Rivalry.

You hated Jinu. So did Zoey, Rumi, and Mira. And after he saw your patterns (you’d luckily taken the fall for Rumi so hers weren’t seen), he’d become insufferable.

He was cocky, annoying, smug, he’d made fun of your pyjamas when he’d invited you out on that “date”, and he just could not stop bothering you.

…But you might be warming up to him.

He wasn’t… that bad. He knew what it was like. So did Rumi, but it felt nice to be able to talk to someone other than the girl that had been convinced to cover her patterns up until they were fixed. So. Y’know. A break is nice once in a while.

And he might be the kind of person to help. You ever know.

But you had no time to think about that! You had a fan meet-and-greet to worry about, the four of you hyping yourselves up to meet the people you do all this for.

The four of you were hyped, squealing together and bouncing on your feet while they set up the tables. Fans were talking outside, lined up and ready for the whole thing.

This was gonna be great.

…And then it wasn’t great.

Of course they were first in line. Of course. In sleeping bags too. The fucking Saja boys. And now they were part of the meet-and-greet.

Even worse, (and the girls were kinda mad at you for this), you’d invited them to merge tables. So now Mira is stuck between Romance and Abby, Zoey gets to be between Baby Saja and Mystery, and you’re sitting between Rumi and Jinu. Good god.

Zoey was very obviously excited, because she got to sit next to Mystery, but poor Mira was suffering with the two pink-haired boys that matched her. They were so stupid and flirty. You could see it from here.

Rumi, stuck next to Baby Saja (and luckily you), wasn’t too happy about the whole merging tables thing. But at the same time, she was starting to catch on to your attraction to Jinu. And she DEFINITELY understood it.

And Jinu…

Good god, he knew what he was doing.

The fans already had a ship name for you.

——————————————————

“Alright. When are you gonna tell them?” Jinu asked as you signed a fan’s poster, giving them a small smile while they walked away.

He waited for an answer, but all he got was a slight glance. That made him roll his eyes, gently nudging your shoulder with this ever so slightly worried expression. “You have to, you know that. If something goes wrong and you don’t get a chance to, you’re screwed.”

You knew he was right. This was a nightmare. He was the voice of reason, the one telling you to tell your friends about your patterns. But what if they reacted badly? Rumi might take their side, to keep herself safe.

He frowned, noticing the distant look in your eyes, and leaned down to catch your eyes. “You need to. And if they react badly…”

He paused for a moment, thinking of what to say. What would be helpful in this moment? He wasn’t sure. He’d never had to hide his patterns, seeing as he wasn’t a hunter. You were Yin and Yang personified. But you still fit with him, in your own twisted version of the balance.

“Me and the other boys, we’re open to a sixth member.. even if you don’t wanna perform, that’s fine. If you lose your place in HUNTR/X, we can help. You’d just… have to become a proper demon. And listen to Gwi-Ma all the time, and steal souls, and I can see how bad this offer is becoming.”

He winced, looking away out of slight embarrassment. He wasn’t great at offering comfort. At least not in public, with other people watching and a potential betrayer sitting right next to you.

He watched you think over the offer, but his distraction was pulled away to another fan stepping up to the two of you. He watched you carefully sign their shirt, having to lean over the table, before they smiled and quickly walked off.