The screams of fans echoed through the Seoul Olympic Hall like thunder. Glowsticks lit the stadium in a rainbow sea, waving in rhythm with the music. On stage, ECLIPSE, the hottest K-pop group in the nation, executed their choreography with precision sharp enough to cut glass. Their leader, Rian, hit the final note, his voice soaring above the crowd's roar.
The lights dimmed. Fireworks cracked overhead. The concert was over—at least for the fans.
Backstage, the group didn't head to the dressing rooms. Instead, their manager, Ms. Joo, motioned for them to follow down a hidden stairwell that most crew never noticed. It led to a door marked only with a faded talisman.
"Another sighting," Ms. Joo said, her voice low but urgent. "Third one this week. The boundary's thinning again."
The five idols exchanged glances. Their eyeliner was still perfect, sweat still glistening under stage lights—but the shift in their eyes was instant. No longer performers. Hunters now.
Kai, the group's main dancer, cracked his knuckles. "Figures. The demons love hiding in crowds. Easy meals."
"They also love noise," added Min, the quiet rapper, sliding a silver dagger from his boot. "And tonight, we gave them plenty."
Rian took a deep breath, pulling a chain from around his neck. A glowing crystal pulsed at the end, reacting to the presence of darkness. It flickered wildly, then steadied in one direction—toward the underground tunnels of the arena.
"They're here," Rian said, his idol smile gone, replaced by something colder, sharper. "Let's end this before someone gets hurt."
As they moved, the air thickened. The walls of the concrete hallway seemed to breathe. A fan's abandoned glowstick rolled across the floor, cracked in half, leaking faint light.
Then, from the shadows, a hiss.
Something crawled out—a creature with too many eyes and a mouth that stretched wider than any human's. Its voice slithered like static through a broken speaker:
"Encore… encore…"
The members of ECLIPSE tightened their formation—not for choreography, but for battle.
The concert might be over.
But the real performance had just begun.