Chapter Text
It was the day to film the second episode of Run Huntrix x Saja Boys. Nari was at the penthouse, waiting for the girls. They were in their recording studio for some reason. Nari had a simple short sleeve stripped t-shirt that was tucked in and a long denim a-line skirt. Her hair was in braided pigtails. Adjusting her glasses, Nari checked the time. There was still enough time for Nari and the girls to get to their destination. Bobby had given her the directions where to meet the Saja Boys and the rest of the crew and for some reason, the directions were to a high school.
While Nari was waiting for the girls, she was texting Taemin. Ever since she left him a voicemail about her going to Jeju Island, the two hadn't discuss about it because of how busy everyone had gotten. Nari wanted to give him a souvenir, but she didn't know what other things Taemin liked aside from got sauce, dark clothing, and his occasion lollipops.
However, Nari knew she needed to figure out who was the previous hunters before the Sunlight Sisters. They should be alive. Nari knew it could be any girl group from the past, but maybe she could figure it out when she's at Jeju Island. After all Yeon-Hwa's parents might know something before Yeon-Hwa got recruited as an idol. From all of the information she had looked, only a common Korean entertainment company recruited the Sunlight Sisters and trained them to be traditional idols. Maybe a former hunter worked there, but if Nari did went to a random entertainment company, Celine might find out and Nari didn't want to take the risk. The best she could do was to try to figure things out behind Celine's back and make sure she doesn't get caught.
Finally, the girls came out, giggling. Rumi had a long sleeve baggy turtleneck crop top with a tank top underneath and a waist length high thigh shorts, Mira wore a simple tank top with a short sleeve off the shoulder crop top and a mini skirt, and Zoey had a simple t-shirt crop top and baggy jeans with a belt. Like always, the girls looked beautiful.
"Ready?" Nari asked.
"We are!" the girls spoke in unison.
"Hey Nari, you have older brothers, right?" Mira asked. "Bobby mentioned you have brothers."
Nari raised a brow. "Yeah, I do."
"What do they look like?" Rumi asked.
Nari wasn't sure why the girls would be asking about her brothers all of the sudden. However, it's not the first time that people asked. The staff at work would ask since she and Bobby would mentioned them from time to time. Nari took out her phone and turned to a recent photo that she had of her brothers. It was all four of them together during Korean New Years. Mira, Rumi, and Zoey gasped and Nari knew that they were having heart eyes at the photo. She wasn't surprised about it. These were her brothers after all. Every time she was with them, her brothers ended up getting stared at.
"Wow!" Mira gasped.
Rumi gaped. "Oh my!"
"Woah, they're hot!" Zoey exclaimed.
Nari made a face. "I will pretend I never heard that."
"Are they single?" Rumi asked hopefully.
Nari sighed. "No, they're all taken. David is married, Steven has a fiancé, and Kevin is bisexual, but he has a boyfriend." she put her phone away. "Why are you asking about my brothers for?"
"We...sort of made an online dating profile," Zoey answered. "We haven't got matches yet."
"We thought that we could go on a date with your brothers," Mira added. "but we didn't know they were taken."
Nari stared at the girls and gaped. They did what?! Why would they do that? Nari knew those creepy, crazy stalkers would go insane in they found out that their favorite idols want to do some online dating. Nari knew that if word gets out, that meant the whole penthouse would be in high alert with top security.
"Why?" Nari gasped.
"To forget about the Saja Boys!" Rumi declared. "And make sure they're out of our minds! So we're doing some online dating."
Nari couldn't believed what she was hearing. Who's bright idea was that? Nari wasn't sure why, but she knew this would be a disaster for...well everyone involved. She could see it now. Her uncle panicking and hiring every top security guards in Korea to make sure the girls have a safe date from both sides and how the whole fandom would both support and harassed the girls as well as the crazy stalkers who think the girls belong to them.
"Do you want to try online dating, Nari?" Zoey asked.
"No thanks," Nari replied.
Mira smirked. "Oh yeah, how's you and that Taemin guy?"
Nari blushed. "Mira, it's not like that. He doesn't feel the same way about me."
Nari knew that was true. Taemin didn't feel anything about her. Nari knew she was the last person he would like. She's human after all and Nari was sure Taemin would like to go for someone who's a demon like him. Besides, Nair knew that it was hopeless and even though she was going out of her way trying to figure out how to free him from Gwi-Ma, but she was only doing it because she wanted to. She didn't want to force her feelings on him. All Nari wanted was his happiness, even if it's not with her.
"Then he's an idiot!" Mira huffed.
Nari chuckled. "C'mon guys. We have to go. Everyone's going to be waiting."
At once Nari and the girls got out of the penthouse and headed to her car. When they got inside, Nari began to drive. While she was driving, Nari wondered why they were going to a high school. Was it because to interact with the students? However, it's the weekend and all the students were at home, either doing homework or just having fun with friends.
Once they got there, Nari got out of her car and so did the girls. As Nari locked her car, the girls gasped. Nari turned to where they were looking and saw there was a corndog truck parked across the street. Before Nari could say anything, the girls raced across the street. Chuckling, Nari shook her head. The girls just ate lunch and now they wanted more food. Nari didn't mind since the girls needed to eat and with everything going on, they needed their strength. As Nari watched the girls got in line, she noticed the girls had a baffled look across their face. Nari noticed that there were a few people standing in line - familiar looking people. Nari realized that Jinu, Abby, Romance, and Taemin were in line. Mystery on the other hand wasn't there for some reason.
"Good afternoon, Nari." a familiar voice spoke.
Nari turned as she saw Mystery, who was walking up to her. Nari didn't realized the boys were there before them, but then again, they probably teleported here than taking human transportation.
"Hi, Mystery," Nari greeted. "Are you waiting for the boys to give you a corndog?"
Mystery shook his head. "No, I'm not that hungry. By the way..." he shifted his feet. "Remember the last time we talked, right?"
"About the girl you like?" Nari questioned. "Yeah, why?"
Mystery let out a sigh. "I think she's comfortable around me. I wanted to give her my number, but I'm nervous. I think she might reject me."
