tw: death, mention of rape, betrayal, fighting and over all some toxic ass behaviour.
Okay, i have seen the theory of celine having killed rumi’s mom and rumi’s dad being a powerful demon, and it has led to my brain coming up with an entire story.
I imagine Ryu (rumi’s mother) be the maknae. Celine was the oldest/leader and the third hunter younger by 6 months to draw parallel the girls. (The crew said in interviews zoey is like 20 to 22 while rumi and mira are 6 months apart with rumi being older)
Since Ryu is a demon hunter, yet was still open-minded and kind enough to see the humanity in a demon and even fall in love with him since i really doubt they make rumi’s dad a rapist. Simealer to how when zoey saw the saja boys patterns she didn’t immediately thought they were bad and is very vulnerable because of it. When rumi wanted to change song for the idol awards she had no complaints about it while mira got defensive and pointed out the obvious issue of changing a song this close to the idol awards.
If you’re not delusionally hating on celine you can tell she’s someone that has good intentions. ‘The road to hell is paved with good intentions’ as the saying goes and all. I like to imagine her ability to raise rumi into a good person despite causing so much of her issues is due to the fact she already had leadership qualities that transfered into her parenting. She wasn’t loving but certainly raised one hell of a huntress.
We know nothing about the third hunter making me believe she’s either dead or left for some reason and the latter is more intersting, so lets go with that. Perhaps she was the most practical and the toughest of all the hunters like mira, making her more likely to do ‘wrong’ for what she thinks is right simealer to how mira was the first to raise her weapon at rumi when she saw the patterns.
I also think Rumi’s father was a new soul turned demon, and didn’t know how to use his demon powers yet or fairly weak since he literally knew, dated, and impregnanted Ryu all without gwi-ma noticing any of it. So yeah, he probably was a new soul, weak but since he was only turned demon so recently he was able to fit in with humans better.
Now imagine the scene, the sunlight sisters on stage. Wearing bright colorful clothes, their song and the fans strengthening the honmoon. Almost golden, practically halfway sealed. Once off stage they’re full of energy and hyped, but they notice a group of demons. Stopping their celerbration for the hunt.
Chasing them down to the nearest bathhouse, kicking ass but that isn’t all. Ryu notices one demon specifically, one reluctant to fight doing the bare minimum in defending themselves before escaping so she goes into the chase.
Paralleling Jinu and Rumi’s bath house scene. Ryu almost overpowers him, but than the banter begins.
‘Well, aren’t you strong. Playing the hero.’
‘I’m not ”playing”. I’m saving people from monsters like you!’
‘Monster? You think i want this?’
He sneered back, catching Ryu off guard, expecting an insult or taunt. It was small, but enough for him to escape. Leaving Ryu to ponder if it was genuine or just a desperate attempt to escape her. She didn’t think much of it, just continuing with her idol/secret demon hunter life until she ran into the same demon again, but this time she was alone.
‘What did you mean in the bath house?’ Ryu corners him, holding up her traditional Korean throwing knives, shin-kal.
He glances around, no way to escape with a weapon held up to his throat. He knows he has no other way but to talk and hope he finds his way out.
‘What do you think? That i choose this or something? I never wanted this.’
‘You’re entire existence is dedicated to gwi-ma.’
‘Yeah, by force.’
And at some point he escapes but Ryu ends up running into him more and more. To the point he ends up actually enjoys their talks and that’s how he ends up opening up to Ryu.
I like to imagine parallels to Jinu’s backstory (Like mother like daughter); He came from a poor family, maybe he got bullied for it as a child, along with a deadbeat father, leading to him becoming bitter when he got older and a crime with life. Perhaps it started small, pick-pocketing and stealing from the store here or there to help his mother pay the bills, but as he struggles to find legal work he becomes more and more desperate, finding himself among genuinely dangerous criminals. The type to kill for enough money. Taking any job to keep food on the table.
Assaulting and robbing innocent people in the middle of his crime to not get caught. As he sits alone at home, a bottle of soju in hand, filled with guilt, dread that one day the authority will find him, arrest him, breaking his mother’s heart and that he will never be able to turn his life around. Then he hears it.
Him, gwi-ma: ‘You’re a dissapointment, but I can help you be better.’
He agreed, he got out of poverty, and left the life of crime behind him. Finally, life seems to smile on him, but everything has consequences, and Gwi-ma only promised wealth, not safety.
His old crime friends took his leave personal, or maybe they taught he rat them out to the authorities. Doesn’t matter really, they broke into his home, stole everything, and attacked him in his sleep.
By the time he woke up, someone had called the cops, noticing the strange noises or maybe some shadowy figures breaking into their home. Laying in the hospital bed, head ringing, some bones broken and he hears the worst news in his life.
His mother didn’t survive the attack. The only family, the woman who gave him everything, defended him when the school punished him for acting out, who walked everywhere instead of taking the bus to save money for his new clothes, the one parent who stuck with him died.
And he knew it was his fault the moment he heard it was robbers who attacked them. The patterns started to grow, glow, and gwi-ma became a permanent voice inside his head from then on out.
But as the meetings continues, as Ryu continues to give him nothing but support and understanding. ‘You did it to survive. You never meant to hurt her.’ ‘My actions killed her!’ Somewhere along the way, a small sense of hope grows.
