Tale of TAL: Ch 3

((Because why the fuck not. It's been established I don't own TAL, Kang Im does. WONT STOP ME AND MY SIS FROM KICKING SHIT UP. Warning: we DO spoil shit. Mostly what hasn't been translated yet from the Korean chapters, so there ARE spoilers if you haven't seen the non-translated pages.))

"Ugh..." Mu Young's noise of disgust made the TAL folding laundry look up, Min Jun waving nonchalantly as she followed the gunner in.

They had returned to Yu Jin's house to wait for him to return, as well as Shadow, and Min Jun just barely held in a snort as Ei Mae plopped his folded laundry on top of Baek Jeong's head.

"MIN JUN-NIM!"

She jolted as the door was kicked open, Noah stomping in with Usagi on his shoulder. Mu Young had been talking about the two strange Chachaoongs when he was startled by the shout as well, his gaze landing on the Yongma. Usagi noticed and chirped, bouncing forward and being happy as could be as Mu Young caught it. "S-Sorry, little guy."

"I told you to be careful and he got HURRRRRT!" Noah was in tears. "My UsaUsa was crying to me!"

Mu Young blinked. "Cry? ...You heard that?"

"Of course I did! My UsaUsa is my baby bunbun! I feel whenever he gets hurt and he feels when I get hurt!" Noah explained.

Ha Na Rin and Ara had come out to see what was going on. "I've never heard of a Yongma like that. And it can heal others right?"

"Yup~! UsaUsa is a good boy!" Noah beamed. "But it's not really a great thing unless we sing."

Ara blinked. "Sing?"

"Synchronized Soundwave Induced Cell Regeneration!" Noah explained cheerfully. "My vocal chords can resonate at a frequency that encourages cell regeneration and growth to heal injuries. UsaUsa can do it too, but smaller scale, and the injuries he heals tend to come back after a while if the injuries are on another person besides me."

Ei Mae had his chin on his hand. "Strange that you and your Yongma share an ability, but don't have the same strength."

"Eh? Is it?" Noah had several question marks around his head as Usagi leapt over to the TAL, Ei Mae looking down at his arm as Usagi's tiny limbs allowed him to crawl along the Chachaoong's arm.

Shadow popped up and seemed excited to see Usagi, jumping at the other Yongma and coaxing the rabbit into a game of chase. However, Ei Mae noticed, Shadow stayed close to Mu Young, who looked less than amused to be the center for 'ring around the roses'. "...Your Yongma seems to be near you a lot. Why is that?"

"Oh, yeah! That is weird!" Noah added. "Nunim can take UsaUsa pretty far from me and we'll both be fine unless he gets hurt."

Mu Young frowned and looked down at Shadow, who paused in play and looked up at his master, Usagi bouncing onto his head between his horns. 'I know you wanted it, but seriously? Singing?' Min Jun prodded Noah as Mu Young explained his Yongma, annoying Ei Mae in the process.

'I sing da Jellyfish Song.'

She had a poker face on. '...I approve.'

"...Well, it seems he needed to go anyway." Mu Young concluded after 'listening' to Shadow once Ei Mae had left. "Another strange one was near Yu Jin's school. But she ran away quickly, so he saw no reason to act."

Min Jun and Noah shared a look, Usagi bouncing off Shadow's head, racing around the yard.

Baek Jeong sat up, refolding the laundry. "Of course he'd leave me with this."

"Hmmm, Minnie. Boss already dismissed me because of the oil, so why don't you go cover nightshift while I'm here?" Noah suggested.

She glanced at him. "You sure you'll be alright?"

"Ara-Unni and Baek Jeong-Hyung are here, plus the others too. I'll be safe." Noah's bunny ears had popped back up as he smiled a kitty smile. "Plus Baby King's going to need help cooking for so many people."

'...Chau Yong's gonna show up again, ain't he?'

He grinned. 'My lovely Grim Reaper~ Uhuhuu'

"...I suppose I owe you covering me for so long." Min Jun nodded. "But send Usagi to me the moment you need help."

He flailed his arms. "Got it Nunim~! I love you!" She rolled her eyes in reply and left, Usagi waving goodbye to her before jumping into Noah's hoodie.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Later that evening, Noah was washing the dishes and pots as the others relaxed and talked about the day's events. Usagi was asleep on Yu Jin's lap, the rabbit Yongma content as the redhead wrung his 'fur' in lieu of his own fingers.

'Blah blah blah, talking about Jenna, blah blah, Baby king cries, oop, Yu Jin just insinuated Ei Mae cares about Mu Young.'

Noah poked his head in as the TAL was gritting his teeth. "Baby King, even if he did, your Hyung has a boyfriend already." He then slammed the door as Mu Young raised his voice to a howl in protesting that declaration. The text [Going to repeat it til it's true?] popped up as Noah walked past it. "Of course I am, who else is going to get that beast under control?"

He heard Mu Young leave abruptly in a bad mood, and finished the dishes before removing his apron and folding it neatly, like the old man had all but bullied him into having a habit of.

"Ah, Noah-Hyung, you're leaving too?" Yu Jin looked up as Usagi bounded over to his master. "Thank you for the meal."

Noah grinned. "Anytime Baby King. You just let me know if you ever need me to come by again." His Yongma returned to his shadow and he winked. "I'll help you get good at cooking for your Eun Yul."