Nari nodded. So there was progress the last time they talked. She wasn't sure if Abby and Romance had progress on the girl they both liked, but she hoped they did. Nari knew that the girl Mystery liked was probably either an idol since he did mentioned last time that they did a photoshoot together. Nari still had no idea who she is, but if she's comfortable around Mystery, then she should be fine on getting his number. However, there was the demon part and how Mystery made a bad first impression, so there was that. Since Mystery was nervous about it, maybe it was best to wait for a bit.
"Maybe wait until she asked or until you're ready," Nari said. "It's best to be fully comfortable than being nervous."
Mystery nodded. "Of course! I will do that. Thank you, Nari."
Nari giggled. "You're welcome, Mystery."
Mystery sighed. "I owe you one. I-I'm still surprised that you took your time to hear me out. I am a demon after all."
Nari knew what Mystery was talking about. Since demons would mostly had to deal with the hunters, it made sense that they would be surprised that someone like Nari would take the time to hear them out and be kind to them. Nari knew that the demons were human once, but whatever happened so many years ago, the times and situations were different from modern times. She couldn't blame them for making the choice to sell their soul to a demon king. Deep down, Nari knew there had to be some humanity left in them.
"Well, I make my own opinions, Mystery," Nari explained. "I know what I had been told about you guys were bad, but in my opinion, you guys aren't so bad. In fact, you guys are nice!"
Mystery stared at her as he slightly gaped. It was hard for Nari to tell what his expression was because of his hair covering half of his face, but from his slightly gaped mouth, she could only guessed that he was probably shocked about calling him nice.
Mystery smiled. "You're nice too."
Then Nari heart footsteps coming their way. Nari turned as she saw both girls and boys walking over to them. Rumi was being slightly annoyed by Jinu, while she was holding two corndogs in her hands and Jinu had one. Zoey and Mira were eating a couple of corndogs in their hands, Abby had a corndog, while Romance had a drink, and Taemin had a single corndog in his hand. Nari's eyes brightened as she saw him. Taemin was wearing a white collared shirt with a plaid pink sweater vest and ripped black jeans. Nari waved at the boys and the boys waved back.
"I see you guys bought tons of corndogs," Nari said.
"They're delicious!" Rumi ate the two corndogs.
"Are you going to go and get one, Nari?" Zoey asked as she ate her corndogs.
Taemin turned and raised a brow. "You three bought two each and didn't bother to get her one?"
Everyone stared at Taemin. Nari noticed Taemin was glaring at the girls with disgust, which was something she was familiar with since Taemin would always glare at the girls like that. However, she noticed everyone was surprised that Taemin spoke up.
"Nari didn't ask," Rumi said.
"You mean when you three ran over there without asking," Taemin pointed out.
Nari opened her mouth and stopped. She had to admit, he was right. It did hurt that she realized what the girls did. The girls glared at Taemin and opened their mouths to protest, but they stopped. They looked each other as they realized that they indeed did that. Even though Nari could've just go over there and get one herself, but she had to stay where she was until the crew arrived. She didn't want her uncle panicking about where they were.
Sighing, Taemin shook his head as he walked over to here. "Here." he handed his tray. "You can have it."
Nari smiled. "Thank you, Baby!"
"Tch! Whatever."
Nari took the tray and carefully pulled out the stick. She use the stick to cut the corndog into three pieces. Even though Taemin had gave it to her, but she still wanted to share it. Nari held out the tray to Taemin and Mystery as she smiled. Taemin rolled his eyes and took a piece, while Mystery gave her a silent nod and took one. Nari ate her last piece, popping it into her mouth. She giggled as she tasted the fried deliciousness of the cheese and hotdog. Jinu, on the other hand let out a sigh. It was like as if he was expecting Taemin to be rude to her.
While everyone was waiting, Nari watched as the girls spoke among each other. The boys did too and Nari was standing between them. Nari looked at her phone, wondering if her uncle had text her. However, in the corner of her eyes, she saw Mystery spoke to Taemin in his ear, which caused Taemin to jab his elbow into Mystery's gut, which caused Mystery to grunted in pain. Then the Saja Boys turned as they stared at the school with awed, which made sense since they probably never saw a modern high school before. The girls, on the other hand was confused on why they were at a high school.
Finally, Bobby and the whole crew arrived as they got out of their respected vehicles. Bobby waved at them and Nari and the girls waved back. The crew was already filming. It looked like they filmed all the way here.
"Hi, Mr. Choi," Jinu greeted. "So why are we at a school?"
Bobby grinned. "Follow me!"
Everyone did as they were told as they followed Bobby. Nari was wondering why they were at a high school for. Was it to interact with the students and staff or was it something else? When they got inside, Nari noticed the Saja Boys were at awed at the school. Nari couldn't help and smiled. She wondered if there were other places that they had never saw before. Then Bobby led them to an empty classroom. The classroom was small and it had twelve desks.
"I feel like I'm back in school again," Mira said.
Rumi nodded. "Me too."
The girls and Boys stood in front of the classroom in a straight line. Nari was in between of the two groups. However, she was glad she was standing next to Taemin, The camera crew were all in the classroom, filming from the back and the sides. Bobby went over to a teacher's desk and took out a bucket with rolled up yellow paper.
"Today, we are going to do a skit!" Bobby announced. "A high school drama! In this bucket are roles you'll be acting in and yes, you'll have to dress up! Show off your acting skills and be in character!"
Bobby took out the rolled up paper, handing it to everyone one by one. Nari got her rolled up paper. Once everyone got their rolled up paper, they all unwrapped it. Nari looked at her role and blinked. She couldn't help and chuckled. In the corner of her eyes, Taemin looked in shock. The girls had a similar expression, while the boys were just nodding to themselves. Nari noticed the crew was giggling to themselves, quietly.
"I got the slow-witted student," Abby said.
"I got the sensitive student you loves literature," Romance held up his paper.
"The intelligent student who always had a book in his hand," Mystery read.
"Hehe," Jinu chuckled. "This is perfect for me! The handsome high school idol!"
"Why do I got the entitled rich chaebol?!" Rumi exclaimed.
Mira sighed. "I got the mean girl."
"Me too," Zoey muttered and turned to Nari. "What do you got, Nari?"
Nari smiled. "I got the male lead who is a cold hearted, but sensitive in the inside."
"What?!" Romance gasped. "That looks like a hard role to do! If you're the male lead...then who is the female lead?"
