Rumi's fingers shook as they rested in Jinu's hand. His grip was firm—warmer than she expected, grounding her in a moment that felt unreal.
He pulled her up gently.
The practice room was a mess of shattered glass, flickering lights, and an echo of something that shouldn't exist.
Rumi swallowed hard. "Are we… safe now?"
Jinu scanned the corners of the room, eyes sharp and trained—nothing like the quiet boy she thought she knew.
"For now," he said. "But we have to leave before someone else comes."
Someone else?
Did he mean… more of those things?
Rumi grabbed her bag with trembling hands. As they stepped into the hallway, the building felt colder, heavier. Shadows stretched too long. Every sound made her jump.
Jinu walked a step ahead, as if shielding her.
"Jinu," Rumi whispered, her voice cracking, "how did you even—how did you know that thing would appear?"
He didn't look back. "Because it's been following you for days."
Rumi stopped walking. "W-What?!"
Jinu finally turned, his eyes surprisingly gentle despite the sternness on his face.
"I didn't want to involve you," he admitted. "But after tonight… I don't have a choice."
Rumi hugged her arms around herself, trying not to fall apart.
"I'm just a trainee," she said. "Why would demons hunt someone like me?"
Jinu hesitated.
She noticed, for the first time, a faint burn mark peeking from under his collar—a symbol shaped like a twisted crescent.
"Jinu… what is that?"
He immediately tugged his shirt up. "It's nothing."
"You're lying," she shot back—fear turning into frustration. "First a monster appears in the mirror, now you're burning with weird symbols?! Why can't you just tell me the truth?"
Jinu looked away, jaw clenched.
"It's complicated."
"So make it simple!"
Her voice echoed down the empty hallway.
Jinu took a slow breath, then stepped closer—close enough that Rumi could see the tiredness beneath his calm exterior.
"Fine," he said quietly. "Demons have existed longer than humans. Some are weak, some are powerful… but all of them feed on negative energy. Fear, ambition, jealousy. Places like entertainment agencies, where emotions run high—"
"—are perfect for them," Rumi whispered, finishing his sentence without meaning to.
"Yes."
Rumi's heart pounded. "So that mirror monster…?"
"Was a Haze Wraith," Jinu explained. "They slip into reflective surfaces to stalk their targets."
"Targets like me?"
He nodded.
"But why me? I don't have anything special."
Jinu looked at her for a long moment.
Too long.
"There's a mark on you," he finally said. "It awakened recently… and demons can sense it."
"A mark?" Rumi blinked. "Where?"
"Your shoulder. Upper right."
Rumi's breath caught.
She did notice something last week—a strange crescent-like birthmark she swore wasn't there before. She thought it was a bruise.
Jinu continued, voice low.
"That mark is a beacon. A signal. To demons… it means power. And to Demon Hunters—"
He stopped.
Rumi stared at him. "And to Demon Hunters… what?"
"Someone important," he said.
"Someone dangerous. Someone they must protect."
Her stomach twisted. "You're a Demon Hunter, aren't you?"
Jinu didn't answer directly. Instead, he pushed up his sleeve.
A glowing sigil burned faintly on his arm—the same twisted crescent.
Her eyes widened. "You have the same mark?!"
"That's why I recognized yours," he said quietly. "And why I can't let those things near you."
Rumi felt the floor tilt beneath her feet.
"Why me, though? I'm nobody."
Jinu shook his head.
"You're not nobody. That mark doesn't appear randomly. It chooses."
Rumi's heartbeat echoed in her ears.
Chooses…?
Jinu stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"Rumi… your life isn't normal anymore. And from this point on—"
The hallway lights blew out with a loud pop.
Darkness swallowed them.
Rumi gasped.
Jinu grabbed her wrist instantly.
His voice dropped to a whisper filled with urgency.
"They found us."
From the end of the hallway, something crawled across the ceiling—its limbs bending in impossible angles. Eyes like burning coals pierced through the dark.
Rumi's breath hitched.
Jinu reached behind his back.
"Stay close," he whispered, pulling out a faintly glowing blade.
"This one won't go down as easily."