for toranguk and vegetables for japchae and namul. And they kneaded rice flour with warm water to make Songpyeon.
“Let's add colour to them!” said Zoey, pulling out three bottles of food coloring from her trousers.
By the time they sat down to have dinner, Mira realized she was tired of standing, stirring and cutting, but she didn’t feel drained.
“I can believe how good they look!” Zoey said. She grabbed a blue songpyeon, —filled with red beans—, and took a bite. “AND THEY ARE TASTY TOO!”
“Try one with chestnuts now!” said Rumi, filling a plate for her. “These are my favorites!”
So that’s it, thought Mira, I just hadn’t been celebrating Chuseok with the right family.