A/N: Here's the new Chapter! Which also means the next FIVE chapters are up on my Patreon for early access!

Bobby makes his way over to Celine. I'm sure she's doing great!

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Bobby tries to make his way over to Celine as soon as possible, but admittedly it takes him a hot minute. He needs to make sure everything is all set before he takes the helicopter ride all the way to Jeju Island where the old Training Compound is located, after all.

Funny how he'd never once questioned why the girls were trained so far away from the mainland. Sure, he'd known that Sunlight Entertainment had an old compound on Jeju Island where even the Sunlight Sisters had been trained once upon a time, but he hadn't really thought twice about why that was. He'd simply written it off as weird Idol Stuff.

But it wasn't, was it? As he hops out of the helicopter and starts making his way along the dirt path to the compound, Bobby looks around himself and really sees the place for what it is for the first time. And he realizes… it wasn't just the Sunlight Sisters and HUNTR/X who trained here. No, this was where demon hunters like them had probably been training for generations.

In that context, it made sense that if Celine wanted to find evidence refuting Jinu's claims, she would have to come here. This was probably where all of their records going back hundreds of years could be found.

But from what Rumi had said about Celine's text message this morning… Bobby wasn't entirely sure what she'd managed to uncover. Evidence that Jinu was exactly who he said he was, maybe? But would that really rattle Celine too much?

Frowning, Bobby reaches the compound in good time, walking up to the front door and knocking loudly as he makes his presence known.

"Celine? Celine are you in there?"

After a couple minutes, he still hasn't heard anything from within, which admittedly makes him a bit more anxious. Bobby doesn't think Celine is the type to do anything… drastic, but at the same time, there was obviously a LOT he hadn't known about both her and the girls before this week. So yeah, he was having to rethink a lot of what he'd once held to be true.

That said, his desire to be polite ultimately loses against his desire to not only carry out his orders from the girls, but also make sure Celine was alright. And even though it's been years since Bobby has come out here to Jeju, he nevertheless finds the spare key hidden under the same rock as always near the front door.

Picking it up, he marshals his courage and steels his resolve, unlocking the door to the compound's main house and pushing it open as he moves into the entrance hall.

"Celine? It's me, Bobby. I'm coming in! The girls sent me to check on you!"

Once again, there's no answer… or at least, no answer from Celine herself. Bobby does get an answer of sorts mere feet into the entryway when his shoe knocks into something that rolls away from him on impact. Blinking owlishly, Bobby stares down at the empty bottle of soju in disbelief for a moment before frowning much, much deeper than before.

"… Celine, what have you been doing here?"

He moves deeper into the main house. It's a strange sensation of familiar and unfamiliar. He's been here plenty of times before after all, all those years ago back near HUNTR/X start before they'd hit their stride and seen enough success for the tower to be built. However, it's never felt this… dark and empty.

The empty soju bottle is just one of many, and as Bobby steps into the living room, he looks around in dismay. The place is a mess, with things strewn all over the room. Some of those things look really old too, like 'belongs in a museum' type old… but it's clear Celine hadn't really cared all that much after a certain point.

He finds himself torn for a moment between trying to clean everything up and save what looks to be precious artifacts from the mostly empty containers of alcohol all over the place… and finding Celine to make sure she's okay. This much alcohol in less than twenty-four hours… is she even still breath-?

"Bobby. What're you doin' here?"

His head whips around and his jaw drops open as he takes in the sight of the woman who is technically his superior. He'd just seen Celine yesterday and she was mostly fine aside from being a bit frazzled over Jinu's claims and the girls (mostly Mira) disrespecting and mouthing off to her. But that was yesterday. Today? Today Celine is an utter mess.

At least she's wearing clothing. Bobby isn't sure he could take her being a wreck AND underdressed. But no, she's got on a stained top hanging off of her shoulders and a pair of stained sweatpants.

Her hair, meanwhile, is completely all over the place and makes her look like she lost a battle with a tsunami. And… she's clearly still very drunk. Not just because she's holding a half-empty bottle of soju in one hand, but also because her eyes are unfocused and she's slurring her words as she sways back and forth.

"Celine… what the hell? You don't drink."

Blinking slowly, Celine looks down at the bottle in her hand… and much to his dismay, takes another swig from it right then and there.

