The Confession
It was an hour before call time when Jiwon finally pulled Zayn aside.
They stood in the dressing room bathroom, the faint buzz of hair dryers and stylists just outside. Jiwon leaned against the sink, head bowed, fingers clenching the porcelain.
Zayn crossed his arms. "You're acting off. Talk to me."
Jiwon didn't look up. His voice came low, rough."I did something I shouldn't have."
Zayn's eyes narrowed. "With him?"
Silence.
That was answer enough.
"Jiwon…" Zayn dragged a hand down his face. "Do you want to get us all killed?"
"I don't know what I want," Jiwon admitted, voice sharp with frustration. "I just know I can't stay away."
Zayn swore under his breath but stepped closer, lowering his tone. "Then I'll cover for you. But you need to keep your head straight tonight. On stage, you're our leader. Nothing else."
Jiwon finally looked up, meeting Zayn's eyes. A flicker of gratitude passed between them—unspoken, heavy.
And then the staff called them to lineup.
The Concert
The stadium was a cathedral of sound. Tens of thousands of fans screamed as Monarch took the stage, lightsticks turning the arena into a galaxy of violet and silver.
The opening VCR played—embers blooming into fire, wings unfurling into starlight. Then, the screen shattered with the Monarch logo, and the boys exploded onto stage.
Setlist:
"Veil of Flame" – Explosive start, fire cannons bursting in sync with each beat, fans chanting so loud the floor shook. Jiwon's glare through the camera was sharp enough to wound.
"Stardive" – The entire stadium became constellations, LED lights synced with the chorus. EO hit his falsetto perfectly, Min spun into flawless pirouettes, and Kai grinned into every camera angle like he owned the sun.
Unit stages –
Kai & EO's duet was playful and smooth, harmonies weaving like silk.
Min's solo dance was raw, a storm of sharp angles and trembling hands—audience silent, then screaming.
Zayn's rap break tore through the speakers, his delivery a blade cutting air.
New Song: "Blood Rite" (dark, aggressive, inspired by Takedown)
Bass rattled the floor.
Lyrics snarled with defiance: "Cut the chains, burn the lies—rise from the ruin, we'll never die."
Choreo sharp and brutal—kicks, stomps, movements like strikes.
Jiwon's bridge dropped the stadium into silence: "If you call me monster—I'll smile with teeth."
The crowd lost their minds.
Throughout it all, Jiwon kept catching flashes of gold in the audience—Yul, watching from the VIP section, lips curved into that faint, knowing smile.
It rattled him more than the roar of fifty thousand fans.
Backstage
The show ended with fireworks, confetti, and Monarch's five-member bow, their hands linked, their chests heaving.
Back in the dressing room, the air was thick with sweat and adrenaline. Kai collapsed on the couch, EO was still crying from sheer joy, Min stared at his glowing hands like he couldn't feel them, and Zayn silently monitored the room, protective.
Jiwon barely had time to catch his breath before the lights flickered.
The Attack
At first, it felt like exhaustion. The room dimmed, the air grew heavy. Then the mirror by the vanity cracked—splintering out like spiderweb veins.
Black smoke poured through.
A low-level demon emerged, humanoid but twisted—jagged limbs, no face, just a hollow mouth that screamed static.
Kai froze. EO screamed.
Zayn grabbed a mic stand and swung, connecting hard. Min instinctively reached out, and the glass around the room shivered like it wanted to obey him.
Jiwon ripped the blade free from his belt. One clean slash, and the thing staggered—but it didn't vanish. It hissed, slamming him back into the wall, claws digging close to his throat.
And then—
A voice cut through the static. Smooth. Familiar.
"Pathetic."
The demon froze. Its hollow mouth cracked in terror—before it was ripped apart in golden light, torn to ash in an instant.
Jiwon staggered up, panting, blade still raised.
And there he was.
Yul.
Standing in the doorway, coat draped, eyes burning gold.
"Did you miss me, hunter?"