Yu Jin went beet red as Noah snickered and left, and it was only once he was at the door that Noah heard the protesting wail.

Noah took off across the rooftops. 'Hmm, let's see, if I hurry I can catch sight of Chau Yong before I get back to Boss and Minnie-'

Well, his plans and thoughts were ultimately derailed as a blurry figure knocked him from the sky and he hit the hard rooftop of a brick building, pinned by his throat and left arm. After letting his body adjust to the pain and quelling Usagi's warbling, Noah opened his eyes to see none other than the Chachaoong he'd been thinking of.

"...You know, rough sex jokes aside, this actually isn't very comfortable."

It was kinda both scary and fascinating to see Chau Yong's face go beet red as his eyes turned black. The hand on Noah's throat squeezed just a bit.

"-HRRK!- So what am I charged with? Healing up Baby King and stopping the fight? Making dinner for the King and his Court of TALs?" Noah was panting while smart-alecking, which only got more impressive as he tried to think his way out of this. "Oh wait, it was the dishes, right? Cherry on to-HUUAGH!"

Even more pressure, and Noah futilely knocked his knee into Chau Yong's side. "Shut up. You are in no position to joke or trick me. You are an unidentified variable. I can't see you or your companion or pet." The redhead glared at Noah's face, which was slowly turning the color of his own hair.

"H-Hate to -hhk!- break it to ya, but neither can -hhk!- the TALs." Noah choked out.

Chau Yong gritted his teeth, both hands going to wrap around Noah's throat. "I don't know what you're up to, but I intend to find out and stop you." And that was the moment Usagi chimed in that Baek Jeong was heading their way.

"...Heh." Noah smirked. "Here's something you should already know. I'm absolutely shameless."

And just as Baek Jeong landed on a rooftop nearby, Noah unleashed a very lewd, very loud guttural moan, startling Chau Yong into letting his neck go.

"HOLY SHIT." The two of them glanced up to see the white haired TAL gaping at them, Chau Yong draped over a dazed looking Noah.

'...SUCK MY DICK YONG, TRY SAVING YOUR REPUTATION NOW.'

Min Jun's answer gave the impression she'd narrowed her eyes. '...What the fuck did you just do?'

As Chau Yong fled with the most mortified face ever, and Baek Jeong dropped down to help Noah up with concern, he coughed to cover up his grin. 'I mayyyyyyyy have just screwed myself over a bit.'

'...You fuckin' idiot.  Look, if you're heading home, just make sure you aren't too loud. Boss crashed hard today, the night shift was rough.'

'I don't think I can use my voice for a while anyway, ow.' Noah winced as he teleported through Usagi for a couple blocks. 'Luckily I won't be limping home.'

A sigh from her end. 'I'll make some tea for your throat.  See ya when you get back.' A beat of silence. 'God why is he so cute when he's sleeping...?'

'Huhuhu, who's being creepy now~?'

Her answering snarl was defensive. 'Look, I walked past because the guy passed the fuck out on the couch.'

'Uhuh. And how long ago was that?'

Min Jun went silent as Noah finally arrived home, Usagi helping him phase through the door silently as he spotted Cho-Yi on the couch. He was as quiet as could be, tiptoeing away from the door and living room and over to where Min Jun met him just outside the kitchen, her face reflexively wincing at the ugly red bruising around his neck. 'That bad?'

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"Woah...Oppa, what did that to you?"

Noah jolted, having woken up to Cho-Yi making breakfast and Min Jun watching him. At first he wondered if the bruise was still on his neck, until Min Jun poked him over their link and he glanced down at the scar over his heart. 'You have a thing for angsty markings don't you?'

'It adds tasty to muses.' "I'd rather not talk about it." Then Noah noticed Cho-Yi's wide eyed glance, and sighed. "Sorry. Rough subject." He grinned sheepishly. "Mind pretending you never saw it Boss?"

Cho-Yi nodded in understanding and finished their breakfast, soon taking off to open the restaurant. For several minutes the two sat together in silence, Noah forgoing a shirt for the time being because it was way too damn hot this morning. "...So Chau Yong mounted me last night."

"-PFFFFFTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!-"

'Aww he added in a rainbow for you. Kang Im's so pleasant.' Noah commented as Min Jun's orange juice went spraying in a beautiful arc, Usagi barely diving away in time. "Then he started choking me. I don't think being choked's a kink for me. I don't quite like it."

"HE-" She choked herself, and walloped her chest to get her lungs back in working order.

As she did, Noah finished off his own juice. "Granted, Baek Jeong came along to help me out, so Chau Yong ran away."

"He knows, right?"

He tilted his head. "No. Just that he and Jack can't see us like Ha Na Rin, and that's making him all grumpycat."

"...Good Lord. Grumpycat Grim Reaper."

Noah leaned back in his seat, then suddenly perked up. "How much have we made?"

"...Why do you want-"

"SHOPPING~!"

Once Noah had secured new clothing, and pushed Min Jun into spending just a little on her own new outfit, they decided the day off needed sweets as well. The Yongma-user was practically dragged over to a stall selling waffles with red bean paste in them. "...Hey, if you make sure Yu Jin and Ei Mae find her, I'll take care of Ja Gwi. Deal?" The female Chachaoong prodded once they had their food.

