A/N: Here's the new Chapter! Which also ans the next FIVE chapters are up on my Patreon for early access!
Jinu hashing out the details with Bobby and Celine.
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There was a ti where, even with Bobby present, Jinu would have been terrified of being alone in a room with Celine. After all, he hadn't been lying when he'd said she was a legend among demonkind. They called her all sorts of things down in the demon realm. The Last Hunter. Executioner. Living Death.
But having seen her at her most vulnerable these past few days, Jinu couldn't really say he felt all that afraid of her anymore. Not to ntion she was far past her pri as a hunter and what little tricks she did still have didn't work on him because of his connection to the Rainbow Honmoon.
That said, as her and Bobby hash out the details of his contract with Sunlight Entertainnt, Jinu gets to see another side of Celine. Another extrely competent, truly respectable side of Celine. This isn't the elder warrior in front of him right now.
No, this is the noblewoman, the ruler. This is the woman who built an empire in the midst of tragedy, who raised up an army and created a stable kingdom to protect her ward. Oh sure, the nas had changed. She was a CEO and not an Empress. Sunlight Entertainnt was a business rather than a dynasty.
The world was a very different place than it had been four hundred years ago. And yet… the more things changed, the more they stayed the sa.
"Then we are agreed. Here are the terms we've discussed."
Celine's words are cold but not in an angry way. Rather, she is currently the consummate professional, having been writing down details all this ti that she now slides over to Bobby. The HUNTR/X Manager looks them over closely, his eyes narrowed as he reads every word. Then, he tries to pass the paper to Jinu… who smiles and shakes his head.
"I trust you Bobby. If you say the terms are good, then I believe they will be good."
Bobby frowns at that.
"Jinu, I know I agreed to represent you in these talks, but there's still a bit of a conflict of interest here. I'm HUNTR/X's manager as well and technically employed by Sunlight Entertainnt. You can't just trust to advocate for you in this matter. Or rather, you can… but you should also verify things for yourself."
Shrugging, Jinu just smiles. They likely think he's being silly because of his age again. Or maybe his background. But the truth is…
"It is not rely a matter of trusting you Bobby, though I most certainly do. However, I also have faith that even if the two of you didn't have my best intentions at heart, Rumi would take you both to task the instant you tried anything untoward."
Jinu shrugs.
"Besides, HUNTR/X and Sunlight Entertainnt need this to go well more than I do, don't you? You need to stick around far more than I need to stick around. This contract is ant to bind a human… and I am not human. If I truly feel trapped, I will free myself my way."
He flashes a grin to lighten his harsh words, causing Bobby to laugh.
"Well, I suppose you're not wrong about that!"
Celine though… she just hums, watching him closely for a mont before speaking.
"Very well. If the terms are acceptable, and they should be anyways given they're just as generous as what HUNTR/X gets six years in, then the last thing we need to figure out is your background."
That gets a raised eyebrow from Jinu. Background? Ah, right. Because the humans loved to know what was going on and in this case they'd already decided they knew what was going on. They did that back in the original tiline with the Saja Boys as well, Jinu vaguely recalls.
Only, it didn't matter back then because the opinions of plebians hadn't been important. All that mattered was stealing as many fans as possible for Gwi-Ma. Along with weakening the Honmoon. So they'd let the humans co up with all sorts of wild theories to explain their origins, never confirming nor denying anything because in the end, there wasn't going to be enough ti for any of it to be of consequence.
Now though, with everyone breathing down their necks and his very existence seemingly harming the girls' reputations by the minute, it was far, far more important.
"Actually, I had sothing of an idea there. Though you're not going to like it."
Bobby's words, directed towards Celine, make the older woman raise an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Grimacing, Bobby glances at him for a mont before shrugging.
"Well, we already know the best way to explain a holess man down in the South not having any sort of identity…"
Celine slowly nods.
"Indeed. We can say he's a refugee from the North. Though he's a bit too tall and well fed to pass as one… there will still be questions if we go with that route."
Ah. Jinu knew sothing of what they were talking about. Korea was not one whole like it had been in the past. Instead, in this modern era there were two different Koreas, one North and one South. Admittedly, Jinu had never lived in the North as a human or visited it as a demon, but he still felt pity for his countryn living up there, especially given the things he'd heard.
