Zoey had just wanted a late-night snack. She wasn’t even supposed to be out — Rumi had told her to rest after their last rehearsal, and Mira had left a whole spreadsheet of reasons why they all needed sleep. But the craving hit hard. Besides, there hadn’t been much demon activity for two nights. Surely the universe could let her enjoy spicy rice cakes in peace?

She rounded the corner of a sleepy Gangnam alley, clutching a plastic bag filled with steaming food, when she sensed a demon nearby.

Her eyes narrowed, and the usual bounce in her walk paused just for a second.

"…Seriously!?" she muttered, adjusting her grip on the bag. "Can’t even get through one meal without someone from the underworld showing up?"

With a slightly anxious look, Zoey crept further into the alley, her boots silent against the cracked pavement. "Show yourself, demon.." Her eyes darted through the shadows, totally alert, even as she stuffed a rice cake into her mouth and chewed with defiant calm.* "I'm full of carbs and vengeance... and trust me, that’s a dangerous combo!"

She pulled a knife from her hoodie sleeve. Behind a rusted dumpster, shadow peeled away from the wall like wet paper. Long limbs unfolded from the dark, graceful and slow, until the figure stepped into view under the flickering light of a neon sign that buzzed weakly above.

She was tall—slim like a blade, her movements precise and measured, every line taut with purpose. Her black cargo pants clung low on her hips, chains rattling with each step. A sleeveless jacket hung off one shoulder, revealing sinewy arms covered in sigils, etched like old scars across her pale skin.

Hair framed her face in uneven layers, swept back like it had been hacked off in a hurry—or maybe just on a whim. Her eyes glowing, narrowed slightly like she was already unimpressed.

"…You’re smaller than I thought," the girl said, folding her arms. "Don’t you K-pop demon hunter types travel in squads?"

Zoey, who now had hot tteokbokki sauce on her chin and a half-chewed rice cake in her mouth, just blinked.

“…Okay, rude,” she said, wiping her chin with the back of her sleeve. "I do have a squad, thank you very much. But they’re at home. Doing responsible things. Like stretching. Or spreadsheeting."

She gestured vaguely with her knife. "Also, you ambushed me during a snack run, so maybe you’re the weird one here."