/Rumi's POV/
I sat beside him, still holding his hand, trembling. His skin was cold—but he was breathing.
Then, the doorbell rang.
I looked at Derpy and whispered, "Stay with him, alright? Don't let anything happen."
I stood up, hesitant, heart pounding. When I reached the living room, I froze.
Baby and Romance were standing near the couch.
My hand instinctively reached for my sword. In a flash, I drew it, raising it toward them in a guarded stance.
"Whoa there!" Baby said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "We're not here to fight. We came to help Jinu—and to talk."
I didn't lower my sword right away.
Romance sighed in relief. "I'm just glad you met him first."
I narrowed my eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He gave a half-smile. "If you hadn't met Jinu, I doubt you'd trust us… demons."
I flinched slightly at the word. Still, I lowered my blade.
"Enough talk. If you're here to help, then help him. Please."
They nodded and followed me back to my room. The moment they saw Jinu lying there, unconscious and pale, I noticed the shift in their faces. Concern. Guilt. Fear.
Romance turned to Baby, serious. "Hurry."
"I'm on it," Baby replied. He moved toward Jinu and pulled a small vial from his pocket.
I stepped forward instinctively. "Wait—what is that? What are you giving him?"
"It's a healing potion," Baby explained. "From the Mudangs. Or witches, if that's easier. It can close wounds and stabilize him."
I hesitated, eyes flicking between the potion and Jinu. I had questions. So many questions. But this wasn't the time.
"Okay… do it."
Baby helped Jinu drink it carefully. I watched, stunned, as the deep wounds began to close—like time was reversing itself. My breath caught in my throat.
I had seen magic before, yes. The honmoon changed everything. But this was something else. A new kind of ancient power.
As Jinu's breathing steadied and the pain left his face, we all released a collective sigh.
"He's healing," Baby murmured. "Looks like the potion's working."
Romance glanced at me. "I'm sure you've got questions."
"Plenty," I said. "Let's talk in the living room."
Before I left the room, I turned to look at Jinu one more time. A mix of worry and relief churned in my chest. He was safe—at least for now.
We gathered in the living room. I sat across from them, arms crossed.
"I'm guessing you already know what I'm going to ask."
Baby nodded to Romance, who gave him the go-ahead. Then Baby turned to me.
"First thing you need to know… the Saja Boys—except Jinu—were once a real idol group."
That explained a lot. Their synchronized moves, the way they performed like professionals.
Baby continued, "But we weren't always successful. We were just another struggling group, overlooked, criticized, barely scraping by."
Romance picked up, voice steady. "We were desperate. And then… someone came to us. Offered us a way to become what we always dreamed of—famous. Worshipped."
My eyes narrowed. "Who?"
Baby hesitated. "Jinu."
My breath caught. "What?! Jinu?"
They both nodded solemnly.
Romance spoke gently, "Gwi-Ma—the Demon King—has restrictions. He can't open the gates to the human world himself. So he needed others to do it for him."
I frowned. "Why can't he?"
"Didn't your hunter training teach you about the demon realm's history?" Baby asked.
"Only the basics. Types of demons, combat tactics, a little about the honmoon. That's it."
"Seriously?" Baby groaned. "And you still beat us…"
Romance stepped in to stop him from going off-track. "To be honest, even we demons don't know the full story. Only the ancient ones do. But here's what we've heard: there was once a war between the realms. Gwi-Ma tried to dominate the overworld but was defeated and sealed away in the demon realm. That's why he can't return."
Baby added, "So instead, he used what little power he had left to bypass the restriction. He created the 'Grim Reaper' demons—hybrids like us, forged from fallen humans… and Jinu was one of them."
I stared at them in silence.
"He brought us in," Romance said. "Persuaded us. Promised us fame and power. But once we turned… Gwi-Ma used our regrets and fears to control us."
"Just like he did with Jinu," I murmured, remembering the haunted look in his eyes.
"Exactly," Baby said. "Jinu changed after he met you. He became... human again. At least part of him did."
I smiled faintly. "He did the same for me."
Baby grinned. "We owe you a lot. As for how we're still alive… well, your friends kinda forgot to kill us."
Seriously?
I sighed. "I'll deal with them later."
He laughed. "After Gwi-Ma died, we stopped hearing his voice. But we also stopped receiving his power. Without it, demons need souls to survive… and we didn't want to take any more."
"That's why demons go after humans still," I realized. "To stay alive."
"How long do you last between feeds?" I asked.
"For low-level demons, around a week. But for us, maybe three weeks, tops," Baby admitted.
"And you've survived without killing humans?"
They raised their hands.
Romance nodded. "We swore we wouldn't. Instead, we made a deal—with witches. They give us potions that can substitute for human souls. But the longer we live, the more we need."
"And why would witches help demons?" I asked, suspicious.
"Well…" Baby rubbed the back of his neck. "They kind of have a thing for hot fashion models."
I stared blankly. "Seriously?"
Romance shrugged. "We keep our promises."
I rolled my eyes. "Fine. But why help Jinu?"
Romance's expression turned somber. "Because… he won't survive without those potions either."
My heart sank. "What do you mean?"
"He's not fully human," Baby said quietly. "And every day, we've had to give him a potion to stop him from fading."
I went cold. "Fading?"
Romance nodded. "If he doesn't get those potions regularly… he'll vanish. Disappear completely."
Tears welled in my eyes. Not again. Please, not again.
Baby leaned forward, eyes serious. "But we think you can save him, Rumi."
I looked at them, stunned. "Me? What do you mean?"
____________________
/Narrator's POV/
Near Celine's Place
Zoey exhaled, adjusting her disguise. "This'll work, right?"
"Definitely," Mira replied. They were both dressed in oversized suits, trying—and failing—to look like businessmen.
Zoey rang the doorbell.
"Uh—Mr. Zico here. We'd like to talk about, uh…"
"We're ghost hunters!" Mira added quickly.
"Yeah! Ghost stuff!" Zoey squeaked.
The door creaked open. Celine stood there, arms crossed. "Zoey. Mira. Not in the mood. Go slay some demons or something."
Just as she was about to shut the door—
"It's about Rumi!" Mira blurted. "Please… we just want to help her."
Celine paused. Her cold expression softened—just a little.
"…Alright. Come in."
The three of them walked through the old garden, the training grounds of past generations. Stones worn from history. Scars etched in the soil.
"This place still smells like sweat," Mira muttered, half-nostalgic, half-disgusted.
Zoey chuckled. "Remember when they made me train blindfolded for a week?"
"Serves you right," Mira teased.
Celine stopped in front of a giant tree. "This is the Tree of Knowledge. Planted during the First War. Everything you need to know—it's in here."
She pushed aside a veil of leaves, revealing a hidden staircase spiraling downward into the earth.
Mira and Zoey gasped in unison. "Whoa…"
As they descended together into the darkness, soft lights glowed from the walls.
When they reached the bottom, their eyes widened in awe.
"T-This is…" Zoey whispered.
Celine turned to them with a small, knowing smile.
"Welcome to the Library of Wisdom."