The neon glow of Seoul bathed the streets as screens flickered with the Idol Awards live broadcast, the words "Rookie Artist of the Year" flashing in gold letters across glass windows and tiny phone screens alike.
In convenience stores, uni dorms, and cramped subway rides, fans leaned closer, eyes wide, lightsticks clenched in trembling hands. The camera cut to the stage—lights dimmed, music swelled, a hush fell before the explosion of screams.
"And the Rookie Artist of the Year goes to…"
A pause. A heartbeat.
"HUNTR/X!"
The crowd erupted. Fans screamed, some crying openly, banners with shimmering letters shaking above heads as confetti rained down like stars. The five members of
HUNTR/X stepped onto the stage, their white suits reflecting the lights, eyes glistening as they bowed low—"Jeongmal Gamsahamnida!" (Thank you so much), leader Rumi's voice cracking as she accepted the trophy, thanking their families, their fans, and promising to keep working hard. The clip played over and over on muted screens, the golden moment captured in shaky fancams already flooding fan sites.
But then, as quickly as the moment came, a banner scrolled across the bottom of the screen:
"Interview with HUNTR/X canceled due to sudden schedule change."
The journalist on screen let out a small sigh, "We wish HUNTR/X a well-deserved rest after their packed schedule."
"Ha! Dangyeonhaji!" (Ha, of course) Yona muttered, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she replayed the clip on her cracked phone screen for what felt like the tenth time. The glow of her phone was the only light in the small café corner she and Sammy had claimed, stacks of highlighted textbooks and empty coffee cups piled around them.
"They've been working nonstop. They need to rest," she added, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose as she scrolled through the comments—fans spamming blue heart emojis and hashtags for HUNTR/X.
Sammy, who had blue-dyed tips poking out from under her hoodie, popped another chip in her mouth. "For real. I don't know how they keep it together with those schedules. Like, did you see their tour dates? It's insane."
Their conversation, which moments ago had been about midterms and how neither of them wanted to even look at their macroeconomics notes anymore, seamlessly shifted to HUNTR/X—because in a world this heavy, who wouldn't want to talk about something that felt like a bit of light?
"You know," Sammy said, brightening, "they were trained by Celine, right? The Celine from Starlight Sisters."
"Oh yeah, I heard that too." Yona's eyes softened, the memory of middle school days flooding back when she and her friends would dance to Starlight Sisters in the classroom when the teacher was late. "They were legends."
Sammy rolled her eyes dramatically, flopping her head against the chair. "And then, boom, they just disbanded out of nowhere. The whole industry freaked out. It was all over the news and tv channels."
Yona nodded, clutching her warm cup with both hands. "No one ever said why, either. Neither any of the members spoke anything about it. Just… gone. Like it was nothing."
"I heard one of them got married, had a kid or something," Sammy whispered, almost conspiratorially, as if the mention of marriage was too heavy for a café at midnight. "And, you know, marriage in K-pop? That's game over! Fans go insane, companies don't want the mess."
Yona let out a breath, steam rising from her coffee as she stared at the paused frame of Zoey on her screen, smiling brightly with tears in her eyes. "Another member just vanished. I heard she's living a normal life now."
"Celine's the only one still in the industry, huh?" Sammy added, quiet now.
Yona nodded, lowering her phone. "I just hope HUNTR/X never has to go through that."
"Yeah," Sammy said, looking up at the café ceiling as if in prayer. "They deserve to keep shining."
Outside, the city roared softly with neon lights and the hum of buses, the world at peace for a moment. On Yona's phone screen, the members of HUNTR/X waved to their fans, their smiles lighting up the darkness.
And somewhere far from the glow of the awards and the small hopes of university students, the moon hung heavy in the sky, waiting.
The subway station was nearly empty, the last train's chime echoing through cold concrete tunnels, flickering lights buzzing above the yellow safety lines. A lone vending machine hummed in the corner, dispensing warm cans of coffee to the few souls who lingered in the shadows, waiting to go home.
A hush fell as the train roared past, the wind ruffling the black caps and scarves of the waiting passengers. It was the kind of silence that felt like it was holding its breath.
Then—
A flicker. A twitch in the shadows. A sudden drop in temperature.
Rumi lifted her hand, blue light condensing into a long, sleek sword that hummed with quiet power appeared from thin air.