"Well I mean, she's not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer. She gets caught anyway. Besides, I want to hunt that sonuvabitch down too." 

Min Jun had to agree with that. Jenna was the most adorable kitten, but she was a 'drunk-on-drugged-milk' kind of kitten. "One of us needs to handle the night shift and make sure Cho-Yi doesn't notice anything suspicious. I've already called dibs on the Laon arc, you got the Mano arc."

"UGHHHHHHHHHHHHH fine. But you don't get to borrow Usa for a while!" Noah declared, crossing his arms as the Yongma perched on his shoulder and ate his waffle. "That poison shit really hurt!"

Oh? Oh really? She smirked. "I was gonna have Usa give you the play-by-play so you could see your reaper but oh well."

"!!!!! How dare you." The offended look he had on made her smirk.

"Try me, bunnyboy."

Usagi jumped to her anyway, wanting more waffle. "TRAITOR."

"Good boy. And don't worry, it's not like Ja Gwi can really do a lot to me--all he's good for is those marks and none of us have them."

Noah rolled his eyes. "I'd be more worried for him, honestly. You have a crossbow."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"Oppa! Gonna need a fresh batch of fried rice! One half shrimp, the other plain!" Cho-Yi called as Noah stirred up the ingredients like a madman, the old man running about and performing crazy ass stunts even he wouldn't attempt.

'OH MY GOD WHY IS EVERYTHING SO BUSY.'

Min Jun's reply was to show him Yu Jin being used as Baek Jeong's shield, which honestly did make him laugh a little. Moreso when she catcalled them and Baek Jeong set Yu Jin down, the both of them with equally red faces. 'My ship saaaaaaails.'

'My god you're easy to please.' As Ei Mae staggered through the door, Usagi purred from his place around Min Jun's neck, wrapped around like a scarf. 'Hmm, so tonight Yu Jin asks Ei Mae to catch Jenna. I'll volunteer to help so everything goes the way we want it to.' They entered the house for a bit, so Min Jun bide her time by playing with Usagi's paws. 'He feels like a pile of velvet.'

'DON'T SQUISH HIIIIIIIIIIM.'

She had a flat look as she defiantly continued her antics, up until Ei Mae and Yu Jin briefly came back out. As Yu Jin was asking about Jenna and capturing her harmlessly, Min Jun jumped down, startling the redhead. "Nuna! You came out of nowhere!"

"She's been watching the house all evening." Ei Mae calmly pointed out.

Min Jun straightened up, Usagi chirping and bounding onto Ei Mae's shoulder, nuzzling its body against his neck and cutely play-kicking the tassels of his mask. 'OMFG' "If you'd like the target caught safely, I can do that for you, King."

"Really?!" Yu Jin looked excited, as Ei Mae immediately pointed out how slim the chances were of Jenna returning.

Min Jun sighed. "Even so. King has a point. It's worth a shot to try reaching the general populace through word-of-mouth." She then side-eyed the TAL. "...Plus, I don't exactly think you'd go easy on a kid."

"Excuse you." Ei Mae placed a hand over his heart, looking less than actually affected by her words.

She smirked at him. "I mean, unless you do want to deal with her again." The angry scrunched up look on the lower half of his face let her know she'd hit the mark. "Look, just let me tag along with you tomorrow. If she shows up, I'll grab her and you can grab King and we'll meet somewhere. Sound good? If she doesn't, well, at least King's got extra padding for the day."

"She's got a point." Yu Jin pointed to her as he looked at Ei Mae, who was ignoring Usagi's attempts to ply him into play. "...Wow, he really likes you."

The TAL calmly removed Usagi, and placed him in Yu Jin's hands. "You're too trusting."

"Eh? I mean I've known Nuna and that Hyung since I met you, and that was a while ago, so... Isn't it just naturally I'd trust you three?"

Ei Mae said nothing for a moment. "...Is that what you call trust?" His tone abruptly turned darker. "Or is it just 'naive'?" Yu Jin and Min Jun both had sweatbeads rolling down their heads.

"Either way, I feel better after talking with you both. Let's go get dinner, alright?" The redhead happily plodded away, Min Jun leisurely strolling behind him as Usagi rode on her head. She glanced behind at Ei Mae as if to check if he was following, but was looking for the text of his thoughts, '...'Thanks', eh?'

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The next morning, Min Jun was smirking victoriously as Ei Mae stood above her with a waterfall of sweat-drops on his head, the two of them watching as Jenna attempted to sneak around the bushes outside Yu Jin's school.

"...Allow me to state that I hate you."

That only made her grin. "No you don't~. Because you don't have to deal with her." She lifted her arm. "Usagi." The rabbit slid out from under her beanie, slithering along her arm til it perched on her outstretched hand.

"You're using the Yongma?"

Min Jun nodded, Usagi shooting off her fingertips and hitting the ground silently, stalking towards Jenna who yelped as she was dragged into the darkness she hadn't noticed surrounding her feet. "I'll be letting her know the situation. You can go grab King. Meet at the park?"

Ei Mae only nodded, taking off, and Min Jun jumped down into the rest of Usagi's shadow, landing on grass a moment later. 'Ugh my ears popped.'

'I recommend chewing gum.'

