Chapter Text
The air was buzzing as eager fans and paparazzi with itchy trigger fingers waited anxiously for the biggest night in music to begin: the Idol Awards. Idols from all over Korea arrived on location one after the other, each one receiving a screaming welcome from fans as well as temporary blindness from the flashing cameras.
The energy was high, but it definitely spiked when the fan favorites of that year stepped onto the scene: the Saja Boys. Jinu flashed a dazzling smile at the cameras while Abby flexed his muscles for the swooning fans. Romance blew kisses (not the kind that sent hearts careening into people's faces this time), and Baby held up finger hearts
Mystery was…there.
He stood rigidly, his fists remaining firmly at his sides. He didn't match the other Saja Boys' energy at all. As they entered the stadium, he kept his head forward, ignoring absolutely everyone around him. The fans looked at each other, confused.
Mystery's whole schtick was being mysterious, sure, but never to the point where he gave the cold shoulder to his pride like that. Social media users would have plenty to say about Mystery Saja later, but right now an even bigger question weighed on everyone's mind: where was HUNTR/X?
For as long as the famous girl group had been around, they'd never missed an Idol Awards show. This year would be different as they'd confirmed on their social media accounts that they wouldn't be attending this year as part of their hiatus. The announcement was met with the expected waves of disappointed and angry fans.
Some tried to speculate if this was all a diversion and that HUNTR/X would make a surprise appearance at the Idol Awards after all. Little did they know they, too, would inevitably end up disappointed.
The 2027 Idol Awards were going to be interesting, to say the least.
Mystery sat hunched over in the corner of the green room, a dark, mopey aura surrounding him.
"Cheer up, idiot," Baby mumbled through a mouthful of food from the snack table. "You can survive one night away from your girlfriend."
"Baby." Romance shot a warning glance at their maknae.
"You don't understand…" Mystery whimpered pathetically.
"And quit stuffing your face, you'll stain your suit," Romance tutted like a fed-up mother. Their outfits were a big part of tonight, with Romance, Mystery, and Baby wearing deep magenta, plum, and teal, respectively.
Baby rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to the buffet.
The romantic Saja Boy groaned. Even though Jinu had instructed both him and Baby to keep Mystery distracted before the show, Romance knew he would just end up babysitting them both. It was already enough of a challenge dragging Mystery here in the first place.
"Mystery, it's going to be ok," Romance began softly, kneeling down next to his gloomy bandmate. "I know you're worried, but you know that Zoey ssi can take care of herself. Besides, she has the girls to keep her company. If something were wrong, they'd be calling us-"
Zzzzzzzt.
Mystery's phone buzzed on the table. He practically shoved Romance out of the way to grab it. He swiped the answer button with so much force that it was a miracle his screen didn't crack.
"Zoey? Are you ok? Are the babies ok?" Mystery rattled off with genuine concern in his voice as Zoey's FaceTime appeared on his phone.
"Chill out, Myst, we're fine." Zoey smiled in an attempt to calm her boyfriend. "I'm just calling to check in. The puppies are excited to see their appa perform!"
Mystery looked at her with a straight face, his head tilted slightly. "...But how can they see when they're still in your-"
"Not literally, doofus. Jeez, I was trying to be cute and you totally ruined it." She huffed in annoyance.
Mystery muttered a soft "sorry" under his breath. "I wish I wasn't here… I should be at home with you-"
"Stop saying that!" Zoey snapped. "Don't forget you have a duty to deliver for your fans! If you let them down tonight, I'm going to kick your butt!"
Zoey's phone then picked up Mira's voice calling out from another part of the room. "You tell him, Zo!"
Gulp. "...Understood."
"Yeah, don't worry. We'll keep him on a tight leash tonight," Baby snickered as he pushed his way into view of the camera, very deliberately trying to get on his bandmate's nerves. A low growl rose from Mystery's throat. The younger Saja Boy simply popped another shrimp into his mouth.
"Baby…" Romance whispered in exasperation.
"Are Jinu and Abby there, too? I can let them know Rumi and Mira are rooting for them." Zoey offered, knowing that was only half true. Rumi was rooting for them, at least. Mira was probably hoping one of them would trip and fall on their face.
"They left to mingle for the pre-show broadcast. If only I could have joined them," Romance lamented with a melancholy look in his eyes. "Tell nae sarang I'll be thinking of her."
"Oh, I don't think she cares," Zoey said without thinking.
Romance pouted for only a second before regaining his usual composure. "Ah, that's what she always says. And yet, my undead heart continues to beat for her."
Baby gagged at this.