Everyone turned to the one person who hadn't said a word. All eyes turned to Taemin, who was still holding his paper in shock. He looked frozen. The Saja Boys looked at each other and stared over Taemin's shoulder. Their eyes widened as they started snickering. The girls, on the other hand were curious on what they got. Nari admitted that she was curious too. She reached out and tugged onto Taemin's sweater.
"What did you got, Baby?" Nari asked.
With a defeated sigh, Taemin grumbled. "Tch! The female lead who is a sweet and kind hearted transfer student."
The Saja Boys burst out laughing. Even the girls were giggling to themselves too. In the corner of Nari's eyes, the crew almost laugh as well. Nari smiled. It looked like they both have roles with their opposite personalities. She placed a hand on his shoulder, causing Taemin to look at her.
"It's okay, Baby," Nari said. "I think you'll do great in the role!"
Taemin glanced to the side. "Tch! Whatever."
"Alright everyone, get dressed!" Bobby said. "Your uniforms are in the bathrooms. Baby, you and Nari will have to be separate from the others. The crew will help you put on your uniforms."
Then everyone did as they were told. The girls went into the girls' bathroom, while the boys went into the boys' bathroom. Nari followed one of the female crew members, while Taemin followed Bobby. As Nari went inside a separate classroom, she sat on a chair as the crew helped her to put on a boy's uniform. They even did her makeup and put on a wig on her too. After everything was done, Nari got some hair gel and slicked her wig back. She wanted the appearance of a cold hearted boy. Adjusting her glasses, Nari looked at herself in the mirror. The uniform was a simple Korean high school uniform with a collared white shirt with a black sweater vest, a navy blazer, a navy tie, and black pants. Nari hoped she could pull off the cold-hearted male lead.
"You look cute, Miss Kim," one of the crew members said.
Nari smiled. "Thank you."
Nari walked out of the classroom and headed to her destination. When she got there, she saw in the distance the boys and girls were in their school uniforms. The boys were talking among each other and so were the girls. It looked like everyone was having a deep discussion. While they were talking, Nari saw Mystery walking up to Zoey. He seemed to be asking her something and she smiled and replied back. Mystery made a soft smile and went back to his seat.
Abby and Romance were talking to each other. Romance looked frustrated as he talked to Abby. Maybe about his role. Romance walked over to the bookshelf behind Mira and looked for a book. While he was looking, a book fell on top of his head. Romance yelped and crouch down, rubbing his head. Abby raced over to Romance as he helped him up. Romance picked up the book and read it out loud, questioning the book's content. Nari wasn't sure what was said, but she could only guess. Surprisingly, Mira spoke up. She looked like she was explaining the book. Both Romance and Abby stood there, nodding as they listen to Mira. After Mira explained the book the two bowed to her as a thank you, which surprised her. Then the two went back to their seat.
Nari crossed her arms. She wondered what was being said over there. Then Nari heard footsteps behind her. She turned and blinked. Taemin was there, but he was in a girl's uniform with a shoulder length teal wig. The uniform was similar to the boys, but Taemin had a navy bow on. Taemin's face was red from embarrassment. However, Nari thought that he looked good as a woman. As Taemin's eyes met Nari's, he rubbed his neck.
"Go on, laugh," He said.
Nari's eyes softened. She noticed that Taemin's bow wasn't looking like a bow. The half looked like a bow, while the other half looked like it was pulled apart. She walked up to him and undid his bow and starting to tie it.
"You don't know how to tie a bow?" Nari chuckled.
Taemin scoffed. "Tch! I didn't noticed."
"You look good as a woman," Nari said. "Very beautiful."
Taemin didn't say anything. He just stared at her as Nari finished fixing his bow. After Nari was done, she smiled. Eyes softened, Taemin bend down and rested his forehead on Nar's shoulder. Nari blinked as her cheeks darkened. Then she felt Taemin slipped his hand around her waist, pulling her close. She noticed his ears were bright red.
"Y-You look handsome as a guy," Taemin stammered.
Nari giggled. "Thank you!"
"So, about Jeju Island," Taemin said. "Are you planning to give me a souvenir?"
Nari's eyes softened. "Of course I am. What do you want?"
"I-I d-don't care what you get me..." Taemin whispered very quietly. "a-as long as it's from you."
Nari blinked and giggled some more. Even though she knew Taemin was a prince, but he didn't seemed to be that materialistic. Then again, it was probably how his father raised him. However, Nari knew that whatever she decided to give to Taemin, she knew that it would be from the heart.
"Hey, you two, are you - ," Bobby walked up to them.
Bobby stopped and his eyes widened. Right away, Nari and Taemin broke apart, clearing their throats. Bobby just stared at the two a couple of times. Nari wished the ground would swallow her up. She didn't want her uncle to know she was in love with Taemin, but then again...her uncle finding out was better than her brothers. At least her uncle won't be overly dramatic about it.
"I see you two are ready," Bobby said. "Did you two need any help with your roles?"
"I already have something in mind," Taemin said.
Nari nodded. "Me too!"
Bobby smiled. "Good! Nari, you go in first and then Baby, you'll go when I tell you."
Nari and Taemin nodded. As Nari gave Taemin an encouraging smile, she walked into the classroom. Huntrix and Saja Boys gasped as they saw her. The girls were cooing and the boys were clapping. Nari giggled as she sat at an desk on the left side. The desk had everything, notebooks, pencils, a backpack, water bottles, and there was an umbrella too.
"Nari, you look good as a boy!" Zoey said.
Nari chuckled. "Thanks, Zoey."
"How are you going to play a cold hearted person?" Jinu asked. "You're like the opposite of that!"
Nari smirked. "Don't worry. I have some ideas."
Nari had seen some kdramas about those kinds of guys. Some of them don't get character development, but some do. Besides, a cold hearted person with a heart of gold, Nari knew someone like that and that person was the same one who she loved.
"Alright everyone, get into your roles!" Miss Sung said. "The female lead is coming in!"
Everyone got into position. Mystery put on glasses and had a book in his hand. Romance had a book of poetry, Abby was trying to look dumb, and Jinu was flipping his hair. Rumi had her arms crossed, staring at the front of the classroom, giving her all of her entitled rich girl expression. Mira...she just slouched on her chair, with her feet on her desk and Zoey had a notebook in hand, writing things down. Nari, on the other hand, rested her chin against her hand, being disinterested of the things around her.