Her eyes narrowed as Usagi kept Jenna distracted by being adorable and kicking her hair curls. 'You should be working.'

'I AM, BUTTMUNCH! I CAN MULTITASK Y'KNOW!'

Min Jun had no reply, as she was now distracted by /Jenna/ being distracted by Usagi. 'Oh my god she's rolling around with Usagi, she's like a baby kitten.'

'Minnie, are your maternal instincts surfacing finally?'

She scowled.  'I'm more maternal than you, shitlord.'

'But if you and Boss have a kid, it won't be a main character. Black and black and black and black just make black. OOH! Grow out your hair and put it in a side ponytail!'

Noah, you earned mental violence in the form of a mental punch to the face. 'I AM NOT DYING FIRST.'

'OW! HOW THE FU-' Noah promptly started spamming their mental link with Shrek icons.

Oh he did NOT. 'GUESS WHAT YOU AIN'T GETTING USA BACK.'

'I WILL SUMMON HIM BACK BY HURTING MYSELF.'

Min Jun paused. '...No seriously I don't think you'll be getting him back, he's clinging to Jenna like a koala.'

'NOOOOOOOOOOOOO.' Usagi happy trilled from his perch in Jenna's cupped hands. 'HOW WILL I GET TO MEET MY GRIM REAPER NOW?!'

She rolled her eyes. 'Do something lewd to piss him off again, I don't know.'

'Oh sure let me just dress like Tarzan and do a mating call off a building.'

A moment's pause. 'I wouldn't put it past ya.' A textbox popped up, [REALLY?!]

'HEY I HAVE SOME TASTE.' Another pause. 'I'd rather be a classy hooker.' [I give up on understanding you two.]

Min Jun just smirked. 'Must be bad since you can't get a blowjob from anyone.'

'EXCUSE I SO COULD I'M JUST NOT AFTER THAT RIGHT NOW.'

Min Jun had no need to reply, as that was when Yu Jin and Ei Mae showed up. She let them talk as Jenna played with Usagi up until Ei Mae decided the Yongma was distracting her too much, and took it away, tossing the blobby rabbit to Min Jun who dove to catch the stupid thing which NEVER SAVED ITSELF WHEN AIRBORNE.

Once Ei Mae was aware of and in the process of removing Jenna's mark, Min Jun began to scout the buildings around the park. There were a few that were too low, and even under the cover of darkness she'd get sighted immediately.

But then she spotted one that was perfectly situated at an angle. The corner was high rise, but was perfect for getting a hidden shot as long as she set up correctly. Once Ei Mae had finished removing Jenna's mark (which sounded painful), she turned her attention fully on the three. "Well, I need to make a quick stop nearby. I'll be going for now."

"Eh? Really? Alright Nuna."

Min Jun took off through Usagi again, managing to get to the building next to her chosen one. As she popped her ears by adjusting her jaw, Usagi suddenly gave a growl and vanished. 'Dafuq? Did you summon Usa back?'

'No? I- oh! He's here! He...He's cowering?'

That was when she noticed the moon. '...Shit. NOAH-'

'Boss feels it too. I'm taking off, he's nodding it's okay. Hold on til I reach you Nunim.'

Her grip on her crossbow tightened. '...Hurry, Big Sis.'

Then her mental ponderings were reduced to keyboard smashes as Hiljo and Haje appeared. It was all she could do not to throw herself at her son-figure, the mute scribbling about Jenna's mark being gone and then awkwardly rubbing his neck as Hiljo beaned Jenna in the face with a handful of coins.

'MY LAONS~!'

As Haje dragged his sister off, it took all of Min Jun’s self-restraint not to follow. After all, she needed to keep Hiljo from dying, which she couldn’t do if she was distracted when Ja Gwi showed up.

“...no place here...”

Shit, she actually did get distracted watching them and making sure they were far enough away from them that they wouldn’t hear anything. Her blood ran cold when she heard the voice, ‘Min Jun’ remembering it all too clearly. Pain lanced through her abdomen, and a hand found its way to her stomach, resting over a well-hidden sigil.

‘Focus, Minnie...they’re counting on you...’

Eyes flashed between vision settings, their colors changing rapidly. First blue--making sure Haje and Jenna were still at the vending machines. Then red, to make sure no one else was nearby. Finally, they settled back to her favored shade of green, ‘zooming’ in on Ja Gwi as she leveled her crossbow.

Ja Gwi lifted his hand, and a familiar blue glow formed on Hiljo’s chest--

Only to vanish just as quickly as Min Jun pulled the trigger, embedding her crossbow’s bolt deep into Ja Gwi’s forearm and pinning him to a tree. He howled in pain, eyes wide as he looked around in a panic.

“What the fuck?! Who did that?!” He barked. Two more bolts, one aimed at his bicep and the other at his wrist, sailed through the air and dug into his arm.

“So noisy.”

Though she didn’t have Usagi, Min Jun had no difficulty in dropping to the ground, using lightpoles and tree branches as stepping stones as she landed on the street. Her legs shook slightly from the tremors, but she refused to allow her legs to give out, giving Ja Gwi her darkest glare to date.

“Don’t you know people are sleeping?” Her words were as icy as her glare--eyes now a cold white and almost snakelike.