"Yes, which is why I think it would be best if we were… close-lipped. We drop just enough hints to make people think he's a refugee from the North, without ever confirming it ourselves. And at the sa ti, we give them sothing even bigger to chew on… sothing that will hopefully draw the vulture's eyes off of the girls as well."
Celine frowns now, her gaze narrowing as she studies Bobby.
"… Spit it out Bobby."
Huffing, Bobby gestures between Jinu and his descendant.
"We tell them there's a distant blood relation between the two of you. It isn't even a lie, after all. Of course, we don't tell the whole truth. You and Jinu would be distant cousins at best. But for instance, we could say his Bipa is an old family heirloom and you recognized it after I brought you in to discuss signing him to the label. From there, we had a blood test done and found the connection."
Jinu looks down at his Bipa. An old family heirloom? Heh, technically that's true, he supposes. It's just that it's been held by a single family mber for four hundred years. Still, lifting his gaze again, he watches Celine cautiously as she sits there, frozen behind her desk.
He knows full well that Celine has been very much doing her best not to let any personal issues she has with him get in the way of things. But it's literally only been two days since she found out they were related and then had a very dramatic ltdown over it. Well, it and sothing about the realization that she'd 'failed' Rumi and her girls. Jinu, admittedly, wasn't entirely up to date on all of that.
"Heh, I told you that you weren't going to like it, Celine. We don't have to go that route if you don't-!"
"No… no, it's alright. But we shouldn't start with that. We should start with the announcent of him signing on with us first. Then, give everyone a day to adjust. Those with principles and respectability will straighten up, print their retractions, and show so decorum. anwhile the slavering beasts and up jumped fools among the dia will continue to reveal themselves to be as contemptuous as we know them to be. Then, we can drop the news of a blood relation between Jinu and I. Once they've shown just how low they're willing to stoop and trapped themselves in the spike pit."
Blinking, Bobby lets out a chuckle.
"Harsh but fair, I like it. Alright then, I think we're in business. The contract will be ready to sign within the hour and we'll put out a pre-statent imdiately to hype everyone for the big news. The actual statent will be out by the end of the day. Jinu, do you mind shooting a quick video with for that?"
Caught a little off guard, Jinu nevertheless smiles and nods his head.
"Sure, I don't mind one bit."
"Okay great! Here, this smartphone can record us both. Let's just do sothing quick and easy. You let do most of the talking, yeah?"
That was how he'd done it with the Saja Boys too. He'd let the others do the majority of the talking on their social dia videos, except for after they'd made HUNTR/X break up the night of the Idol Awards.
Plastering a smile on his face, Jinu stares at the screen showing him and Bobby crowded together.
"Hey everyone, Bobby here! And this… is Jinu! I know there's a lot of questions going around right now about this guy here. Please be sure to read the official statent from Sunlight Entertainnt and the HUNTR/X Team about Jinu's circumstances and how exactly he ca on our radar. Still, just wanted you all to see that he's happy and doing well, and we're all looking forward to working together going forward! Right Jinu?"
Chuckling, Jinu nods his head.
"That's right. I'm extrely grateful to Bobby for finding and to Sunlight Entertainnt for taking a chance on . I hope to do them proud and show you all sothing new."
With that, Bobby pulls the phone away and ends the video. He plays it back real quick, but that's done too seeing as it was less than a minute long anyways.
"… Perfect! You're a natural Jinu. We'll have to get you in the studio eventually, but we can discuss stuff like that and your debut after this whole shitstorm has blown over. Really, we can push that back a couple of months if need be, this much alone will get people excited as all hell and generate plenty of hype."
Jinu just hums and nods. Celine, anwhile, clears her throat.
"Alright Bobby, it sounds like you have a lot to take care of. In the anti, I'd like a mont to speak with Jinu privately."
That causes Bobby to freeze up, his smile dropping as he looks between the two of them with imdiate concern.
"Uh… I'm really not sure that's a good idea."
Reaching out, Jinu places a hand on Bobby's shoulder.
"It's alright Bobby. You can go. Celine is right, we do need to talk alone."