Trying to regain control of the call, Mystery stood so the other two Saja Boys were no longer in frame. "If you feel any pain, even a little-"
"Babe. I already told you we're fine." Zoey gave the demon boy a reassuring look. "We've been fine for the past seven months. I think we can manage for one night."
Mystery's shoulders fell as he relinquished to his girlfriend. "Ok. I love you. Tell the babies I love them, too." For the first time that night, a hint of a smile appeared on his lips.
Zoey couldn't help but giggle with joy at how sweet her boyfriend sounded saying that. "Trust me, they already know. Love you too! Hugs and kisses! Knock 'em dead out there, Appa!"
Hanging up the call, Zoey dropped her phone on the couch cushion beside her. The temporarily out-of-commission idol sighed in contentment as she snuggled into her duvet. It was wrapped around her like a cocoon as she sank as deeply into the couch as she could.
Within her soft cocoon, Zoey caressed her pregnant belly, the reason for HUNTR/X's hiatus. At roughly thirty weeks with triplets on the way, she was ready to pop.
According to her doctor, pregnancy was unpredictable, especially when it came to carrying multiples. She was at that stage where she could potentially go into labor at any time, so she'd been placed on strict bed rest a few weeks prior. That meant nothing but pure relaxation until the babies were born. And that meant Rumi and Mira doing everything they could to make their first "girls' night" in a while the comfiest one yet.
Derpy was snuggled up beside her, nudging away the blankets so he could press his nose against her midsection. Zoey gave the tiger a scratch behind the ear. Derpy purred as he glanced up at Zoey, before nuzzling her belly. His whiskers tickled her. After a few seconds of soft, cat-shaped bliss, the tiger's head shot up as he let out a startled chuff, ears perked up in alarm.
Warmth filled her heart as she gave Derpy a soothing pet. "It's alright, it was just a kick." Resting her other hand on her rounded middle, Zoey let the tiger sniff her belly once again. When another little foot hit his nose, he blinked in surprise, but didn't pull away like he did before. "See? They're saying hello!"
Suddenly, a dull pain in her lower back made Zoey groan. Back pain had pretty much become a normal part of her life as her bump grew, and cramps like this one would only become more frequent the closer she got to delivery. As scary as the thought was, Zoey couldn't wait for this pregnancy to be over with. She wanted her old body back. She wanted to be out on stage performing again. Heck, she even wanted to fight some soul-sucking demons. Most of all, she wanted to hold her and Mystery's children in her arms, sing them to sleep, and shower them with love with their eager aunts and uncles.
"Yessss, let's get this watch party started!" Mira said with as much outward enthusiasm as a girl like her could manage, dressed in her pajamas and carrying a comically large stack of food. Sussie was already helping herself to the popcorn.
Rumi, also dressed in her nightwear, was doing an excited little shoulder dance so as not to drop the snacks and drinks she was carrying. "You good to go, Zoey?" She turned to see her fellow hunter shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "Zo?"
"Can't…get…comfy…" Zoey whined, moving back and forth in her duvet cocoon like a turtle stuck on its back.
Before she knew it, Rumi was giving her extra pillows to rest her back against as Mira propped up her swollen feet on an ottoman. Zoey was glad she was wearing socks and slippers; otherwise, she'd be dying from embarrassment over how gross her feet and ankles looked lately.
"Ooooh, yeah, that's the stuff." Zoey sighed dramatically as she wiggled into her mountain of cushions. Looking down at her belly, she frowned. "I'm so ready for this to be over."
"Someone's getting impatient," Rumi chuckled as she sat next to her.
Zoey rolled her eyes playfully. "I look like a goblin and I waddle when I walk. Why shouldn't I be impatient?"
Rumi grinned and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders, cozying up to her pregnant friend. "You don't look like a goblin. In fact, you've never been more beautiful."
"You do waddle, though," Mira added, squeezing in between Zoey and Derpy. Rumi shot her a glare as Zoey snorted with laughter. "But I agree with Rumi. You're still the same adorable Zoey, just with Hobbit feet and a medicine ball for a stomach."
This got a genuine laugh out of Zoey.
"Mira!" Rumi scolded.
"Ok, sorry! I'm not good at the whole 'cheering people up' thing."
Once Zoey was able to catch her breath from her laughing fit, she wiped tears from her eyes. "I know you guys are just saying that stuff to be nice and all, but…it's just so sweet and I…" Her voice slowly started to quiver as she spoke, tears welling up in her eyes again. She sniffled before finally breaking down. "I LOVE YOU GUYSSSS!"
"Awww, Zoey! We love you too!" Mira hugged Zoey from the side, starting to tear up as well.