“Who the fuck are you?!” Ja Gwi snapped, eyes wide and expression wild.

“Somehow I’m not even remotely surprised. How many of us did you kill? How many did you cripple, enslave? How much blood did you spill?”

“N-Nuna...” Yu Jin struggled to find his voice, even as Hiljo protectively edged the young King to stand behind him. “Y-you know him...?”

“Of course I know him, he’s the reason I have this.” And without telling him what ‘this’ was, she lifted the bottom of her shirt, revealing Ja Gwi’s distinct butterfly mark around her navel. “He’s the reason I need Usagi to travel long distances. My legs haven’t worked properly in years. I can’t run for shit, and I need stepping stones for jumps longer than a few feet.”

Her eyes narrowed. “So, Ja Gwi, recognize me now?”

The elder Chachaoong snarled, all but spitting out her name. “Min Jun. How the fuck did you stay away as long as you did?”

A bolt was fired into his thigh. “Language.”

“H-Hiljo...?”

A new voice caught Min Jun's attention, though her eyes didn’t leave her prey. Jenna and Haje had returned, right on cue. Already the story was changed--Hiljo wasn’t dead. “W-wait, Unni?!”

“...Hey Jenna. Might wanna stay back. I don’t want you getting covered with this scum’s blood.”

Min Jun’s crossbow leveled between Ja Gwi’s eyes, the slaver going pale.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Meanwhile, Noah had been on his immediate way towards the fighting area, until he spotted Maru. So of course he went up, waiting until he had his back turned to talk to Mu Young to slip beside the window.

"Whatcha spying on?"

Maru jumped back and latched onto Mu Young, who just caught the blond and glared at Noah who was hanging upside-down by Usagi's grip. "Hyung! Don't do that!" He and Mu Young then immediately realized the position they were in and went similar hues of beet red in the face.

"Practicing for wedding day?" Noah joked, putting up (or technically down) his arms in surrender as Mu Young dropped Maru and aimed his gun at Noah. "Mercy, mercy! Seriously though, it's like almost midnight."

Maru pointed to a lit room across the way. "Hyung, I need a favor. That room-"

"Oh! There's someone suspicious you tailed in there, right?" Noah chimed in, remembering how Mu Young had a very short fuse.

The gunner bought it, eyebrow raised but willingly pulling off his glasses and going to lean on the balcony. "I can easily tell if she's got two or three creases on her eyelid...What did you hear?"

"N-No, it wasn't about Jin!" Maru shook his hands. "There was something strange about what I heard as she walked by."

Mu Young turned and again raised his eyebrow. "Something strange?"

"That's right! I thought I was imagining it at first, but it wasn't until after she walked by that I realized the sound really was coming from her. An inhuman noise like really loud drums!"

Noah narrowed his eyes. "...Drums? You mean her heartbeat?"

"If that's a heartbeat, then she's nothing normal, Hyungs!" Maru seemed very agitated, so Mu Young turned back to the window. "...So? What do you see?"

Mu Young was silent and stern for a moment as he used his vision. "...She's watching TV. That's all." He glanced back at Maru with a narrowed, suspicious gaze. "Tell me the truth. You were just interested in her, right?"

"What, are you jealous?" Noah nonchalantly chimed in before Maru could speak. The blond turned beet red once more as Mu Young turned an incredulous stare to the rabbit user. "Oh c'mon. You act like he's not allowed to look at anyone whatsoever, even when it's honestly innocent suspicion out of good intention. Might as well make it official and go steady so you'll stop being such a paranoid ass."

The gunner filled his lungs to roar a reply of denial - when a pained scream rang out, startling all of them. "Dafuq?!" Noah yelped as a horrible noise reached his ears, which he covered as Mu Young ran to the window as Maru floundered between them. He soon joined Noah in covering his ears, the sound of flesh ripping apart, cells and tendons and gristle and bone forced apart. 'God, if I wasn't a Criminal Minds fan, I think I'd be sick...'

It ended quickly, thankfully, and Noah shuddered as Maru held onto his arm. "Hy-Hyung what was that?!"

"Sunflower, trust me, you don't really want to know." Noah drawled as he recovered from the revolting noise. "...SHIT NUNIM'S WAITING FOR ME!" He 'accidentally' threw Maru into Mu Young's grasp as he dashed by to the window. "Sorry, I love a good mystery like the best of 'em, but if I'm late, Nunim's turning me into Swiss cheese. Later~!"

He wasn't the least bit sorry when his throw knocked Mu Young off balance, leading him to fall on top of Maru. The gunner quickly got up, mortified, and stammered out an apology as Maru laid there in a daze.

'Damn that guy, being such a pervert...'

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

When Noah arrived, it was to an equally bloody scene. Ja Gwi was holding the shredded remains of his arm, having torn it free in desperation from a tangled nest of bolts Noah knew came from Min Jun's crossbow. She was standing protectively in front of the Laon's and Yu Jin, looking thunderous.

"Gosh, Nunim, this is so diddly darn messy, here!" Noah called in a mockingly innocent ton as he descended on Usagi's shadow.

She turned a heated gaze on him; relief masked underneath. "Shut the hell up. You said you were on your way." 'I forgot about the exploding Chachaoongs.'

