The gym was empty, as it was a Thursday night. The only people still left we’re Jungkook and another staff member, who was cleaning the locker rooms. 

Ryujin walked through the front door, the chime alerting Jungkook. 

Jungkook ran to her with a smile “Miss my workouts already?”

Ryujin rolled her eyes “No,” Ryujin scanned the room then cleared “I’m just having a rough night. I need to clear my head, and this was the first place in my mind.”

”I’m touched,” Jungkook replied. He walked off for a moment before returning with a clipboard. Ryujin took it from him and signed on the paper below. “Feel free to use whatever machine you want, it’s always a slow night here.”

Ryujin nodded and watched Jungkook walk off. She couldn’t help but realize how much bigger Jungkook was looking. It was obvious that something didn’t seem right with how twitchy his muscles were.

”Steriods?” Ryujin said to herself as she walked towards a treadmill. 

Ryujin kept an eye on Jungkook, who was sanitizing machines nearby. Every so often, he’d walk away when his muscles started to twitch wildly. He’d return a minute or two later like nothing had happened.

Ryujin had only one plan. “Hey, Jungkook?”

Jungkook looked up from his job “Yeah?”

”How do you get so big? My boyfriend is muscled and all, but he says he’s been trying to get jacked but nothing is happening.”

Jungkook chuckled and walked over to her. “Does he use this gym?”

Ryujin shook her head, “No. We are long distance, he lives about a couple hours from here.”

”Well if he stopped by one day, I’d let him in on my secret.”

”Which would be?” 

Jungkook put his index finger to his lips “Secret.” Ryujin rolled her eyes and picked up the pace on the treadmill. “Do you guys talk often?”

Ryujin shifted her head to think of an answer “We FaceTime a couple times a week, that’s about it. That’s good enough for me, and he enjoys his introverted time alone.”

”I never pictured you dating a shy guy.” Ryujin eyed him and he chuckled, “Well good for you.”

Jungkook walked off to return to sanitizing. Ryujin sighed and walked a little while longer before stopping. She thought for a second then walked over to Jungkook.

”Any tips on how I can increase my muscle size?” Ryujin flexed her non-existent biceps. Jungkook chuckled and shook his head at her. Ryujin just went for it, “What is your opinions on steroids?”

Jungkook stopped what he was doing and looked at her “What?”

”Steriods?”

”Oh,” Jungkook sighed and shook his head “personally I hate them. Truthfully I’ve used it once or twice before. I stopped before I got addicted. I found an alternate method to gaining muscle.”

”Pumping the iron bars twenty four seven?” Ryujin joked.

”Something like that.” Jungkook replied. Suddenly his muscles started to twitch, he stopped what he was doing and practically ran into the boys locker room.

Ryujin waited for Jungkook, and not a minute later he came out. His muscles were still twitching. He looked uneasy.

”Everything okay?” 

Jungkook looked at Ryujin, then a smile appeared on his face “Do you want to know my secret?”

Ryujin smiled back and nodded. Jungkook motioned for her to follow him, she reluctantly did. 

Woozi took off his jacket as he entered the house. Yoongi was playing with a small ball of fire in the living room. Woozi motioned his hands at Yoongi and the ball of fire froze.

Once Yoongi realized it, he turned his head “Hey!”

”No playing with fire in the house, remember the rules?” Woozi unfroze the fire.

Yoongi extinguished the flame with a sigh then rose. Woozi went to his room. About an hour later, he came out.

”Where did Ryujin go?” 

“To kill a demon,” Yoongi said. 

Woozi eyed him with an open mouth “What?”

”That’s what she told me,” Yoongi looked at him then shook his head “but you know she isn’t stupid enough to actually go after one alone. Especially since her power isn’t violent.” 

Woozi eyed him like he was crazy then went for his jacket. Yoongi followed him. 

“Woozi, I told you she’s fine. She’s not stupid-“

”But she is stubborn and prideful!”

”Okay, yes, that’s true, but I don’t know where she went.” 

“I do.”

”You do?”

Woozi pointed at the floor, where Ryujin would have put her work out sneakers there was just empty space. “The gym.”

”There’s a demon at the gym?”

”There is a demon everywhere by now. Let’s go!” Woozi dragged Yoongi out the door. 

Ryujin entered the boys locker room with Jungkook, who was looking shifty. 

Where are you, dude? I got one. Just take her and give me what I need.

Ryujin stopped walking, causing Jungkook to turn “What?” 

“Why are we in the boys locker room?”

Jungkook was about to speak but another voice answered. 

“Because, darling.” Ryujin turned to see the white eyed man from the picture standing behind her. He smiled, revealing large white fangs “You are my dinner.” 

Woozi opened the gym door, Yoongi following behind him. The other staff member was at the front desk, and smiled at them. 

“Welcome to-“ 

“Don’t have time.” Woozi froze the guy and the two continued through to the gym area. 

The two boys scanned the room. There was no one working out, but Woozi did notice Ryujin’s workout bag slumped against the treadmill. Suddenly, there was a loud crash coming from the boys locker room. The two boys rushed over to the door.

Ryujin groaned after being thrown against a set of lockers. She placed a hand on a locker door to lift herself up. 

“Some durability you have, sweetheart.” The man said, chuckling through his words. Jungkook simply stared.