Zoey's twin daggers spun in her hands, crackling with violet energy like contained lightning.
Mira's staff pulsed, extending with a sharp flick, runes glowing down its length.
Their training wasn't only about perfecting vocals, stage charisma, or synchronized dance.
They were taught to fight, to sense darkness, to blend in with a smile while tracking a demon in a crowd.
Every fan chant, every encore stage, every confetti-filled encore…
Was also a countdown until they returned to shadows, tracking creatures that lurked behind the lights.
Because demons hid among humans.
In the bustling subways, the neon-lit streets of Hongdae, the quiet alleys behind music show buildings—feeding on fear, desperation, anger.
'When Demons First Appeared'-
Long before stadium lights and screaming fans, before the glitter of rookie awards and flawless dance formations, the world was not as peaceful as it seemed.
They said demons were myths, creatures of folktales whispered to children to make them behave. But myths are often truths so terrifying that people choose to forget.
Decades ago, the first rifts tore open in the sky, hairline fractures leaking darkness that dripped like ink across the world. From those rifts came them—Gwi-Ma's children. Shapeless at first, they devoured the fear and souls of the living, molding themselves into horrors beyond nightmares. They roamed unseen, creeping into homes, seeping into hearts, planting despair until the world was a field ready for harvest.
They fed on people's souls, turning them into husks, puppets of darkness, slowly twisting them into new demons, bound in chains of black mist.
Then he came.
Gwi-Ma.
His hunger was endless. His power was inevitable. His name alone was enough to silence even the strongest demons, a king crowned in shadows and blood, his laughter echoing through the rifts, shaking cities to dust, turning armies into ashes with a single breath. The world fell into chaos, and people prayed for salvation, but the heavens were silent.
Until they emerged.
'The First Trio: The Awakened'
As humanity stood on the brink of collapse, three women appeared.
Three golden voices. No one knows where they appeared from, only that when they sang, the darkness recoiled.
No one knew their true names, only that they were the Awakened, or the Chosen.
They sang.
They stood before the shadows, and their voices cut through the darkness like dawn through the longest night.
Their harmonies weren't just music—they were weapons, slicing through the dark, burning demons with light that poured from each note, each lyric, each breath.
Their music dragged the demons into the open, and with their final, unified song, they sealed the creatures away, weaving a barrier so strong, so invisible, so complete that even Gwi-Ma could not break it.
They named it Honmoon — The Barrier.
'The Legacy: Every Generation'
But nothing lasts forever.
Honmoon would weaken every few decades, cracks forming as darkness tried to claw back into the world.
And so, every generation, three women would awaken, inheriting the power of song and soul to protect the world.
They became the hidden guardians, living among people, their voices keeping the barrier strong, their existence unknown to all but a few.
They fought, and they fell.
They loved, and they lost.
But they kept singing.
Because if they stopped, Gwi-Ma would return, and the world would drown in shadow.
And for a time, the world healed.
When they sang, the Honmoon glowed, but it needed to turn gold to seal Gwi-Ma away forever.
It almost did.
The Starlight Sisters, the last generation's trio, were close. Their harmonies were so perfect they brought the world to tears, and behind the tears, a golden glow had begun to seep through the Honmoon, promising an end to the nightmare.
But then—something happened.
The Honmoon's glow faltered. Its color drained. Instead of turning gold, it cracked, light leaking out into darkness.
'Now It Was Their Turn'
Rumi, Mira, and Zoey—voices that commanded crowds, steps that light up the stage—were not trained to be idols alone. They were raised in the ways of the Awakened, their harmonies laced with ancient power, each beat of their music aligning with the rhythm of the Honmoon.
When they sing, the cracks begin to mend, light seeping through once more.
But the demons will not wait forever. Gwi-Ma stirs beyond the rifts, and shadows gather, preparing to reclaim the world.
Humans remain blissfully unaware, distracted by screens and starlight, by album sales and fancams, while beneath the glimmer of the idol world, an ancient war continues to rage.
And the three of them—standing on subway platforms, slaying the shadows—carry this burden quietly, never faltering, for the world they love, and the people who sing along without knowing what they are truly singing for.
'The Subway Hunt'-
Rumi smirked. "Whoever gets the most demons owes the others tteokbokki...on the couch!"
Mira:
"I'm down for it if you're adding a bottle of soju."
Zoey:
"Count me in along with a bingsu!"