Rumi hugged Zoey on her opposite side. "C'mon, you know we're not just saying that. You're beautiful and adorable and every other synonym of those words!"
Derpy cuddled up to the group hug, not sure what everyone was crying about, but just happy to be involved.
Sussie glared at the weeping trio, deeply judging them. The magpie sauntered over to the remote on the table and pecked a few buttons, landing on the channel broadcasting the Idol Awards pre-show.
Rumi dried her eyes as she looked up at the TV. "Thanks, Sussie. We totally forgot about the 'watch' part of our watch party."
Sussie looked away and chirped, as if to say, "Don't mention it."
Even though they were normally the ones at the Idol Awards, it was still fun watching the pre-show from the other side of the screen. Rating outfits from chic to jaw-droppingly stunning, predictions of who might win what awards, and watching the exclusive interviews with idols (though the ones doing the interviewing cared mostly about drama rather than the music).
As they watched and talked, the girls dug into their own personal buffet they had laid out for themselves. Well, mostly Zoey dug in. It would take a lot of nutrients to sustain three ordinary babies, but three half-demon babies? That was another beast entirely.
Zoey was halfway through a plate of mandu when her hands went to her belly. "Ah, I think the puppies want to say hi to their aunties…" she said with a hint of discomfort, but she smiled nonetheless.
Rumi and Mira both lit up at this. As Zoey showed them where to place their hands, they didn't have to wait long before they felt the sensation of something tiny but strong hitting their palms.
"Holy shit," Mira blurted out, awestruck. Zoey couldn't help but laugh as that was the rawest reaction she could have gotten out of her.
"Have you…" Rumi began, almost timidly, "...thought of any names?"
Zoey shot her friend a knowing look. "Maybe. Myst came up with some girl names, I came up with some boy names."
Rumi smirked. She knew that by "some," Zoey actually meant she thought of at least twenty names she was still deciding between. The youngest HUNTR/X decided to keep the genders a mystery (teehee) until the babies were born, so it made sense for them to come up with a good variety of names just in case.
"Lemme guess, you won't tell us just yet?" Rumi asked.
"Mayyyybe. Why? You want some ideas?" Zoey looked at her with a teasing wiggle of her eyebrows. "I've got a whole notebook you can look at if you and Jinu need it."
"Shut up," Rumi deadpanned.
Just as Zoey was about to eat the last of her mandu, something caught her eye that made her point excitedly at the TV.
"Look, look! There's Jinu and Abby!"
Rumi and Mira looked up to see that the two Saja Boys' handsome faces were indeed on screen. They were dressed in the same dapper suits they wore in the music video for "Got It", the song they'd be performing later that night, Jinu's a navy blue and Abby's a dark crimson (with ninety percent of his pecs and abs exposed, of course). The camera was focused solely on them as the person asking them questions was almost entirely out of shot.
"I notice that the other Saja Boys aren't with you right now…" the reporter pointed out, clearly a bit disappointed.
"Oh, yes, they…have a very important pre-show ritual," Jinu lied unconvincingly. "So we'll be answering questions on their behalf."
"If by ritual he means holding Mystery down so he doesn't run away." Mira sipped her bubble tea.
"I see! So, Jinu Saja, the Saja Boys have been known to collaborate and interact with HUNTR/X quite often. This will be the first Idol Awards show that they'll be absent from, even though they are up for a few awards as well. Why do you think that is?"
"That's true, and the Saja Boys will proudly be accepting any awards in HUNTR/X's name tonight. As for why they're not here…" He paused, thinking of what to say. "I can't give away any information, but let's just say they're busy with something very special."
Rumi chuckled as she watched the reporter get excited over Jinu's incredibly vague answer. "Pfft. Nice save, Jinu."
"I guess he's not wrong…but the way he says it makes it sound like the babies are a new album or something," Zoey joked as she chewed on a piece of kimbap.
"Now we gotta do something extra special when we come out of hiatus, or else everyone'll get angry," Mira groaned. "Thanks a lot, demon boy."
"Yeah, but we were gonna do that anyway," Rumi pointed out.
"True. Just felt like blaming Jinu for something."
As Zoey listened to her friends talk over the TV, the same tightness from earlier crept up her lower back and wrapped around her stomach. Try as she might, Zoey couldn't stop the whimper that escaped her lips. Any levity in the room was gone in an instant as Rumi and Mira both watched her pained expression.
"Are you ok? You're really tense." Rumi, whose hand hadn't yet left her friend's belly, could feel how stiff she suddenly was.
"Yeah. Muscle cramps. It should go away in a second," Zoey said, like it was no big deal, as she breathed through the pain.
Rumi and Mira shared a look, not quite trusting her explanation.