The door opened as Taemin walked with the most sweetest smile on his face. Romance and Abby almost coughed as they almost laughed. Even Jinu and Mystery too. Even the girls looked like they were going to laugh. However, they regained their composure as they got into their roles. Mystery, Romance, and Jinu looked at Taemin with awed, while Abby looked dumbstruck. Rumi looked at Taemin from head to toe, Mira sneered, and Zoey pursed her lips.
"Hi," Taemin bowed. "My name is Baby, I'm the new transfer honor student. Please take care of me."
The way Taemin talked was so sweetly. Even the crew was impressed that he got himself emersed in the role. Taemin walked over to where Nari was sitting and sat behind her as he put his backpack down. Taemin even flipped his hair. All of the boys had their eyes on Taemin. Nari opened her notebook as she pretended to write things down. She only writing what to cook for dinner. In the corner of her eyes, she saw Abby, lifting his desk as he moved it next to Taemin's.
"Hey, can I study with you?" Abby asked.
Taemin blinked and chuckled. "Oh no, thank you. I'm fine by myself."
"The exam is in two days!" Abby exclaimed. "I haven't study at all! A synonym...um...a-a word or phrase that has the same or nearly the same meaning! You, Baby, are stunning, gorgeous, and beautiful!"
Abby finished it off with a finer heart. Nari had to admit, he was playing the slow witted student well. Taemin made a polite smile as he brushed his hair behind his ear. For some reason, Nari could tell Taemin was dying inside.
"Thank you," Taemin said. "but I'm not interested. So please, go back to your spot, Abby."
"Oh but - " Abby was about to say.
"Hey Abby!" Mystery spoke up in an authoritative tone. "Go back to your seat, okay?"
Romance and Jinu looked impressed by Mystery's tone, even Zoey, who for some reason was fanning herself. Nari had to admit that she didn't expected the calm and quiet Mystery to use that tone.
Abby nodded. "A-Alright...okay."
Abby did as he was told as he moved his desk back to his spot. Mystery adjusted his glasses as he took a book, pulled a seat, and walked over to Taemin. He put his seat next to his desk and sat down. Taemin looked up with the most innocent expression ever.
"Um...yes, Mystery?" Taemin asked.
"The exam is in two days," Mystery answered. "I'll help you. I'm good at English."
Taemin gasped. "Oh, you are?!"
Mystery nodded. "Yes, I'm pretty good at it."
"So what does that say?" Taemin pointed to the papers.
"Classification," Mystery translated. "It means to categorize." he cleared his throat and took off his glasses. "You know, I haven't been able to concentrate since you arrived. I'll concentrate on you for now on."
Taemin raised a brow. "Um...thank you, but I think we should go back to studying."
Then Nari felt someone tapping on her shoulder. She turned as she saw Taemin leaning over with a shy smile. Nari had to admit, this was so out of character for him, but at the same time, she was impressed that he didn't broke character.
"Excuse me," Taemin said. "Do you have a pencil I could borrow?"
Nari nodded. She took out a pencil and an eraser from her desk, handing it to Taemin. Quickly, Taemin thanked her and Nari just gave him a nod. Everyone was watching what she'll do. Nari noticed in the corner of her eyes, that she had an extra notebook. She took the notebook, turned to Taemin, and placed it on his desk.
"Here," Nari said.
Taemin smiled and giggled. "Oh, thank you!"
Nari scoffed. "Tch! Whatever."
Taemin almost dropped his pencil and blinked. Jinu made a loud gasped, even Romance gasped too. Abby and Mystery were just staring at her. Nari turned back, clearing her throat, trying not to laugh. The girls blinked from what they just heard. The only person Nari knew who fits the "cold hearted and soft in the inside" was Taemin. He does fit the profile and he did had his soft moments when he was with her. So Nari just ended up portraying him.
"So about studying..." Mystery put his glasses on Taemin's head. "You can use my glasses. It will help you. I've been wearing them for twenty-six years."
The Saja Boys, Huntrix, and the crew just looked at Mystery with the most confused look ever. Even Nari couldn't help and look at him with an eyebrow raised. Did he just said he wore glasses for twenty-six years?
Taemin looked at him. "How old are you?"
"Twenty-six."
"So you've been wearing glasses since you were born?"
Mystery nodded hesitantly. "Y-Yes."
Even though Mystery had his hair over his face, but the tone of his voice was a dead give away that he knew he messed up. Sighing, Taemin took off the glasses, handing it back to Mystery.
"I'm sorry, but I like to study by myself, Mystery," Taemin said.
Mystery nodded. "Yes, yes, of course!"
In the corner of Nari's eyes, she saw Mystery going back to his seat. Then Romance got up from his seat as he walked over to Taemin with a book of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in his hands. He was shifting his feet as he smiled sweetly at Taemin.
"Do you mind if I sit here?" Romance asked. "I like to read you some of Shakespeare's work."
Taemin nodded. "Sure."
Romance sat next to him as Taemin pulled a hair behind his ear, ready to listen. Smiling, sweetly, Romance leaned against his chair as he opened the book and begun to read.
" 'Two households, both alike in dignity'," Romance read out loud. " 'In fair Verona where we lay our scene. From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life!' ."
Then Romance stopped and sniffed. Abby was laughing in the background as he looked away. Everyone was watching. Romance put his hands in his pocket and took out eyedrops. Nari raised a brow as she watched Romance spray some of the eyedrops into his eyes like a hose. He sniffed as he took out a tissue, wiping his "crying" face. Even though Taemin was in character, but Nari could see his eye twitched.
" 'Whose misadventures piteous overthrows'," Romance sobbed as he took a water bottle and poured it on his face. " 'Do with their death bury their parents' strife. The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love!' ."
Romance took out a water bottle and poured water on his face as he "cried". Everyone was snickering and laughing as they all tried to hold it in. Romance let out a wailing cry, but Taemin scooted his seat away from him. Wiping his face, Romance went back to his seat as he "sobbed".
"I'm sorry!" Romance cried. "I just love this story! It's true love!"
