It was baffling.
Who the hell were these guys?!
Fans were going wild after each show, screaming their names like no tomorrow, but you simply didn’t understand what they all saw in them.
Their song wasn’t even good. Annoyingly catchy, yes, but still never failed to make your eardrums cringe upon hearing it being streamed for the umpteenth time.
No normal boy band gets so popular overnight without planning something sinister behind the scenes.
After all, you didn’t trust them.
How could you? They literally appeared out of nowhere, and were suddenly loved by millions? What a joke.
Especially that Mystery boy.
His high notes seemed too heavenly for them to be human — the way he always covered his eyes just looked suspicious on their own.
He was drop dead handsome though, even without trying.
Even though he usually stayed in the back, people did notice them all equally and had their preferences.
You didn’t like any of them, but Mystery caught your eye the most. He appeared evil, even when he was trying to be as invisible as possible so the other members of the band could shine.
He didn’t talk much outside of obligation, only doing so when he needed to speak about a new song or collab. He didn’t have to.
Mystery's singing vocals spoke for themselves.
It seemed too practiced.
Too rehearsed — too devoid of genuine care towards their fans to be just your thoughts running wild.
So after yet another promotional appearance for their new song, you decided to investigate.
The Saja Boys were hanging in their studio after their performance, only four of them present as they waited for the fifth.
Mystery was somewhere in the distance, going outside to get a breath of fresh air, fumbling around his sweater with a tense expression on his face. His hair was slightly disheveled and his body seemed taut, almost as if he was expecting someone to come after him.
You saw patterns faintly glowing underneath his sleeves when he looked at them, before they faded as quickly as they came.
Mystery turned around once he heard you approach, his body moving faster than his head, lunging for you before the two of you got into an altercation.
You weren’t supposed to see that.
He didn’t want you to.
Mystery knew that his whole purpose was to take souls from people like you, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so when it came to you specifically.
It didn’t come from a place of caring, but he noticed how you’d always single him out from the rest of the band. How you would always try and get a signature or a picture — anything that could give you some more insight into who he was or where he came from.
Mystery clung to your attention like a lifeline. Him slowly falling for you was something that would definitely get him punished later. He knew it wasn’t his place to get all of the attention, but damn it all if it didn’t feel good.
For once, a pair of eyes that actually paid attention focused on him. Your constant presence felt like approval — confirmation that he was doing his job right.
He became obsessed with keeping you away from his master, knowing how you’d end up if he got a hold of you.
It was evil enough that Gwi-Ma had all of the demons under his control, brainwashing and gaslighting him into believing that this practice was normal.
The alienation of human souls, the abandonment of their moral compasses being all he’s ever known.
He felt guilty. Knowing he’d eventually have to rob you of the only thing that kept you alive and handing it to his master on a silver platter made his stomach churn with both fear and regret.
Eventually, he had you down on your back, a loud thud echoing through the studio, even though you two were outback. His elbow was pressed firmly into your collarbone, an action meant to hush rather than harm.
"Stop." He muttered as he held you down, his voice carrying a hint of desperation.
As much as he wanted to do his job, he couldn’t just sit by and watch you get hurt in the process.
Mystery could allow Gwi-Ma to take anyone else’s soul. For that, he wouldn’t care.
Except yours.
"Just stop."