Hidden Patterns | Kpop Demon Hunters x Reader

[ 17 ] conflict

For a while, you just sit there in absolute disbelief, phone heavy in your hand, your mind still frozen on the sight of that video. This is the absolute last thing you were expecting today. You keep trying to tell yourself that maybe, just maybe, Rumi wasn't the one who posted it. Maybe it's some strange coincidence, maybe it's a stolen clip that somehow found its way online. But no. You know better. There's no other explanation for it, even though you desperately want there to be.

She did this.

The realization burns in your chest. You feel blindsided, and—though you hate to admit it—betrayed. There's a strange blend of emotions swirling inside you. Frustration, disappointment, along with a heavy kind of sadness. But you don't even get the chance to untangle any of it before your phone starts buzzing again, sharp and insistent.

You glance at the screen, and of course, the caller ID doesn't surprise you one bit.

It's Celine.

Your stomach drops. Of course it's her. You let out a slow, tired exhale, already bracing yourself for whatever storm is about to come. This is the last thing you want to deal with right now, but you've never been the type to run from your problems. Not in this century, and certainly not in any of the centuries before.

Pausing for scarcely a moment, you swipe to answer, then lift the phone to your ear. "Hello—?"

"You need to come over here," Celine grits out, her tone sharp enough to cut glass. Even though you can't see her, you can practically feel the heat of her glare through the phone. "You're coming here. Right now."

There's really no point in arguing.

So, you go.

You leave your apartment without another word, slipping out into the fading light of day, as the city moves around you in its usual restless rhythm. You walk with your head high, even though there's a tight knot of unease twisting in your stomach. You won't let it show. You've been through worse than this—far worse—and if there's one thing you've learned, it's that you survive by staying calm and steady, even when the ground under you is ready to give way.

When you arrive at the HUNTR/X apartment, you barely even have to knock before the door swings open. Celine stands there, her expression taut with barely-contained rage, eyes cold and unforgiving.

"Get in," she all but hisses.

Her hand closes firmly around your arm, and she pulls you inside with more force than necessary. The air in the apartment is tense, heavy enough to choke on. All three girls are there—Rumi, Mira, and Zoey—but none of them will meet your eyes. Whether it's because Celine told them not to, or because they're too nervous, you honestly can't tell.

For a split second though, Rumi's head lifts, her gaze darting towards you, but the moment Celine glances her way, her chin drops again.

Celine gestures aggressively towards the couch. "Sit."

You do as you're told, lowering yourself into the cushions without a word. Rumi, Mira, and Zoey remain standing off to the side, their postures stiff and uneasy. It's just you and Celine across from each other now, and the weight of her stare is positively relentless.

"What were you thinking?" she demands, her voice low and hostile. "You assured me I could trust you. You even swore it on your life. I should've known you were deceiving me all along." She leans forward slightly, her tone dripping with accusation. "So, what else? Have you revealed the truth about their identities as well? And if not yet, are you planning to?"

She doesn't know it was Rumi. She must think you had the video all along. That maybe you asked one of the girls to record you while you were singing, and then you posted it yourself.