Then Romance buried his face in his arms as he cried on his desk. The room went silent as Jinu got up form his seat, flipping his hair. Some chuckled at that. Jinu walked over to Taemin as he sat on the chair, putting his feet against Taemin's desk. Taemin raised a brow, giving him a questioning look.
"The mood is down, guess I'll have to fix it," Jinu said. "Hey, new student. Do you know who I am?"
Taemin shook his head, innocently. "No."
Jinu chuckled and cupped Taemin's chin. "The name's Jinu. I am world wide handsome. Do you want to hang out with me after school?"
"No."
Jinu blinked a few times. It was like as if he was expecting a different answer. Jinu straightened his blazer as he got up from the chair. He even pushed the chair away too. He placed a hand on Taemin's desk, giving him a dazzling smile.
"You sure?" he questioned. "I can teach you some of my dance moves."
Before Taemin could say anything, Jinu started dancing. It looked like he was recreating the Michael Jackson dance, with moonwalk and everything. All of the students, except for Nari clapped and cheered. Taemin sighed and pinched his temples. Nari wasn't sure if he was acting or just being fed up with the skit.
"I can show you my acting skills!" Jinu said.
"Oh, that's okay," Taemin chuckled nervously. "You don't need to."
However, Jinu sat on Romance's desk and closed his eyes. Everyone watched eagerly what he was going to portray as acting. Then Jinu's eyes opened as he slowly made a terrified face.
"AAHHHH!" Jinu screamed. "AAAAHHHHH! AAAAHHHHH!"
Abby almost burst out laughing as he turned away. Romance was staring with awed and Mystery was clearing his throat, trying not to laugh. Rumi had a hand over her mouth. Nari could see she was cracking a smile. Zoey was giggling and Mira had an eyebrow raised. It looked like Mira was questioning Jinu's choices. The crew behind them were laughing too. Even the ones watching from outside of the classroom were laughing.
"AAAAHHHHH!!!!" Jinu hollered. "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
After Jinu stopped screaming for a minute, he flipped his hair as he leaned on Taemin's desk, giving him a dashing smile. The only thing Taemin did was to smile kindly, but Nari could see him clenching his fist. It looked like Taemin was one step away wanting to smack someone.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not interested," Taemin said.
Jinu chuckled. "Well, I'm always here if you need me, little butterfly."
Taemin made a face as Jinu walked back to his seat. It looked like Taemin did broke character for a bit, Then Nari saw Rumi got up from her seat. She walked over to Taemin, swaying her hips. It looked like she was trying to portray an entitled chaebol. As she got to Taemin, she slammed her hand onto his desk, causing him to jump. Everyone watched and whispered among each other.
"I see all of the guys are looking at you," Rumi sneered. "but you're not much to look at."
Taemin blinked. "Okay."
Rumi growled. "And you're poor too. As if anyone here would want to date you. You're just a nobody. Unlike me."
Rumi flipped her braid as Mira and Zoey walked up to Taemin from the behind. Taemin turned and he pursed his lips. Then Mira pulled Taemin's hair, causing him to yelp, while Zoey snickered as she took Taemin's notebook, looking through it.
"Remember your place here," Mira placing a hand on Taemin's shoulder, squeezing it. "or you'll regret it!"
Zoey nodded. "Yeah, and you're an honor student? You wrote nothing down! Unlike you, at least I wrote all of my notes down."
"Look, I'm trying to study," Taemin said. "Can you please leave me alone?"
Zoey tossed the notebook to Mira and Mira ripped it in half with ease. It was like as if she was peeling fruit. Nari blinked as she saw Mira tossed the ripped notebook over her shoulder and wiped her hands as she chuckled.
"Looks like you can't study now," Rumi sneered. "I bet you can't afford a notebook."
"I don't care," Taemin said. "You know, with all of the clothes and makeup, you really are an ugly person."
Everyone gasped, even Rumi as well. It was like she never expected something Taemin would say. Even Mira and Zoey winced at that comment. Rumi gnashed her and grabbed a fistful of Taemin's hair. Surprisingly, the wig stayed in place. Taemin grunted as Rumi let go, pushing him back. Taemin almost fell off of his chair, but he quickly regain his balance.
"You little bitch!" Rumi snapped.
As Rumi raised her hand, Nari didn't know what came over her. Nari got up from her seat and grabbed Rumi's wrist. Gasping, Rumi turned as she saw Nari glaring at her. Mira and Zoey were looking at Nari with shock and so was everyone else. Even Taemin. It was like they didn't expected her to do something.
"Hey, some people are trying to study," Nari said. "Get lost."
Rumi was about to say something, stopped, and nodded. She, Mira, and Zoey went back to their seats. The whole room went quiet as Nari sighed and shook her head. Then Abby stood up from his seat as he looked through the window. He gasped, pointing at the window.
"Hey, the other classroom has a new transfer student!" Abby shouted.
At once, everyone gathered their belongings as they ran out of the classroom, leaving only Taemin and Nari. Taemin sighed and shook his head and Nari sat back at her seat. In the corner of Nari's eyes, she saw both the girls and boys taking a peak from the outside, wondering about how long the skit was going to take.
"Why are you the only normal student here?" Taemin asked.
"Tch," Nari huffed. "You get used to it."
Taemin smiled. "Thank you for helping me."
Nari rolled her eyes. "I only wanted Ryu, Kang, and Min to stop, but..." she rubbed her neck. "I guess you're tolerable."
"Thank you!"
"That wasn't a compliment!"
Suddenly, the bell rang. As if on cue, both Saja Boys and Huntrix ran down the halls, cheering that school was out. Nari cleared her throat, trying not to laugh. Taemin, on the other hand looked like he was done. However, the two groups peaked from the windows, watching the skit continued. Nari looked outside and saw it was raining. Taemin stood up form his seat and grabbed his backpack. Nari did the same. As she held her backpack, Taemin held out a closed umbrella.
"Here," Taemin said. "You can borrow my umbrella."
Nari stared at him. "You don't need to do that for me. I don't see why you have to."
Then Taemin walked up to her and put the umbrella in her hands. Even though they were just acting, Nari couldn't help and feel her chest pounded as her cheeks went pink. For some reason this reminded her when she gave Taemin her umbrella.