Maybe if she can see the humanity in him. A demon hunter, maybe he can see it himself. Maybe he deserved a better life, and somewhere along the way, a spark started. Small, quiet, yet powerful.
As the months continue, Celine and the third hunter find out. Of course, they immediately assume Ryu is in danger. The demon must be manipulating her for intel, and they devise a plan to ambush him while keeping an extra close eye on Ryu.
Which is how they found out about a little cottage in the forest with the demon apparently living in it. So they attacked. The fight is chaotic as he tries to lead them away from the home, panic written over his face, but it isn’t for himself. It’s for whoever is inside.
Ryu comes out, finding her husband’s life one stab away from death, and in a moment of pure worry and love for him she impulsively jumps in front of Celine.
Stabbing her straight through her heart, collapsing to the ground while Celine was frozen in shock. Having killed her best friend with her Sain-geom, the weapon that was supposed to protect the innocent.
‘No!’
He screams in fury while running towards Ryu, barely even feeling the third hunter slash him with her Gok-Do, and cradles his wife while tears stream down his face.
‘No,no,no,NO! You shouldn’t die! You don’t deserve this! I should. I should have protected you, both of you… I’m sorry.
His voice cracked, his shoulder slumped heavy with guilt and helplessness as he watched his wife slowly die.
Ryu forced a weak smile. Maybe to comfort him, or in an attempt to make him see something good as she watched him turn slowly into dust.
‘I love you.’
She uses whatever strength she has to touch his face, his patterns, the shame.
‘Everything…’
Her eyes dilate, her body becomes limp, and her hand falls to the ground. All he can do is cry and scream in pain before he fades too along with his hope. Like a flame losing its heat.
Celine stares, eyes widened, breath unstable as her brain tries to catch up to what just happened, to what she just did, and she just falls to the ground.
Sword dropped, crying into her hands. She killed her; she killed Ryu.
Her best friend, her teammate, the one to crack dumb puns in the middle of fighting, the one to insist they drink more water during practice, reminding them to eat or sleep when they’re injured, and always had a medkit at the ready after every mission. Simply due to how much she cares.
Celine sobbed as she realised she’s never hear another ridiculous pun from her friend ever again.
The third forces herself to breathe, blinking away the tears that were threatening to spill. She couldn’t give up now, not with Ryu gone, not with their leader on the ground, crying. Someone had to keep fighting.
Stepping inside the cottage, her weapon up for any threats, but none of her expectations were met. Instead, she heard a faint crying, but high-pitched crying from down the hall.
‘Celine? You need to see this…’
She called for her leader, who was weak in the knees with guilt, barely mustered the strength to walk. Using every wall, counter, chair, table, any surface to keep her standing.
Only to find herself standing in the doorway of a nursery. The light of the hallway shining onto the crib in the middle of the room. Celine, filled with so many emotions, couldn’t even begin to describe what she felt, and walked towards the crib.
Only to be met with a baby girl, eyes, nose, and lips like Ryu’s, while her hair, cheeks, and chin were those of the demon they killed…
‘This-this can’t be…’
Celine muttered to herself, but her teammate didn’t need any clarification. The pictures on the wall, of Ryu, the little purple-haired girl, and him said it all.
She betrayed them.
Clenching the door frame, anger rising, and fighting off tears. Now, not only due to grief and guilt.
‘We have to kill it.’
‘W-what?’
Celine tore her eyes away from rumi and turned to her teammate with horror and confusion.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Isn’t it obvious? She left us for him. We don’t know if that-‘ She gestured with her weapon towards the crib. ‘-was part of his plans. What if Gwi-ma can control her? A demon living among us is too dangerous.’
Celine face hardend while her hands shook a little and clung to the crib. The baby behind her was still crying, seemingly sensing the danger and looking for safety, the only way they knew how.
Celine understood, of course, she did. Demons ate souls, mindless servants of Gwi-ma, with powers meant to only harm humanity. Of course, she understood the threat this child could become.
But as she heard the cries, the innocent wailing of a child looking for her mother. The mother she just killed…
‘No.’
‘No? What do you mean no?!’
‘I mean, NO. We are not killing an innocent baby. It isn’t her fault her mother made a mistake.’
‘Mistake or not, she’s still a threat. We don’t know what hybrids can do. What if she becomes more powerful than any demon we ever fought? If she sides with Gwi-ma? What then? Should everyone die for this baby?’
Tears pricked both of their eyes, but Celine was the first to raise her weapon, causing her teammate to pause. In disbelief? Hurt?
‘I’m not letting you harm her.’
‘…’
Celine stared her down, ready to defend what’s left of Ryu with her life, but her teammate didn’t attack, or even respond. Simply dropping her weapon, slumped her shoulders and left.
Leaving only the cries of the infant behind her to be heard. Celine, still high on adrenaline and emotions, turned around. Her sword gone and with a trembling hand reached for the baby.
Hesitating as if her touch could kill her the same way she killed Ryu, while Rumi wailed and instinctively nuzzled against her in need of comfort.
Celine forced herself to cradle the half-demon, steadying her trembling breath, and felt tears spill from her eyes.
‘I’m sorry… I’m sorry you’re stuck with me. That she isn’t here…’
In between quiet sniffles, whimpers, and her falling to the floor on her knees with the infant crying against her chest, Celine swore to herself to make things right.
Protect Ryu’s memory, and raise her child out of any demon’s grasp, to never let the same mistake happen again.
thoughts should be free 