Bobby still doesn't look convinced, but in the face of them both giving him looks… as well as the mountain of work still ahead of him, the manager finally sighs.
"… Alright fine, but I'm not leaving you two alone together indefinitely. If I don't hear from either of you within the next thirty minutes, I'll have to tell Rumi on you!"
Celine huffs while Jinu grins. Finally, the last Sunlight Sister nods.
"Understood."
Bobby still hesitates for a mont longer, before finally sighing and leaving the room in a power walk that makes it clear he has places to be and people to see. Just like that, Jinu is alone with the boogeyman of demons everywhere… and the descendant of his little sister.
Before he can speak, Celine kicks things off with narrowed eyes.
"What are your intentions towards Rumi?"
Ah. This was going to be that kind of talk, wasn't it? And yet, Celine was so, so hilariously behind on everything. For a mont, Jinu considers telling her about the ti travel. Out of everyone, she would probably be the most likely to actually treat him like the monster he is if she knew everything he had done in the other tiline.
… The problem is, Rumi wouldn't be at all happy with him if he revealed that particular secret without her input. And at this point, Jinu knew he had no right to act outside of her purview. So he holds his tongue on that subject and tilts his head to the side instead.
"My intentions are to serve her faithfully for as long as we both draw breath."
It's clear that she's not quite expecting that sort of response, but then to be fair Celine doesn't have all of the pertinent information. Her frown grows as she studies him in confusion for a long mont.
"… Serve her?"
Jinu dips his head. How to best explain this without giving too much away…
"I understand that tis have changed… but I have not. As a human four hundred years ago, I entertained an Emperor at the expense of my family. For the past four centuries, I have entertained a Demon King at my own expense. Perhaps it is cowardly, but I call it practical… I am not ready to be 'free'. Better to serve a ruler who deserves my service and loyalty for the first ti instead. Rumi is that ruler."
She'd given him his soul back, after all. For that, Jinu would love and serve Rumi to the best of his ability forever. But Celine doesn't know about that part. So he has to put it in terms she might be able to understand. As she mulls over his words, Jinu shrugs, continuing to speak as much of the truth as he can.
"The Honmoon brought here to help Rumi and her girls. And so I did. I gave Rumi the Rainbow Honmoon yesterday… and she turned around and gave it right back to , growing it far beyond anything I could do. It was always ant for her… just as she was always ant to use it as she has, to protect your world. I won't lie; I didn't expect to still be here at this point… yet here I am all the sa. And here I will remain, so long as Rumi still wants ."
Celine's eyes narrow even further on that last bit and Jinu inwardly notes that he probably worded it a bit poorly.
"… You won't hurt her, demon. If you do, you'll answer to ."
That… Jinu could respect that. At the sa ti though, he leans forward, baring his teeth, letting Celine see the flash of yellow in his eyes and the elongated canines in his mouth.
"Right back at you, hunter. Demon patterns grow with sha you know."
Celine freezes, because despite everyone else learning that fact, this was indeed the first ti she was hearing it. Jinu was well aware of that though. And he can tell it lands just as hard as he intended it to. He smirks.
"You have a lot to make up for and only the fact that you seem to realize that stays my hand. Relapse, turn yourself into a problem, or make Rumi feel sha again… and all bets are off. Do I make myself clear?"
The reverberating demon voice at the end is perhaps a bit much, but Jinu isn't going to apologize for it. Eyes wide, Celine slowly nods, her lips tightly pressed together. Jinu considers pushing for verbal confirmation… but the truth is, he knows he's just as deep in the shit as Celine is. They BOTH have a lot to make up for and only her lack of knowledge keeps him from admitting as much.
With a huff, he pulls back the nace and stands up from his chair.
"Excellent. After all, I'm not above taking my many tis great grandniece over my lap and spanking her if it proves necessary."
That makes Celine bristle in her seat, her face flushing even as she snarls.
"Try , demon."
Jinu just laughs.
"Don't make have to, human."
With that, he turns and strides out of the room with a single wave back over his shoulder. For now, his and Celine's relationship would remain frosty… and that was okay. Jinu had sothing more important to focus on right now.
Like had Rumi and her girls finally fucking kissed while he was busy with this shit?!
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A/N: Damn straight Jinu, asking the real questions here…
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