"Celine! How much soju have you had? Do I need to get you helivacced to a hospital so you can have your stomach pumped?!"

Celine scoffs and shakes her head while pointing a finger at his general direction that can't seem to remain in one place as she wavers a bit.

"Don' you dare, Bobby. 'M fine. Can handle… my alcohol… better than most."

Fuck! This is worse than the strong arm tactics Mira used on him earlier to make him accept that 2% raise! He'd almost wanted to pull his hair out then, but this… he might legitimately start to pull his hair out if this doesn't let up!

"Celine! You! Don't! Drink!"

Stomping over, he yanks the soju bottle from the older woman's hand before she can take another swig. Celine jerks, almost falling over from the sudden motion, but she catches herself on the doorframe instead, peering at him tiredly for a moment.

"… Been a while, yea'. Had to… had to stop when Rumi got old enough to start askin' questions. So… twenty years sober? Mm… almost anyways. Almost made it twenty years."

… Fuck. Celine was a recovering alcoholic? How the fuck had Bobby never known that before? Well, obviously because she'd hidden it really, REALLY well.

And it was twenty years ago, long before Bobby had ever even met her. Almost twenty years… Rumi would have been four or five. So what, she was drinking heavily all throughout Rumi's toddler years?! Bobby really didn't want to hear that sort of thing!

"Why're you here, Bobby?"

Sucking in a breath, Bobby makes sure Celine is as focused on him as she can be before he responds.

"The girls sent me to check on you Celine. They're worried about you."

Celine peers at him, eyes narrowed into slits. And then she snorts derisively. And drunkenly.

"Worried? Why're they worried? I sent… I sent a perfectly good text this mornin'. No need to be worried. They don't need me anymore…"

Bobby groans and carefully sets the soju bottle down on a nearby counter. Then, he takes Celine by the hand and starts to lead her over to the couch. Most of the soju bottles there are already empty. Thankfully, she doesn't try to fight him, even as he gets her to sit down.

"That kind of talk is exactly what worried them, Celine. You made it sound like you felt they were better off without you."

"… They are."

Scowling, Bobby shakes his head.

"You can't possibly believe that! Sure, maybe you've made mistakes! But HUNTR/X wouldn't be where it is today without your help, Celine! The girls wouldn't be world-class superstars without your guidance and mentorship!"

But Celine isn't having it.

"Maybe they still would've. Probably be better off without my 'guidance'."

What was she even talking about?! But Celine isn't done.

"I failed 'em, Bobby. Failed 'em all… but Rumi 'specially. Oh Rumi…"

Suddenly she's looking away from him, listing forward far enough he's worried she's going to brain herself on the coffee table. Bobby has to use his hold on her hand to pull on her so she slumps backwards into the couch instead. Celine sounds so mournful when she says Rumi's name. She sounds… heartbroken.

"What… what about Rumi, Celine? How did you fail her?"

He already knows the answer of course. But it might be the first step on the road to recovery if Celine can tell him herself all the same. And indeed, his question seems to get through to her in a way that nothing else he's said really has.

Her eyes sharpen and she seems to really see him as she leans into the couch.

"… You should know the truth, Bobby. She should… have someone close to her who knows. You'll protect her, won't you? Keep her secret… keep her s-safe for me?"

Swallowing hard, Bobby nods resolutely.

"Of course I will, Celine. You know I would. Always. But what secret? I already know about the demon hunting…"

Celine hesitates for a moment longer before letting out a shuddering, shaking breath.

"… She's got patterns, Bobby. Rumi has… has demon patterns. S'not her fault though, you hear me?! S'not! She… she was born that way. Not somethin' she could control. And she's not a demon. She's NOT a demon, do you understand?!"

By that point, Celine has lunged forward to grab Bobby by the arms and all but shout in his face. Bobby can only nod with wide eyes.

"I-I understand, Celine!"

"… Good. Cause… Cause she's not. She's a hunter. Like her m-mother. Not her fault what her f-father did. Not her fault… what… what he WAS."

Fuck, Bobby has so many questions he wants to ask right now. Celine is drunk enough that she might even answer them. But… his duty will always be to his girls. So even though he's burning to ask what the story between Rumi's mother and father is, instead Bobby asks what really matters.

"Why… why can't Mira and Zoey know this, Celine? Why keep it a secret from them? I understand keeping it a secret from me and the rest of the world, but Zoey… Mira… they're Rumi's girls. They're her best friends, her bandmates."