'At least these guys didn't join them. I did kind of push my ship along some rocky waters though.' He jumped between her and Ja Gwi, who was gritting his teeth. "Sorry there, ajussi*. But these kittens are part of the Baby King's court now. Which means you're not allowed to touch 'em." A textbox popped up next to him reading [Ajussi meaning an older man in 30s to 50s].

He cracked a few knuckles nonchalantly as Usagi's semi human form rose from the ground, the Yongma hunching a bit from his own weight.

"Y-YOU-" Ja Gwi choked out, his arm stump still dripping. 'Damn girl, you were pissed weren't you?'

'Dumbass, he did that! I was just trying to nail him down, he went batshit and tore his own arm off to get free!'

"Me~ And soon, the very guy who's been looking everywhere for you, ajussi." Noah grinned. "So, you'll be wanting to wait patiently with us, or who knows what might-" Ja Gwi had already taken off running. "...Happen. Mother of fucking..." The Yongma user took off after him, leaving Min Jun to begin fangirling over the Laons.

"I'm so glad you guys are okay-"

Jenna threw her arms around Min Jun, who didn't even care that she sent them both to the ground. "UNNI~! Thank you! Thanks to you and King, Hiljo and Haje and I can all live freely together! I love you Unni!"

Haje and Hiljo had identical sweatdrops as Jenna practically smothered a very gleeful Min Jun in affection, Hiljo 'looking' over to Yu Jin after a moment. "...Hey, kid. Thanks."

"Eh?"

He pointed at Min Jun. "That subordinate of yours with the Yongma, she's the one who destroyed Ja Gwi's arm, right?"

"Ah?! N-No, that's not her-" Yu Jin began, but went quiet as Haje scribbled on Hiljo's palm. "U-Uhm, see, that Yongma is actually Noah-Hyung's! She just uses it sometimes I think!" He tried to help what he thought Haje was explaining.

Min Jun, though seemingly distracted by happy Jenna kitten in her lap, read the textbox. [That woman was using the Yongma with that guy that looks like Ignatio.] '...Shitbuckets.'

Meanwhile, Noah was swinging by Usagi's shadows to track Ja Gwi, easily accomplished as he was bleeding pretty badly. As the injured man leaned into a wall to try and catch his breath, Noah decided he'd take a leaf from Eun Yul's book, and used Usagi to mask his signature until he was just behind Ja Gwi.

"Now see, you could run back to get your arm but it'd be the last thing you ever do."

Ja Gwi jumped a mile, and left a pungent smear of red across the wall as he staggered to try and get away from Noah. "St-STAY AWAY!"

"Aww, don't be like that." Noah grinned, following Ja Gwi's feeble attempts to get away, seeing a moving red figure in the darkness of the alley behind Ja Gwi. The red eyed Chachaoong looked initially less than pleased to see Noah, but after a crafty look at the elder when Ja Gwi gripped his severed arm in pain and a nod from Noah in gesture, Chau Yong formed a mischievous grin and nodded. Turns out even the Grim Reaper had a sense of humor.

Noah took another step towards the spooked villain, smiling almost pleasantly as Ja Gwi continued to back up. "Hey now, buddy, take it easy there. You look-" As Ja Gwi turned around to run, he was paralyzed in fear by the sight of Chau Yong towering over him, "-Like you've just seen a ghost."

The souls of his victims erupted up from the concrete, wailing and screeching, which drove Usagi into Noah's shirt, to his surprise. As Chau Yong summoned his own 'pet', Noah looked away to check on his Yongma.

"Usa, you okay?" The rabbit shuddered, pressing against Noah's scar. "Heh, you like hiding there, huh? Just remember, you were already born. You can't do it again." He had a soft smile, rubbing his Yongma's head before tucking his shirt back into place, the pressure in the area subsiding.

Chau Yong's footsteps approached him, and Noah sighed. "Please don't throw me into a wall or something, my night's been, and pardon my pun, Hell." The footsteps stopped, and Noah turned to see Chau Yong standing a few feet away.

"..." The redhead looked uncomfortable, and glanced away.

"Oh for fucks' sake." Noah groaned, turning to him. "Okay so, it was a cheap-shot and I shouldn't have sunk that low, but in my defense you were choking me."

Chau Yong looked sheepish, avoiding Noah's eyes as the air changed, turning more calm and quiet. "...I understand that your actions, while suspicious, are not to do harm. And I...apologize for being hasty in my assumptions and attacking you."

"Hey man, I forgive that pretty face even if you'd kept pouncing me." As Chau Yong went crimson in the cheeks, Noah face-palmed. "OH MY GOD NO, I'M SORRY! I was seriously being serious, I wasn't trying to be flirty!" He slapped his own burning cheeks. "Godammit, okay, see, it's /your/ fault that keeps happening, yes you! You're too damn pretty!" He said as Chau Yong gave him an incredulous look that made Noah think of Mu Young.

Usagi made a trill as it edged out of his shirt. 'Min Jun are you laughing at me?'

'No I'm laughing with you.'

His face twitched. 'Dishonor on you.'

"...ANYWAY." Chau Yong jumped at Noah's loud exclamation. "Rest assured, Nim, we're not looking to do any damage, unless it's to jerks like Ja Gwi. I meant when I said we're wanting to ensure everyone's happiness."