The shadows thickened, swirling like black smoke, forming grotesque shapes with glowing red eyes and crooked, hungry mouths. They crawled along the ceiling, slithering down the tiled walls as the air filled with the scent of rust and decay.
A man who had been waiting on the platform turned, his eyes hollow, black veins crawling across his skin as his mouth stretched into an impossible grin. His scream tore through the station before turning into a low, guttural growl as his body twisted, bones snapping, limbs elongating.
"Damn, they're getting uglier," Mira muttered.
The three of them stepped forward in sync, the same ease with which they moved during dance practice reflected in the way they fell into formation now, each heartbeat syncing with the other.
The demon lunged.
Mira stepped forward, her hand slicing the air as a ripple of blue light slashed across the demon's chest, sending it crashing into the station wall. Tiles cracked, dust rising in the air. She clicked her tongue, brushing invisible dust from her shoulder. "One."
Another demon leaped down from the ceiling, claws reaching for Zoey's face. She ducked, pivoted on her heel, and slammed a palm into its gut, light bursting from her hand as the demon shrieked before disintegrating into ash that scattered across the yellow line. "Dul.(Two)" she shouted triumphantly, flashing a peace sign.
Rumi's eyes burned gold as she stepped forward, raising a single hand. The air hummed, her voice rising softly in a hum, the same resonance that made crowds scream during concerts now slicing the air like a blade. The demon froze mid-lunge, its red eyes flickering as it crumbled into dust, disappearing into the cracks of the platform.
She lowered her hand, exhaling. "Three."
They kept moving, fighting with the precision of a perfectly practiced dance routine, each step measured, each strike flowing into the next like choreography designed by the gods themselves. The demons roared, but one by one, they were reduced to nothing, screams echoing and fading as darkness dissolved into ash.
The last demon staggered, its blackened claws scraping against the tiles, hissing, "You... can't... stop... him…" before its body burst into smoke, swallowed by the light.
Zoey wiped sweat from her brow, flicking her hand to clear the ashes. "Ugh, seriously? Who's writing their lines? So cringe."
Mira snorted, picking up a can of coffee the demon had knocked over during the fight. "Free coffee huh?"
Rumi glanced at the ashes drifting away under the station lights, her eyes softening before she schooled her features back into a grin. "That's five. I win. Pay up, you two."
"Aish!, not fair," Zoey pouted. Mira rolled her eyes, "I was almost having that one but you snatched it Rumi", she teased.
"Yeah? Guess we're not having soju then." Rumi snapped back chuckling.
"Fine I give up! We'll pay. Tell me what else you want to have." Mira said shrugging her shoulders.
Zoey (excited): "Gimbap and fried chicken!"
Mira: "You're paying too, dummy!"
Zoey: "Oh come on unnie! (sister) I'm the youngest and the cutest, shouldn't you be taking care of me?"
Zoey pouted and started making cute gestures.
Mira: "Ugh stop it! Fine! I'll pay."
Rumi & Zoey: "Then we'll have jajangmyeon too!"
Mira sighed, but let out a chuckle.
They began to walk toward the stairs, the soft thud of their boots echoing in the now-silent station, laughter and playful bickering blending seamlessly into the cold air, as if the chaos had never happened.
But it watched.
'Those Eyes'
Perched in the rafters, a strange three-eyed crow, a tiny black hat perched on its head, blinked once, twice, all three eyes focusing on the trio as they disappeared from view.
It leapt, wings slicing the air soundlessly as it flew into the cold night, the moon glinting off its feathers as it soared across the city.
It landed quietly on the outstretched arm of a tall, shadow-cloaked man standing on a deserted rooftop under the pale moonlight, the glow of the city reflected in the black lenses of his glasses.
The man turned his head slightly toward the crow, voice deep and calm, rumbling like distant thunder.
"It's them, right?"
The crow blinked two of its eyes, slow and deliberate, signaling yes.
The man hummed, low and thoughtful, tilting his head as if nodding in approval, before turning his gaze back toward the giant LED screen on a building across the street, the bright colors flickering in the dark.
On it, HUNTR/X smiled, waving at crowds, their bright eyes glittering under the stage lights.
The man's eyes narrowed, a small smile flickering across his lips.
"Hmmm."
He continued to stare, the city lights flickering below, the neon glow of the screen dancing across his shadowed face, as if the world itself was holding its breath.