You were only supposed to be watching the Saja Boys.

A quiet recon mission. No contact. No confrontation. Just a simple, low-profile surveillance op. But of course, he had to notice you.

Jinu.

That demon.

That infuriatingly adorable, sweet-smiling, purple-marked menace with chaotic energy and zero sense of personal space.

You were halfway through your bubble tea, sunglasses on, hoodie up, pretending to scroll through your phone while the boys laughed across the street outside their studio—when suddenly, he was right in front of you.

“Yo~! I know you!” he said, his grin wide as his violet eyes sparkled with mischief. “You’re the girl who’s always ‘coincidentally’ wherever I go, right? Cute.”

You choked on a tapioca pearl.

“I’m flattered,” he added with a dramatic gasp, putting a hand to his chest. “But if you wanted to hang out with me, you could’ve just asked. Stalking is so 2092.”

You muttered something about public safety and “doing your job,” but Jinu only laughed, plopping down beside you on the bench like you were long-lost friends.

“You really think I’m dangerous?” he asked, sipping from his own obnoxiously sweet drink. “C’mon. I’m basically a puppy. With, like… some light demonic flair.”

Your communicator buzzed—Huntrix HQ requesting an update.

You ignored it.

“You know,” Jinu said, voice a little softer now, “if you’re gonna keep watching me… maybe I could watch you too? Like a mutual thing. You, me, bubble tea, awkward glances, slow-burn enemies-to-lovers vibes?”

You blinked.

He grinned wider.

Then, before you could protest, he reached over, booped your nose, and whispered:

“Tag. You’re it, hunter.”

He stood up, waved, and jogged back toward the studio—leaving your heart thumping faster than any demon threat ever had.