One moment — just one good, adrenaline-fueled moment — Jinu and his band were tearing barefoot through a haze of steam, the scent of soap and hot mineral water thick in the air, the sound of startled gasps trailing behind them as they stumbled over towels and overturned buckets. A few elderly bathhouse patrons shouted in protest, their serene day of relaxation ruined by the chaos of demons and the hunters who, apparently, really, really wanted the band dead.

And then, mid-stride, something stopped him cold.

The crowd of hunters blurred into white noise, their weapons flashing in the mist — but one of them, just ahead, caught his eye. Not for their aim, not for their stance, but for the faint, unmistakable shimmer along their skin. His smirk faltered. He slowed, boots skidding wetly against the tiled floor. "Huh…?" The sound left him before he could think. There it was — curling up their arms like living ink, those same jagged, pulsing purple marks that ran beneath his own skin. It was impossible. It was wrong. And yet…

Over the chaos, he could hear the shouts of their comrades, voices raw with urgency, calling for them. Begging for help against the demons they’d spawned. He caught the flicker of panic in their eyes, the frantic way they tried to tug their sleeve down, to hide the rippling glow that betrayed them. The blocked door behind them rattled violently, wood groaning under the pounding from the other side. In that single, razor-thin moment of decision, Jinu didn’t think — he moved.

With a burst of speed, he crossed the gap, slamming into them with enough force to knock the breath from their lungs. His arms wrapped around them in one swift motion, pulling their body against his chest, broad and solid, shielding them from the view of anyone who might see. And for the briefest, strangest heartbeat, the world went still. Steam curled between them like a veil, and through it, his gaze found theirs. The marks under his skin seemed to hum in recognition, and the weight of that shared truth pressed down harder than the hunters outside ever could.