...Oh screw it. He flash-stepped into Chau Yong's face, the elder's cheeks even redder up close. "Including yours." He smiled as he leaned and balanced on his toes, Chau Yong staring at him with tiny pupils without moving away. "But~! That'll be later."

Mostly because he had to move away from the textbox reading [Gay chicken???] or he was gong to starting laughing in Chau Yong's face and that would really be an asshole thing to do. "Well, hope you sleep well from now, Grim Reaper." He called, grinning at Chau Yong's still red cheeks and confused stare.

Noah returned to the park, Ei Mae having joined the group after Yu Jin passed out on Hiljo. "Baby King!" Min Jun had become Jenna's new perch, apparently, the silver haired Chachaoong clinging like a koala as Min Jun purred internally in bliss. 'Wow you're happy. What happened to Yu Jin?'

'He passed out from stress. Well if his eyes go wonky, then that means we'll be off on another adventure soon.'

Noah sighed. 'Well, it's time to send them off.' "So, what will you guys do now? Ja Gwi's dead as a door-nail."

"...Even if he is, it's not like it's any safer, due to the circumstances." Hiljo sighed as he handed Yu Jin to Ei Mae's insistence, whom immediately threw the redhead on Noah, making him squawk as they both fell over. 'ASSHOLE!' "It'd be nice if we could hide somewhere but as far as I know..." He 'glanced' at Yu Jin and Noah. It was obvious he'd gotten fond of the young king in the few hours he'd known him.

The TAL wavered, before withdrawing a piece of paper and a charcoal stick, scribbling for a few minutes. "I can introduce you to someone...He's a loner and likes to train somewhere in isolation, but...He seems like he'd be the best fit for you guys." He tossed the finished note to them, Haje catching it. "I don't know where he is, exactly. Somewhere in the Jiri mountains, I think. But he's strong, and the trip will give you the chance to sort yourselves out."

Hiljo 'stared' at Ei Mae suspiciously.

"Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't normally do this..." The TAL looked over at Noah and Min Jun, both whom were holding dozing people in their arms and looking content as ever. "...But I suppose things change for a reason."

The silver-haired Chachaoong folded his arms. "...Thank you, then. We won't forget this." He snapped his fingers and Haje went to collect his sister from Min Jun.

"When you do find him, give him that note. Hell be grumpy about it, but he won't send you guys away easily. He's a softie deep down." Ei Mae remarked, before his attention was again drawn to Min Jun. "...That is, assuming you get your kids back." Hiljo jolted and looked over, growling when he 'saw' Min Jun now had the sleeping Jenna in one arm and a very confused Haje tucked in the other.

'Hey I didn't bust my ass making sure Ja Gwi didn't kill Hiljo for nothing!'

Noah was less than surprised. 'Honey put the kittens down, cougar-boy looks ready to maul you.'

'He'll have to pry my babies out of my cold dead hands.'

His eyebrow twitched, and he pointed at her. "Take her with you. If nothing else she'll be good defense."

Hiljo stared flatly. "Uh?"
 
'...Noah what are you doing.'

He gave her a mental smirk. 'Be happy sis, you can marry him later.' Then he actually grinned at her scowling red face. 'Your lovely sugar daddy-'

'I'M NOT INTERESTED IN MARRYING HILJO YOU GOLD DIGGER.'

A tick mark appeared on Noah's head. 'YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S TRYING TO KEEP HIS CHILDREN.'

'I JUST WANT TO HUG THEM JESUS CHRIST WE'RE NOT GONNA SEE EM AGAIN FOR LIKE FIFTY CHAPTERS.'

"Are you done yet? I'd really like to go home now. Yu Jin-Nim especially needs his rest." Ei Mae asked, arms folded in his sleeves in chibi form.

Noah sidled closer to Hiljo. "She's also good at cooking and cleaning, Hiljo-Nim. She'll make a wonderful mother to your kids." He had a sly look as Hiljo uttered 'the fuck' in a smaller text.

"Sorry but I'm not available for such a long trip. Someone needs to keep that gold-digging idiot in line. I'm just happy that everyone's safe and alive."

Hiljo stared, then pointed at her. "...Can I have those two back then?"

"...One more minute?"

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Eventually she did relent, Haje ruffling her hair with an assuring smile as he carried Jenna on his back. Yu Jin was more easily procured from Noah, who'd rather stay on Ei Mae's 'good' side. 'First death prevented, but now we have the next big arc--Iggy and MuMu.'

'...SHIT IGGY SHOWED UP DURING THAT WHOLE THING.'

As they zipped through the air with jumps and lunges, Min Jun shot a look at Noah. 'DID YOU FORGET ABOUT THAT!?' Another look as she cartwheeled over a fence. 'THEY FORESHADOWED IT WHEN HAJE TOLD HILJO THAT MUMU LOOKS LIKE IGGY.'

'BUT BAEK JEONG FOUGHT HIM JUST NOW SHIIIIIIIIIIT.'

She sighed. 'Well it's too late now.  C'mon, Cho-Yi's probably waiting for us.'

'Oh yeah...Shit. He's gonna be wondering about this, I bet...' Noah had a hand over his mouth, looking ill with worry.

'I never did come up with a backstory for this bitch. Maybe former slave under Ja Gwi who wanted revenge...?'