For a moment, Celine is listing back from him, allowing Bobby to say his piece without interruption. But then the meat of his words seems to finally get through to her because she jerks back up, her eyes widening in horrified panic. And then she's in his face again, practically shaking him with a snarl.

"NO! You can't… Bobby, you can' tell them! They can NEVER know about Rumi's patterns! They… they CAN'T!"

She sounds so terrified that all Bobby can do is swallow and nod vigorously in response. Even though Mira and Zoey already know. Even though they already accept Rumi for who she is, completely and utterly.

Why is Celine so scared though? They know Jinu is a demon and aren't trying to kill him anymore. So why is Celine so damn certain that they'd try to hurt Rumi? He just doesn't get it.

"Celine… help me understand. Please. You know I'll protect Rumi with my life in every way I can. So help me to comprehend how Mira and Zoey could possibly be a threat to her. Why are they a danger I need to protect her from?"

Slumping back on the couch again, Celine drunkenly whimpers, holding a hand to her head and groaning in pain. For a moment Bobby isn't sure she's going to respond… but then her quiet voice reaches his ears.

"They… they shouldn' be…"

Bobby leans forward, hanging off of Celine's every word.

"Hunters… the Chosen Three… we're supposed to c-complete one another… supposed to be each other's s-soulmates. It shouldn' matter to them that Rumi has p-patterns."

And then, in a much quieter, nearly silent tone, Celine chokes out one final sentence like a sob.

"… but it did matter… to… to Jia…"

Bobby goes still as Celine's head dips down, her chin to her chest for a moment. Jia. That was… the name of the Third Sunlight Sister. And he's realizing in that moment that this is the first time he's ever heard Celine say it out loud.

Everyone knows the Sunlight Sisters of course. Hard not to, especially if you're working for Sunlight Entertainment. Celine, Mi-yeong, and Jia. Except you barely even heard Jia mentioned most days, even around the SE Office. And definitely not anywhere in any of the remaining Sunlight Sisters fandom spaces.

People will talk about Celine reverently as the Sunlight Sister who went corporate solely to change the industry for the better from the inside. And they'll of course mention Mi-yeong as the Sunlight Sister taken from them too soon by tragedy, while waxing on poetically about how her spirit so obviously lives on in her daughter, Rumi.

Nobody talks about Jia though. Not even Celine. But then to be fair… as far as the world knows, Jia hung herself just days after Mi-yeong died. The Third Sunlight Sister committed suicide… and overnight, it became verboten to so much as mention her name.

After all, mental health issues, the capacity for self-harm, and suicide… were all largely viewed as deeply shameful personal failings in Korea. It wasn't seen as a mental health crisis, but rather something that the individual should have done better about.

It ultimately led to a stigma that Bobby had always hated if he was being honest, one where avoiding one's problems was the cultural norm. Repress, suppress, and never think about any of it.

Jia's suicide was considered the black mark on the Sunlight Sisters' record, even worse than Mi-yeong's secret pregnancy. After all, Mi-yeong's death was a tragedy and her pregnancy could be 'forgiven' after all this time for having produced the oh-so-talented Rumi.

But Jia? Leaving Celine and Rumi all alone? Ending it all to escape her pain? Nobody, least of all the public and the 'adoring fans', had ever gotten over that, even twenty-four years later.

"Had to… had to stop her… had to protect Rumi…"

Bobby straightens up at Celine's drunken murmuring. He stares at the older woman. That… didn't really sound like someone bemoaning their bandmate's suicide. That didn't sound like someone grieving their soulmate ending it all long before their time.

He shouldn't pry. He knows he shouldn't. But Bobby's curiosity gets the better of him. Leaning forward, he licks his lips.

"Celine… what do you mean you had to stop her? What happened with Jia? What did you have to do to protect Rumi?"

Slowly, Celine lifts her head, her blood-shot eyes visible through her curtain of messy, unkempt hair. In spite of her drunken stupor, Bobby sees a sharpness in her gaze that makes him shiver.

"… I had to do it, Bobby. I had to kill Jia. B-Because if I didn't… if I didn't, she was goin' to kill Rumi."

Well. Shit.

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A/N: Well shit indeed, Bobby. Well shit indeed.

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