"There's no reason to!" Taemin smiled. "I just want to."
Nari glanced to the side. "Tch! Fine! I'll take it. I don't like to get wet anyway."
Taemin giggled. "Of course! Anyway, it was nice meeting you!"
As Taemin turned around, he started walking over to the door. Nari reached out and pulled on his blazer, causing Taemin to stop. He turned around, giving her a soft smile.
"Is there something wrong?" Taemin asked.
Nari pursed her lips as her shoulders tensed up. "I-I'll walk you out of the school. The last thing I need is Ryu, Kang, and Min make a fuss."
Taemin's eyes softened. "Thank you, for worrying about me."
Nari rubbed her neck as she blushed darker. The two took their belongings as they walked out of the classroom, closing the door behind them. At that moment, Nari and Taemin knew the skit ended. The two let out a sigh. Nari giggled and Taemin just rolled his eyes. Nari couldn't believe she was able to act like Taemin the whole entire time. She had to admit, it was fun. However, she couldn't help and noticed if he was acting like her.
"Fantastic!" Miss Sun exclaimed. "It looks like we were watching a real kdrama! Good job, Baby, Miss Kim!"
"I love the chemistry!" a crew member said. "It felt so real!"
"Alright, everyone, you guys need to go back into the classroom," Miss Sung said. "Talk to the camera about your experienced and end the second episode."
Everyone nodded as they did as they were told. Nari, Huntrix, and Saja Boys went back into the classroom in costume. Like before, Nari was in between the girls and boys. The crew was filming them, waiting for them to say something. At once, everyone started clapping from the finished skit.
"That was fun!" Zoey said.
Mira crossed her arms. "It was interesting."
"I learned a lot about acting," Abby said. "It's hard to stay in character."
"By the way, how was it being a lady and a man?" Jinu asked Taemin and Nari.
Taemin shrugged. "It could've been worst."
"It was fun!" Nari smiled. "I never acted before, so I hoped I pulled it off."
"I will admit, your performance as a cold hearted guy was really good," Romance said.
"You did well, Nari," Mystery nodded.
"At least you had an easy role, Nari," Rumi mumbled. "I had a hard one."
"I think you did well," Jinu rubbed his neck.
Rumi glanced to the side. "Oh...th-thanks."
"Anyway, that's it for Run Huntrix x Saja Boys!" Zoey announced.
"See you in the next episode!" everyone shouted.
"And cut!" Miss Sung said. "Good job guys! Everyone, go and change back. I'm glad we got a lot of good content today!"
"Oh yeah, we did!" one of the crew members chuckled.
A crew member smirked at Bobby, who her uncle just shook his head and pinched his temples, muttering something under his breath. Then everyone split up as they went to the bathroom. Nari went back to the classroom where all of her belongings were. She changed out of her boy's uniform, the wig, and everything as she changed back to her into her usual clothes. She even adjusted her makeup a bit too. After she was done, Nari walked out of the classroom and stopped. Taemin was there waiting for her. He was back to his usual clothes. He was looking down with his arms crossed. As he looked up, he let out a sigh.
"Hey, Nari," Taemin greeted. "There's something I need to tell you."
Nari frowned. "What is it?"
"Let me take you somewhere private."
Taemin held out his hand. Nari didn't know what was going on or what he needed to tell her, but she knew it was probably something important. If Rumi, Mira, and Zoey were with her, they would tell her not to trust him, but the thing was that Nari did. Taemin proved to her that he could be trusted and everything that had happened with the two of them, Nari trust him. Without hesitation, Nari took his hand as pink smoke consumed them.
~OoO~
Taemin teleported Nari to the school rooftop. He would've took her to his apartment, but he didn't want to risk explaining his friends why he brought Nari. He didn't want Jinu to think that he had kidnapped her. Besides, after careful thinking, Taemin knew he needed to tell her about the hunters and how they didn't put a barrier on her until he told them to. She had the right to know and Taemin didn't want to keep secrets from her. Ironically, he was keeping secrets about his past and everything else he was finding out, but Taemin knew they he would need to tell her. He just didn't know when is the right time.
"So what do you want to talk about?" Nari asked as she sat on a bench.
Taemin sat next to her. "Remember we went to your friend's cafe and we talked about if the hunters put any protections on you?"
Nari nodded. "Yeah, why?"
Sighing, Taemin looked at her. "After we ate at the cafe, I went to see the hunters."
Nari blinked in disbelief. "You did?"
"Yes."
Then Taemin started to explain to Nari what had happened after he went to see the hunters. He told her everything. He told her about how he taunted them, questioned them, how he was saying things like how they took Nari for granted. While Taemin was explaining everything, he watched Nari's expression. Even when he got to the topic about how they didn't put any protection on her until he said something. Her mouth was quivering and her eyes looked hurt. Taemin hated seeing her like this, but he needed to tell her. Nari had the right to know.
After he finished, Taemin waited for Nari to say something. Nari held her hands together as she looked down. He was tempted to give her a hug, but he wanted to hear from her first.
"Do I have any protection on me, now?" Nari asked.
Taemin nodded. "You do. They use the Honmoon to create a shield on you, but since it's from the Honmoon..."
"If the Honmoon gets weakened, so does the shield," Nari finished.
"That's right."
"Thank you for tell me this, Taemin."
Taemin looked at her. Nari had a soft, but understanding smile. He thought that she would get mad at him for butting in and didn't want to see him again, but instead, she wasn't.
"You're not mad?" Taemin questioned.
Nari frowned. "Why would I be? You told me and that's all it matters. Besides..." she smiled painfully. "I should be the one sorry. I made you worry."
Taemin looked at Nari with wide eyes. She was apologizing for that? Taemin knew that she shouldn't be apologizing. It wasn't Nari's fault that she couldn't protect herself from demons. Besides, there were things Taemin wasn't telling her. Like about his past, why he and his friends were in the human world, how Gwi-Ma was interested on eating her soul after Jinu's plan fully worked, how he found notes on how to protect humans by Dae-hyeon - Gwi-Ma's dead son, and how he needed to find a necklace for her to use for protection.
