Beastly Beauty ✓

40. The Winter Showcase

Hoseok, Jungkook, and Jimin attended every session, not one of them willing to release me from their sights. Jimin and Jungkook listened to every piece of advice the hunters offered, occasionally training by my side, which turned out to be a mistake.

"So when are you going to tell us about the person who's really worrying you guys?" questioned Taehyung on the eve of the winter showcase. All of us froze, and he continued before we could come up with an evasion. "You two care about her as much as Hoseok does." He eyed Jimin and Jungkook, who both were catching their breaths after a third round of fighting practice. "You wouldn't trust him to be around her as much as you do unless you fully believe he isn't a threat to her. Yet you've all been listening and training like her life depends on it. So, clearly, you know of an immediate threat that we've somehow missed."

He left the statement with no room for doubt, tone seeped in that signature cold. There would be no convincing him that he was wrong.

"He's right," Namjoon spoke up, crossing his arms as he looked between each of us. "You've all been afraid of something from the very beginning. It was clear you weren't going to let us in on what you know, so we've waited to hopefully gain some of your trust up until now—"

"But we're done waiting," Yoongi cut in, the ends of his maroon hair damp with sweat. "The showcase is tomorrow. The masquerade ball is the next night. If you know of another Bul-Gae, he's going to strike during one of the two, so you need to tell us now if you want our help."

Following a stretch of quiet, Hoseok came closer and said, "How do you know he's going to make a move?" Jungkook, Jimin, and I all snapped our heads toward him. Hoseok's gaze brushed over theirs to meet mine. "There's no point in hiding it anymore. Whether it's one of them or not, we're going to need any help we can get."

He wasn't wrong. It was scary placing our trust in them, but they'd done everything possible to help me learn more about myself, and even if one of them turned out to be the Hood, the other two would still help us... right?

"You should've talked to us first, Hoseok," Jimin muttered.

Yoongi sighed as if the confirmation of their theory bored him. "Both events take place after sundown. Both will have tons of people in attendance. Perfect conditions for them to nab Jangmi away without notice. Especially at the masquerade where everyone is wearing masks."

My mind raced as I put two and two together. "Is that why you kept pushing me to come to the masquerade? You..." I released a breath, "You wanted to use me as bait so the Bul-Gae would make his move and you could finally act."

"We still do," stated Namjoon with calm. "Only we thought before that it was Hoseok we'd be luring out. Still, our plan remains the same if there's another Bul-Gae who's been threatening you. It may not sound ideal, but it's the only sure way we can actually fight against them and actively protect you."

"And if it turns out to be one of you?" Jungkook asked stiffly.

The three of them stared back at the four of us. Yoongi was the one to respond.

"We kill them."

* * *

Each night of training had blurred together and gone too fast, and though I retained everything they taught me, I still felt completely out of my depth by the night of the winter showcase. It was impossible to feel secure when there was no way to be sure they had my best interest at heart. When it came down to it, would they prioritize saving me and my friends over killing the beast that ruined each of their lives in some way?

I had to believe their moral compasses swayed toward preserving life rather than seeking vengeance.

After we'd told them all about the Hood, the three were positive their target was Seokjin. Taehyung talked about how often Bul-Gae would date Descendants before they realized their true nature. Yoongi guessed that all the time Seokjin wasn't around us was spent strengthening his abilities, which would explain why the Hood was too strong to be visibly affected by the necklace and other measures the hunters had taken. Namjoon recounted Jin's obsessive behaviors and mood swings, as well as the moments he became forceful with me. He also theorized that the girl who went missing in Jin's past may have also been a Descendant, and that he was behind her vanishing.