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As Aaron Z fiddled with his microphone, he felt a sense of nervousness wash over him. This was their last show of the Asia tour. To everyone else, he was calm and collected; to himself, he was a nervous wreck. Each tour had a purpose, to seal the Honmoon, called the Emerald Barrier in North America.
Each continent had they’re own set of demon hunters. They would use their song to slay demons and seal the Honmoon, a powerful barrier powered by the fans to keep demons out. Recently, as of 2001, the demon hunters in Korea had… a bit of a weakening, losing one of their current members and the potential protégés being far too young to fight. So, 4*Town was called in.
“Yo, dude! Hurry up!” Aaron T stood on the other side of Aaron Z’s dressing room door. They had been waiting for a solid ten minutes, they were now being rushed to hurry up by stage management. “Seuol isn’t gonna wait much longer!” Aaron T demanded. Jesse pipes up, “It’s Seoul, T.”
“It’s ’Seoul’ yeah whatever! Anyways, Z!! Come out here! Get your very attractive butt out or we can’t perform!” Aaron T’s rant was suddenly put to an end as Aaron Z finally opened his door. “Alright, alright. I’m here.” Tae Young smiled. “Here and Busan are so cool. I’ve only ever been to the countryside!” The youngest boy stared out into the crowd of their fans.
Robaire smiled back, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You’ll do great, just like in Busan. I mean, this is your home country after all.” Tae Young nodded. He had spent a couple summers here, but mainly lived back in Canada. He never got to see the big cities. Jess cleared his throat, “Come on guys, we’ve got a show to start.” Jesse pinched Tae Young’s cheek affectionately.
Robaire gave a final speech. “As hunters, we repel demons. Though, this isn’t our standard Emerald Barrier, or Honmoon as it’s called here, it’s still our duty. Here, the barrier is gold, so keep a look out for that. We can do this. It’s our last shot.”
Back In The Demon Realm
Jinu had been mindlessly collecting souls for Gwi-ma for quite some time. He’d grown bored of watching the villages turn into bustling towns, and towns turn into cities. On occasion, he’d sit in the shadows, listening to a passerby sing or a bird chirp. His afterlife had grown stale, he longed for something or someone to talk to. Someone who could talk back to him.
Gwi-ma sensed his boredom. He figured he could get more souls from an excited Jinu, than an apathetic Jinu. He assigned Jinu friends to accompany him on his next mission. A concert with many fans, all their souls just buzzing within their fleshy prisons.
Jinu wasn’t happy. When was he? He stood in the backstages of the arena. His newly formed gang by his side. One, with cyan hair stood low to the floor, a ghoulish, cocky grin on his face. The music in anticipation for the performers had the one with tusks and lavender hair moving his head along. A demon he had met before, with broad shoulders and arms, stood next to him, his elbow propped up on Jinu’s shoulder. The one who unsettled Jinu the most was one with bright red hair, whose hair cut was long and ugly, with dangly bits in front.
Slowly, they slipped from backstage into the crowd. The lights and blinding screams of the fans made everything too much. Jinu hated how close everyone was to each other, to him specifically. The crowd seemed so excited. They relied mainly on their human disguises to blend in, but the cost of blending in was people touching you.
Jinu wore a white overshirt with slacks and an orange tank top which appeared to have the performers on it. Four Town. What a horrible name, considering there were five of them. He hated how happy they looked on the shirt. It was as if performing didn’t cost them everything they had.
The demon quickly collected souls. A strangler there, a duo alone here, it was like taking a coin from a fountain. The bodies were soon enough gone the moment the souls were snatched away from them. That’s when the lights dimmed. The music started to really pump up, a giant hand started counting down from the middle of the stage. Suddenly, the five boys were on stage, dancing in sparkly purple outfits, bejeweled with golden gemstones.
The sounds of the crowd drowned out Jinu’s thoughts. He couldn’t hear Gwi-ma, nor could he hear himself. He quickly found the broad shouldered demon and pulled him away from the crowd. “It’s way too loud in there.” Jinu said, gasping for air, not that he needed it really. “What are you doing?! We’ve barely collected 50 souls!” The short pink hair of the strong one was ruffled and sweaty. “I needed to calm down!” Jinu defended himself.
The demon with abs walked back into the crowd. Jinu felt a sense of compulsion towards the young men on stage. They danced, they sang, they drew people to them. They were a group, a collective, they were a boy band… Jinu got closer. Undeterred by his previous overwhelmed state, he pushed closer.
One boy was not unlike his cyan haired colleague, chub faced and bright eyed. With blond hair and brown roots, making hearts with his hands. Another was an older looking man, older looking than the rest at least. He was romantic, blowing kisses to the crowd and winking. Two boys took over the second verse, similar in style with differing personas. One was wild, with a hat on his head and a smile as crazy as his rapping. The second boy was much less talkative, with orange tipped twists in his hair and caramel skin. He danced mainly, adding in add-libs to the rap of his friend. The final boy was of even darker skin, rich with warm tones. He had much shorter hair, and a green microphone strapped to his head. He sung the chorus, his voice laced with passion and power, more than Jinu had ever heard his own voice.
This feeling of being brought in by music, like his own soul was being taken on a journey, it mesmerized Jinu. Being tapped on his shoulder snapped Jinu out of his trance. It was the demon with red, stringy hair. “Jinu!! Get a hold of yourself!” the demon gestured to the upper crowd. A shimmer, a glow of souls… the Honmoon. The boys regrouped at the edge of the arena walls.
The lavender haired demon spoke, “How is the Honmoon being powered?! The hunters aren’t even present!” Jinu grasped at souls as he could, but it was set in stone. Each soul glowed, clinging to its owner in harmony with the music. The boys on stage danced in sync, they’re voices combining to create a crescendo of power, too strong for Jinu and his band of demons.
“It’s them. The Four Town. They’re not just performers… they must be hunters too…! Or something!” The cyan member’s thoughts were true. They must be hunters. Or, is their sound just that powerful? “It’s just 4*Town.” corrected the broad armed one. Jinu’s thoughts pounded over the music. “No… no no no!” he yelled out. How could this happen? Why was this happening?! Where did this The Four Town come from!!
“I never met nobody like u! Had friends and I had buddies, it’s true! But they don’t turn my tummy, the way you do! I never met nobody… like U!!” The boys sang, and the souls glowed. The Honmoon, it shined gold.
The feeling of suffocation began. Gold wrapped around every surface, constricting the demons. They grasped for any souls they could, but they were already sealed. The final notes from Robaire send the demons back to the underworld.
Back At Celine’s House
Celine stared down at 8 month old Rumi. She’d just lost her sister, and needed to call in some back up from overseas. This was their last show. Celine felt the power of the Honmoon as it started to take shape. Baby Rumi slept in her crib. A part of Celine wanted Rumi to disappear, her niece be sealed away with the other demons. But that doesn’t happen. When the Honmoon is sealed… the patterns on Runi glow. They temporarily disappear for a couple of seconds. Celine gets an idea.