"You don't need to be sorry about anything, Nari," Then Taemin whispered hoarsely. "I haven't told you everything. There's so many things I didn't tell you. My past, why we're taking souls, - "
Before Taemin could finish, Nari hugged him. Taemin's eyes widened as he froze. Nari's arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him close. Eyes softened, Taemin hugged her back, holding her tightly. They stayed like this for a while and the two pulled apart. Nari gave him a smile and patted his head.
"It's okay," Nari assured him. "I understand. I know there are things I can't know. Good and bad. I can only guess, but I will wait. I don't want to force you to tell me, Taemin. I want you to tell me when you're ready."
"Are you okay for not knowing?" Taemin questioned.
"You have a good reason, right?" Nari guessed. "Whatever the reason is and when you tell me, I will understand why you kept it from me. I trust you, Taemin."
Taemin blinked as Nari stopped patting his head and slipped her hand on his cheek. With a soft sigh, Taemin leaned against her touch and placed his hand over hers. How could a human like Nari be so understanding? Even when she was aware that he was keeping things from her, but she understood.
"Thank you, Nari," Taemin said.
Nari smiled. "You're welcome, Taemin."
"What about the hunters?" Taemin questioned.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed," Nari answered. "They really did took me for granted, didn't they?"
Taemin opened his mouth, but stopped. Instead, he just bowed his head. He could tell that Nari knew what the answer was. As much as he didn't like the hunters, he knew that Nari cared about them and the only thing she asked was to spend time with them and that was it. Nothing more and nothing else. Instead, they just leave her out and didn't even bothered to put any protection on her after finding out that demons exist!
"What are you going to do?" Taemin asked.
"After hearing everything and what people had been telling me," Nari replied. "I will tell them when I have time. With all of the filming, promoting, housekeeping, and personal projects, I have my hands full at the moment."
Taemin nodded. "If you need me to be there with you, I will."
"Thank you, Taemin and thank you for worrying about me."
"I can't help it, when it's about you."
The two hugged again and this time, the hug lasted longer. Taemin held Nari tightly as if she was going to disappear. He knew that he needed to get a necklace for her and use it for her protection. Taemin has time. The Honmoon wasn't weakened yet. The barrier was still around her. Maybe he could borrow Derpy and Sussie to watch over Nari for him. Sure, Jinu might be suspicious, but it was better than him telling Jinu what was going on and have Gwi-Ma finding out.
As they let go, Taemin stood up and held out his hand. After what he told Nari, Taemin wanted to make her feel better. He didn't want to see her sad anymore and luckily, he knew how to make her feel better.
"Let's get some cake," Taemin said. "My treat."
Nari blinked and smiled brightly. "Okay!"
Taemin couldn't help and smiled back. Nari took his hand as he gently pulled her off of the bench. Then pink smoke wrapped around them as Taemin teleported to Nari's favorite bakery.
~OoO~
Celine was doing her usual paperwork. While she was doing her paperwork, she thought how the filming was doing. She was sure that her hunters were giving it their all. Celine knew her hunters could get their fans back and getting more fans in the process. Celine had to admit, the fans were like sheep. Always going one idol to another. She had noticed this during her time in her idol years. However, she knew those fans were loyal, but from her time in the industry, one wrong move could cause backlash among the fans.
Then Celine heard some footsteps coming her way. Before she could react, Rumi, Mira, and Zoey burst through the door. Celine's eyes softened as she saw her hunters - her perfect idols. Like always they radiate a unique beauty.
Celine smiled. "Oh, hello girls."
"Hi, Celine!" the girls spoke in unison.
"How was filming?" Celine asked.
"It was fun!" Zoey exclaimed. "We went to a high school!"
Mira nodded. "We had roles."
Rumi chuckled. "We were mean girls and Nari was the male lead. It was fun!"
Celine almost clenched her fist when that girl - the outsider was mentioned. Celine kept her composure calm as possible. She didn't want her hunters to know she greatly dislike that girl. Celine was sure she told that girl to stay in her place. Then again, director and staff did planned the day. Maybe she could forgive it this time.
"Oh?" Celine asked. "Why didn't you girls fought for the main leads? You girls have the talent for it."
"It's just a skit, Celine," Mira answered. "Besides, it was fun portraying mean girls."
Zoey nodded. "Yeah! It was hard, but I like the challenge."
"Besides," Rumi said. "The fans will like the episode anyway! So that what matters!"
Celine chuckled. It seemed filming did went well. She did questioned about the girl, but Celine knew that if she did questioned the girl's involvement, she knew that her hunters wouldn't like it. The last thing Celine wanted was her hunters arguing with her.
"Well, I'm glad you girls had fun," Celine said. "but I have paperwork to do."
Rumi nodded. "Okay!" she turned to Mira and Zoey. "I'll meet you guys downstairs."
With that, Mira and Zoey nodded. They waved at Celine and said their goodbyes as they headed out of the door. Celine frowned, wondering what Rumi wanted to talk to her about.
"Is there something wrong, Rumi?" Celine asked.
Rumi let out a sigh. "I-I ever since we launched Golden, Mira and Zoey questioned why we're doing it so early. They haven't asked me about it since that day, but...Celine, I think I need to tell them about me - about my patterns."
This again, Celine thought. It wasn't the first time that Rumi had wanted to show Mira and Zoey her patterns. The first time was when her hunters met for the first time, the second was asking Mira and Zoey wanted Rumi to go to the bathhouse with them, and now this was the third. Celine thought she made it clear to Rumi.
"Rumi, I know you want to tell them," Celine said. "but Mira and Zoey won't understand. It's best not to tell them. Even after the Honmoon turns gold."
Rumi nodded. "Then...can I tell Nari?"
Celine pursed her lips. "Oh her? Why? Rumi...she won't understand either."
Rumi blinked. "But - "
"Rumi," Celine placed both hands on her shoulders. "Nari just found out about hunters and demons. I know she may seemed to understand the things around her, but in reality, she won't understand, just like Mira and Zoey. It's best to keep it quiet about your patterns."
Rumi sighed. "Okay."
Celine hugged her. "You know I love you, right?"
"I know." Rumi hugged her back.
