Chapter Text
Mira woke up on the couch, recollecting the movie they watched last night. She sat up to look over at Zoey, still snoring deep in sleep. She got up, heading towards the kitchen for a glass of water. Before she could open the fridge door, she felt a buzzing in her robe pocket. She took it out, acknowledging the low battery in the corner as she answered the call from Bobby.
“Hey Bobby, haven't heard from you in a while.” While he was still her and Zoey’s manager, he didn’t have to be as hands-on like when they were still HUNTR/X.
“Hi Mira! Is Zoey with you?”
“She's still sleeping.”
“I'll text you more details later, but tell Zoey I got asked if you were both willing to talk for an interview. I know around this time last year we were all kinda mopey, but the fans still wanna know what happened to HUNTR/X.”
Mira inhales a sharp breath. “Yeah, I’m not entirely sure if we’d be comfortable doing it.”
She can hear a soft sigh on the other end. “Look, I know you're both already settled where you're at, and moving on from HUNTR/X and all, but a lot of fans still need some sort of closure. Especially since Rumi’s gone.”
Neither of them could explain to him why their leader was suddenly gone. Celine helped them create a story a few weeks after, explaining that she had a long-term condition, taking at least a few years to heal. “A lot of people still think you guys broke up at the Idol Awards, so please don't take this lightly.”
A brief pause filled the line before she took a breath in to speak, “I'll tell her once she's up.”
“Okay, that's great! They want to schedule you guys within 2 weeks, so let me know what works.”
“Kay, thanks, Bobby.” She hung up the phone with yet another sigh. She really didn't want to build another complicated story about why Rumi fell off the face of the Earth (literally).
She could hear soft footsteps walking up to her and a loud yawn. “Was that Bobby?”
“Yeah, he said they wanted an interview on the disbandment. I know we probably shouldn't keep making up lies about Rumi, but fans are still sad about it.”
Zoey made a worried face. “Look, he said, to just think about it, we don't have to make a decision today. Let’s just call Celine so we can make the story consistent.”
Zoey walked to the counter, placing her elbows as she turned on her phone. The nagging what-ifs from last night still haven't disappeared. She kept scrolling on her feed till a new article stopped her, stating that Fallen Angels will soon have an interview with GMK news, notoriously known to reveal a lot of idol rumours and help nugu groups get off the ground. It got gears churning in her head; she wanted to investigate.
“Which news station is it?”
“Uh, not sure, Bobby said he’d send over the details later.”
“If it's GMK, tell him I'm down.”
“Uh, okay, but why that one specifically?”
She couldn't think of a good excuse on the spot. “Uh, I haven't been in their studio in a while.” she said with a nervous laugh.
Mira was looking with skepticism. “Uh, okay yeah, I'll check with him later.”
“Okay, awesome!” She started walking to her room before she remembered something. “Oh hey, I'm planning on going to the market in an hour if you wanna join.”
“I could, I don't have any classes to teach today.”
“Great! I’m mainly just looking for persimmons, but maybe we’ll get something for Celine too if she’s coming over.” She left for her room, knowing that she’s probably gonna get way more at the market than what she originally thought.
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They took the train a bit north to the marketplace they typically go to. The place was bustling and smelling of fresh produce and seafood. Zoey made a hard left into a more condensed aisle, with Mira quickly following her. Her eyes lit up as she saw her favorite vendor, and in Zoey’s opinion, sold the sweetest ones.
“Hi ajumma!” Zoey came here so often to the point that the vendor recognized her.
“Zoey! Are you still well?”
“Yes, and of course I’m still eating a lot.” She always asked since she said she was worried about how skinny she looked, so she already anticipated the question.
“That's good. I already have your persimmons.” She hands her a large plastic bag. “We also just got some lychee in if you'd like.”
“Ooh, yes please!”
They both left the market shortly after, with Mira holding the bag of persimmons and lychee, insisting that Zoey would only make her hand sprain worse, like yesterday. They were deep in conversation during the upcoming interview when Zoey accidentally ran into another person.
“Oh my gosh, I'm so sor-” She paused her apology. “Rumi?” She looked into the eyes of the girl in front of her. This had to be her. While her hair was in a short ponytail rather than a long braid, everything about her screamed Rumi.
The girl looked down at her with confusion and worry while offering a hand to lift her up. “Sorry, I think you have the wrong person.”
As Zoey got up, she saw a man running in their direction with a hint of a worried expression, and for a split second, she thought his eyes turned yellow. He walked up to the purple-haired girl and held her hand.
“Babe, where were you? I was worried sick!”
“I was looking for some lychee, remember?”
Zoey’s ears perked up at the mention, “Ooh, there is a nice stand near the other end!” She pointed behind her where they were just walking. Though now that she’s seen these two figures up close, she realized where she’s seen them before. “Wait, hold on, aren't you guys in that duo Fallen Angels?”
The purple-haired girl was surprised. “Yeah, actually, we only debuted a few weeks ago, didn’t think many people would recognize us.” She said with a chuckle.
Zoey smiled, “Yeah, but it seems like you're getting yourselves out of nugudom really quick, happy for you guys. Have a good one!” Her and Mira walked away towards the exit.
There was a brief silence between the two before Zoey spoke again, “Can I say something crazy?”
“Sure.”
“Those two were definitely Rumi and that Jinu guy.”
“Can I say something even crazier?” The younger girl nodded in response.
“I feel like there's a chance you could be right.”
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“Did you call me babe? Seriously, Jinu?” Rumi looked at him with some cringe.
“You told me you didn’t want them to know. I couldn't think of anything else to call you at the moment.”
Rumi groaned, “Yeah, I guess, but I think we need to think of our stage names soon before you start calling me that in front of a camera.”
Jinu smirked at her, knowing she’d hate that nickname.
“Sorry, I just- I didn't think we’d see them this soon. I just don’t wanna see them until after we break the Honmoon.”
“I don’t think you'll be able to keep it a secret for that long. Sooner or later, we’re gonna have to fight them.”
She became frustrated at the thought “Let’s just get the damn lychee you want.”