” you.” Ryujin muttered as she shook herself against the sudden dazed state. 

“Rexas, just do it. Don’t hurt her, just slurp her up like you did-“ 

Rexas motioned towards Jungkook. Before he could even blink, he combusted into flames. Nothing was left after. 

Rexas motioned towards Jungkook’s remains, “he was always so demanding. Annoyed the living out of me.” 

Ryujin held back her emotions and just stared at the pile of ash. Rexas chuckled and floated over to Ryujin, who looked up at him. 

“I have a proposition, take it and you live.”

Woozi and Yoongi burst in through the doors. Rexas craned his neck and stared at them. Ryujin took the opportunity and punched Rexas in the groin, but Rexas didn’t even flinch. Rexas looked down at Ryujin and chuckled. 

“I don’t have anything special down there,” he placed his open hand out in front of her “but you did piss me off. So goodbye.”

”No!” Woozi yelled and gestured his hand at Rexas. 

Rexas froze, and Ryujin didn’t waste any time limping to her friends. Yoongi started a fire with his lighter then made it grow to the size of a basket ball. 

“You can say I told you so after we kill him,” Ryujin said before Yoongi hurled the fireball at Rexas. 

Rexas unfroze as soon as the fire hit him. He shot back into the lockers, and immediately combusted. The three sighed with relief. Ryujin turned to the pile of ash.

Ryujin fell to her knees “I couldn’t save him.” She fought tears in her eyes. “I’m useless.” 

Woozi and Yoongi sat down beside her. Woozi wrapped his arms around her and Yoongi patted her back. 

Woozi looked at her while holding her “You are not useless.”

Ryujin motioned towards the ashes “Exhibit A of Ryujin being useless. I could have saved him, he wasn’t evil. He just-“ she choked on her words and sobbed. 

“Got involved with a demon, Ryujin.” Yoongi added. “We can’t save them all. You know that.”

Ryujin didn’t say anything else. Woozi and Yoongi helped her up and escorted her out. As they passed the front desk, Woozi unfroze the staff. 

“We just came to get our friend.” 

The staff member nodded and returned to his duties. The three drove home. 

The next week, Ryujin couldn’t speak to the boys. Not because she was mad at them, but because she knew they were right. 

That friday, Ryujin walked into the kitchen. Woozi and Yoongi were eating breakfast, they stopped talking when she walked in. 

“Hey.” Woozi said.

”Hi.” Ryujin answered, grabbing cereal and milk. 

“Oh my god. She can speak!” Yoongi added, smiling at himself. 

“Happy it is your day off from work?” Woozi asked.

Ryujin nodded then started to walk away, having gotten her bowl of cereal. Woozi rose and quickly blocked her exit. 

“Woozi-“

”Before you go, we have something we need to talk about. As a team.” 

Woozi led Ryujin to the table, surprised she had agreed. Woozi sat down across from her. 

“Starting today, we are going to be training you in the ways of telepathic combat.”

Ryujin sighed “telepathic combat?” She shook her head “that’s not real-“

”You’ve done it before.” Yoongi interjected. 

“No I haven’t.”

”Remember the succubus?” Woozi said. Ryujin nodded. “Remember what you did to Yoongi?”

Ryujin searched through her memory to try to remember what she did. When there was no response Yoongi answered. 

“You broke the trance the succubus had on me.” He then tapped on Ryujin’s forehead “with your Telepathy.” 

“That’s nothing related to combat, guys. That’s-“

”You influenced someone to do what you wanted. Some call it compulsion, persuasion, coercion, or telepathic combat. Well, it’s a very minor form of combat. You’re attacking their mind with your words.” Woozi explained. His hand hovered over a stapled set of paper. 

Ryujin shook her head “I don’t get it.”

Woozi slid the paper over to her, “then read this. It’s all about controlling the mind, Telepathy, and other mind stuff.” 

Yoongi chuckled “Mind stuff.” Woozi gave him a cold stare then looked back at Ryujin.

Ryujin took the paper and rolled it in her hands. “I’ll read it later.” 

Woozi nodded his head. Ryujin rose and left the room. Yoongi looked at Woozi, who shrugged and sighed.

”She’s not going to read it,” Yoongi said. He rose and said goodbye to Woozi before leaving for class. 

That night, Ryujin was sitting in her bed. She scrolled through social media, blankly staring at the posts that passed by. Every so often, she’d look up at the rolled up paper on her dresser. 

Ryujin set her phone on her nightstand and shut off the bedroom light. She climbed into bed and closed her eyes. She opened them a moment later.

Woozi smiled “I liked it.” He said as he walked around the kitchen. 

“I’m glad.” Seongchul said. “I found it and it reminded me of that time you fell down at the meeting. Remember that?”

Woozi blushed “Yeah.” 

Seongchul chuckled then sighed. “Well I’m hitting the hay. Don’t forget the essay on the Jean Project.” 

“It’s already faxed to the media.” Woozi replied. 

“Good. Alright, see you tomorrow. Night.”

”Goodnight.” Woozi said before hanging up. 

Woozi exited the kitchen. The light in the dining room was on. He crept up to find Ryujin reading over the paper on Telepathy. He smiled before tip-toeing to bed, not to alert her to his presence.