As they broke apart, Rumi smiled at her - Mi-yeong's smile. Then Rumi walked out of her office. Celine sat back at her desk, hearing Rumi's footsteps fading away. She made a quick text to Miss Sung. Celine leaned back against her chair, and crossed her arms. Hearing about that girl - Kim Nari from her hunters' mouths made Celine irritated. Celine had to hide her annoyance from her hunters. In fact, Celine knew it was her fault for not reading the papers correctly. She still wasn't happy how a plain girl like Kim Nari would be noticed by the fans and how there was a demand to have her in the new specials. As much as Celine did considered removing her and firing her, but Celine knew it won't go in her favor.
Public backlash would be a problem. Not just the fans, but from everyone involved. From looking into Nari's three years of working here, like Choi Bobby, Nari was respected in the company. She actually did her work correctly and does a good job at it too. Not only that as a housekeeper, she made homemade food for her hunters. Speaking of her hunters, they too respect Nari and love her food. Knowing her hunters, they would be most likely to protest about it, even Bobby.
The fans of Huntrix would show support for Nari, since the large fanbase was already aware of her, but it could cause her hunters to loose the fans, have distrust on her company and her hunters. The fans would go over to those demons. Not something her hunters would want either. Not only that, but rumors could start that her company would only allow star-level power and not unknowns.
Also there was a chance that Nari would speak out against her, which could lead to Celine having her reputation to go down. Something that Celine didn't want. She build her reputation and she didn't want a mundane, unremarkable girl to ruin that. Not only that, but there could be potential leaks too. Even though it had never happened in her company, but if Celine wasn't careful, leaks could go out or the staff could speak out for Nari.
If Celine fired Nari, it would lead to a lawsuit of wrongful termination. Celine knew if she did that, it would cause problems for her, since Nari never did nothing wrong to get fired. She knew Bobby's former group went onto having mundane jobs. A couple of them just happened to be a lawyer and the chief. She could make it up, but that would also get her in trouble and ruin her reputation, which was something she didn't want.
However, as much as Celine didn't like how a unremarkable girl could be noticed by her hunter's large fanbase, Celine knew deep down, she wanted to keep Nari for a few personal reasons...
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Come in!" Celine called.
"You want to see me, Miss Jeong?" Miss Sung asked.
Celine smiled. "Yes, I just wanted to know how was the filming? Did you capture everything of the Huntrix?"
Miss Sung nodded excitedly. "Oh yes, it went great! We got a lot of footage!"
"What about Miss Kim? Was there footage of her?"
"Most of the footage was her with Huntrix and Saja Boys. We barely had any induvial footage of her. Overall, we mostly have Huntrix and Saja Boys footage. Miss Jeong, you know that is the plan for the T.V. specials."
Celine chuckled. "I know, I just want to make sure."
"Do you want to see the footage?"
"No, thank you, Miss Sung. There's no need. As long as everything goes smoothly, then there's no need for me to watch it. You may go now."
Nodding, Miss Sung walked out of her office. Celine let out a sigh. Good. So Nari was telling the truth. Celine should've expected the footage be more about her hunters and those demons, but she just wanted to make sure. However...
Celine looked at her desk drawer and pulled it. She took out a photo from over twenty-five years ago. On the picture was her, Yeon-hwa, and Mi-yeong. Celine couldn't help it and looked at the photo of Mi-yeong with angry sneer.
That girl does remind her of Mi-yeong, by personality and the way they think. Of course Mi-yeong was beautiful. She was like star in the night. Nari, on the other hand was a plain lily who could never shine. Mi-yeong was a prodigy and her skills as a hunter was very perfect. Her voice was amazing and powerful too. However, Mi-yeong...her best friend...was a traitor. She fell in love with a demon - a demon with strange colored patterns, had that demon's child and tried to turn the golden Honmoon into...
Growling, Celine shoved the photo back into her drawer and slammed it shut. Celine let out a sigh, trying to calm herself down. Another reason why she refused to fire Nari was because that girl has the potential to make the same mistakes as Mi-yeong.
An outsider of all people!
Kim Nari was unremarkable in looks and abilities. No talent, accept for cooking. However, her personality and what she told her if given the chance to be a hunter...was too similar to Mi-yeong. Celine remembered how she was patient with Mi-yeong when she started to see demons differently. She was kind to Mi-yeong and told her everything what she thought, but that wasn't enough and Mi-yeong paid the price and Yeon-Hwa went off grid.
Celine wanted to prove herself that she had a hold on Kim Nari - a hold on that outsider. Not just any outsider, but an outsider that was similar to Mi-yeong. It was like as if Mi-yeong was mocking her from the grave. Celine knew she needed to have a hold of that girl. To force her ideals onto her. To have the girl rely on her hunters and make her feel like she could only depend on her hunters alone to protect her. Not only that, but to install her that being kind is a flaw and so was falling in love with a demon. Celine failed to have a hold on Mi-yeong, but for Nari - it wasn't too late. The girl is twenty-one years old, barely an adult. She knew nothing and Celine knew that if she was able to get a hold on Nari, then she succeeded.
Celine knew she was harsh and cruel to Nari, but it was the truth. Mi-yeong never listen after she was kindly patient to her, so Celine had to be harsh on Nari. Since Celine was able to convince Rumi to hide her patterns and install her ideals onto Rumi, Mira, and Zoey, then she could do the same to Nari. Celine worked too hard to raise Rumi and to make sure that Rumi wasn't like her traitorous mother. Of course Celine would never say that to Rumi's face, but at the same time she only wanted to keep the good things about Mi-yeong alive in Rumi.
Besides, from that talk, Celine could tell she came through to the girl. The way the girl looked at her with fear of realization that she was right. Celine couldn't help and be proud of herself. However, if Nari did tried to meddle and do what Mi-yeong did, Celine knew the girl was hopeless. Unlike Nari, Mi-yeong had resources, knowledge of the history of hunters, spiritually connected to the Honmoon, and knew where to find people. Nari, doesn't. So Celine wasn't too worry about it. Nari wouldn't know where to start anyway. She wouldn't get that far. She probably wouldn't know about the Honmoon Mi-yeong tried to do. Nari would fail anyway. The Honmoon would be gold, and those Saja Boys would go back into the demon realm where they belong.
So Celine had nothing to worry about. When the Honmoon turns gold, one of her hunters will be a sacrifice to it. Besides, Mira and Zoey would understand. They always do. As long as her hunters don't know about that Honmoon. Everything will be fine. It's for the best.