He looked over at her, sliding between a pair of chimneys. 'But then how would you've found me after me and Usa escaped? Ow my chest involuntarily twinged at remembering my tragic past.'

'Hmm....maybe he sent me to wherever you were, and Usa's powers helped to hide us both so he couldn't find me.'

He gave her a double thumbs up as he parkoured over a rooftop. 'Awesome! This is why you're strategy thinker!' As they landed in front of the house, the door flew open, startling them as Cho-Yi stood in a very stern pose. "Okay I've been nice, and patient, and understanding, but you two have answers for me tonight. Got it?" '...THINK OUR WAY OUTTA THIS SIS' Noah panicked.

'UH--' Her eyes suddenly teared up, and her chibi knees hit the floor. " I JUST WANTED TO SAVE MY UNCLE!!"

Cho-Yi blinked, visibly confused. "...Uncle?????"

"You hadn't heard? A chachaoong named Ja Gwi was enslaving weaker chachaoongs and threatening to kill them when they didn't obey him... One of them was like an uncle to me, and when I escaped I wanted to bring him and his children but I couldn't! And I saw them recently and wanted to help them!" She sobbed behind her arm.

Their TAL employer rubbed the back of his neck. "Ehh...Something like that was really going on?" 'RIGHT BOSS HAS NO IDEA ABOUT CHACHAOONG LIFE, GOOD THINKING SIS.' Noah gave her a mental thumbs up. "So? Nuna? Did you manage to help them out?"

"Yes! We both managed to drive him away and we made sure he'll never hurt another Chachaoong again!" She assured Cho-Yi with a smile, sweating bullets as she inwardly couldn't believe he was buying this.

Cho-Yi, meanwhile, had stars in his eyes, making Noah think of Steven Universe. "Woah~! Nuna and Oppa are really heroes, right?!"

"S-Sure are, Boss...Sorry about keeping it a secret..."

The TAL shook his head as Noah rubbed the back of his own. "No! I understand now! I'm proud of you both for doing something like that!"

'You owe me lunch tomorrow.' Min Jun deadpan uttered over their link. "I'm just so relieved they're all safe now." She wiped her eyes to really sell it.

That was when Cho-Yi put a finger up. "But! From now on I'd like for you to let me know you're being heroes and need time away so I can cover for you." His smile had flowers in the background.

'I have a feeling I'll be spending a lot then.' "R-Right, Boss. Thanks for being so cool."

Min Jun, meanwhile, nodded. "You're the best, Boss! We'll make sure to let you know if things need to be taken care of, promise!"

"Good! Now then..." Cho-Yi had been grinning, until he slumped over, now white and deformed and covered in a blue haze. "Would you two mind cleaning up this place? The crowd was so crazy, I'm exhausted..."

Noah fretted immediately. "Boss don't fall asleep standing up!"

"A-ah...Noah-oppa, you go take Boss to bed, okay? I'll start cleaning up."

Noah uttered a 'right', as he dragged their already snoring employer off to the bedroom. 'My god, he's a workaholic.'

'Yeah, but it's not like he knows much about being a chachaoong so he's able to work a lot more than a normal person. Now let's see how bad it oH GOD.'

Noah sighed in resignation. 'I'll be in to help you once I figured out how the fuck this suit works.'

'Wait are you undressing him?!'

His eyes narrowed as he replied to her. 'If he sleeps in his uniform it'll get wrinkly. And what do we get when something's out of place and he's really tired?' He for one didn't like cranky Boss. Cranky Boss looked like he'd straight up murder someone.

'Jesus H Mothafuckin Christ. If your hands start roaming I will hold your head in the sink until the bubbles stop.'

A tick mark appeared on Noah's head. 'HE'S OUR BOSS, HE'S PRACTICALLY MY DAD, AND UNLIKE YOU I DON'T GO FOR FATHER-FIGURES.'

'....Did you forget your Grim Reaper raised our favorite leather fetishists?'

SHIT. '...Yeah, but he's the only exception to my rule.' He paused. '...Holy shit Boss is shredded.' Noah promptly sent Min Jun a picture of their shirtless boss.

'GLSKDMFIONG-' There was a loud clatter as Min Jun dropped a plate, counting her lucky stars that it didn’t break.

'That's a six pack isn't it?!'

'HOLY FUCKING SHIT GET ME SOME PAPER TOWELS JESUS CHRIST.'

'Ew, Minnie. Don't bleed everywhere.' Noah went quiet for a bit as he more or less stuffed Cho-Yi into his pajamas.

'THIS IS YOUR FAULT. Jesus Christ my nose is having its fucking period.'

'Ahhhh, I don't miss those. I'm glad I'm a guy here~' He hummed at the thought. 'AND FINISHED~!’ He nonchalantly tossed the sleeping TAL into his bed, then promptly joined Min Jun in the kitchen.

'I dunno, in the time we've been here I haven't had a period. Maybe chachaoongs don't have 'em, since they can't even reproduce.'

'Hmmm, that's true. But if they don't reproduce, does that stop them from having se-'

'Why don't you look at those fanfics you've written for THAT answer.'

'BUT THOSE ARE MY THEORIES, NOTHING'S ACTUALLY PROVEN IN CANON!'

An enormous text hovered over them [How bout you both stop?]

'SHUT UP KANG IM!'