"K, but if it happens again, tell us." Mira's expression was stern to show that she wasn't joking.
Zoey nodded weakly.
"Abby Saja, there are rumors going around that you're in a secret relationship with Mira of HUNTR/X!" The interviewer's voice cut through the tense air, causing Mira to choke on her own saliva. "Care to share your thoughts?"
"That's ridiculous!" Abby looked at the reporter like they were crazy.
"Oh, thank god. For a second, I thought he was gonna say something stupid." Mira breathed a sigh of relief before drinking from her bubble tea.
"I'm in a relationship with Mira and Romance! Though Mira clearly likes me more. Sorry, Ro."
Mira doubled over, coughing violently as she choked on her tea.
On screen, Abby was grinning from ear to ear while Jinu glared at him with death in his eyes.
"SINCE WHEN ARE WE DATING?!" she yelled in between bouts of wheezing and catching her breath. "THAT'S IT, I'M SENDING HIM BACK TO THE DEMON WORLD."
During a break in the broadcast, Rumi pulled out her phone and opened her social media. When she burst out laughing, she turned her phone to show Mira and Zoey that someone had already turned the image of Jinu glaring at a smiling Abby into a meme template. As she scrolled and they laughed at the funny comments and memes people were posting about the Idol Awards, they eventually started reading every post individually, which, as an idol, was the last thing you wanted to do.
Why did Mystery Saja look so grumpy when the #SajaBoys arrived? It's like he didn't even want to be there. Not having high hopes for the live performance rn ngl #IdolAwards2027
UM EXCUSE ME ABBY SAJA CASUALLY CONFIRMING #MIROMABBY ?!?! MIROMABBY NATION RISE #IdolAwards2027
Jinu's face I can't 😭😭😭 #IdolAwards2027
Bro ain't no way Mira's dating this guy. I'm actually so mad rn #IdolAwards2027
where's huntrix??? 🥺 I miss them #IdolAwards2027
ummm why aren't huntrix there when they're literally nominated for a bunch of stuff? extremely disappointing as a day one huntrix fan #IdolAwards2027
Honestly I hope Jinu's right about HUNTR/X. They better bring some HEAT after this long ahh hiatus 😬 #IdolAwards2027
Rumi turned off her phone. The girls sat in silence for a few seconds before Zoey hesitantly spoke up. "Guys, it's ok. I don't care what people on the internet say. I'm just glad that you guys didn't, like, hate me or hold a grudge against me or anything like that."
"What, because you got pregnant? Why would we hate you for that?" Mira leaned back on the couch, cracking open a Saja Boys brand soda pop, the strawberry-flavored one with Romance's pink lion-sona on the can. "Shit happens, whether you're an idol or not. And if the fans can't accept that, that's on them."
"Yeah, but because of me we can't perform-"
"You're a lot more important to us than performing, Zoey." Rumi swiftly stamped out any worries Zoey had. No friend of hers was going to have negative thoughts on her watch. "And it's not like we'll be on hiatus forever. As long as it's for you, we don't mind waiting."
"Aww, Rumiiii!" Zoey shook her head and lightly smacked the sides of her face. "No! I will not be crying for the second time tonight!"
The pre-show quickly began winding down, signaling that the main event was about to start. And because Zoey's kids had to have the worst timing, they chose that moment to press up against her poor bladder.
"Ahhh, why now?! I wanted to watch!" Zoey reached out in front of her, making grabby-hands to show that she needed assistance. "Quick, help me up! Maybe if I'm fast enough, I won't miss anything!"
After assuring her friends that she didn't need any help beyond standing, Zoey waddled as fast as she could down the hall. She slowed when the tightness in her lower back made its grand reappearance.
"C'mon, kiddos, give your eomma a break just this once…"
The pain only worsened, slowly spreading to her hips and abdomen. Stopping in her tracks and leaning against the wall for support, Zoey took labored breaths as she rode it out. This time, when the pain finally subsided, she could feel herself sweating.
Only then did it finally click. This whole time, she assumed the cramps were just more of her regular pregnancy pains, but as they slowly became more regular and intense, it dawned on her that she was having contractions.
To add insult to injury, Zoey felt something leak out of her and stain her pajama bottoms.
"Guys…? Don't freak out…"
"Did we run out of ice cream?" Mira half-joked from where she lay on the couch. She was staring at her phone, tapping away at something. "Already on it. You like peanut butter flavored, right?"
When she was met with silence, Mira looked up to see Rumi turned around, staring wide-eyed at something. Following her gaze, she saw Zoey standing awkwardly, holding her belly with an obvious wet spot between her legs.
"I think my water just broke."