Chapter Text
Zoey refreshed the homepage of Huntrix's Ipdeok fan community for the umpteenth time. She glanced at the clock in the corner of her screen before returning her gaze to the post pinned at the very top.
[VOTING OPEN] Fan's Choice! Choose which idol group members you want to see on a future episode of Our One-Day Marriage! Who will be the next couple to embark on their heart-pounding romance together? Poll closes this Saturday at 11:59pm KST!
Ten minutes left.
When Bobby first came to the girls with an offer from the TV network to appear on the show, Zoey felt her heart leap a little in her chest. Mira gave an immediate rejection, as expected. Rumi debated it a bit more, torn between the desire to promote the group's next comeback and give the fans fun content, and her own - real - budding romance with Jinu. In the end, she declined too. That left Zoey.
"You don't have to do it if you don't want to," Bobby assured her. "You guys have been doing great. There will be plenty of other variety opportunities you can choose from if you don't want this one."
"I…might be interested?" Zoey said, glancing at Rumi and Mira. "Who would my, er, spouse be?"
"We don't know yet. They're trying something new this season where they're letting fans vote for the couples they want to see. If we accept the network's offer, they'll post a poll with you and the other idols who have agreed to be on this season, and the fans will decide who to pair up for each episode."
"Oh." Zoey chewed on this for a moment.
"I don't know who else has been asked to appear," Bobby continued, "but I do know the casting director in charge of the show and trust me, she won't pick any assholes."
Zoey bit her lip, looking at Rumi and Mira again. Rumi smiled at her encouragingly. Mira gave her a supportive head nod.
"What are you thinking?" Rumi asked.
"It…could be fun," Zoey said slowly. "The fans would definitely like it. And anyway, it's just for one day. No assholes. How bad could it be?" Her shoulders began to relax as she started easing into the idea of it. "Plus, maybe I'll get paired with someone cute!"
"That's the spirit!" Bobby said. "So you're sure? I can tell the network yes?"
"Yes!"
That was how, a week later, Zoey ended up staring at her screen, refreshing the poll on Huntrix's Ipdeok page ad nauseam.
Huntr/x Zoey x Saja Boys Mystery - 43%
THREESIXFIVE Seunghyup x Saja Boys Mystery - 22%
Huntr/x Zoey x Clover Girls Ava - 18%
Clover Girls Ava x THREESIXFIVE Seunghyup - 11%
Huntr/x Zoey x THREESIXFIVE Seunghyup - 4%
Clover Girls Ava x Saja Boys Mystery - 2%
Five minutes left.
The poll had looked like this for days. Not the exact percentages, of course, but almost as soon as it had been posted to the idols' respective fan communities, Huntrix and Saja Boys stans alike - and even a significant handful of people who weren't fans of either group - made sure Zoey and Mystery stayed at the top. The comments were flooded with reasons they were the superior pairing, including everything from their visuals, to their height difference, to the fact that Zoey was the only non-Saja idol thus far who was visibly unfazed by Mystery's spontaneous barking habit. Zoey even came across a video titled, "PROPAGANDA: WHY WE NEED ZOEYSTERY ON OODM OR ELSE."
It was a lot.
Zoey would be lying if she said she didn't briefly fantasize about being paired up with Mystery as soon as Bobby told them about the offer, but she never dreamed it would actually happen. After all, Mystery didn't seem like the variety show type, and certainly not the fake-marriage variety show type.
Then again, how well did she know Mystery really? They sat next to each other for an hour at their joint Huntrix-Saja Boys fansign. Zoey whacked him with a pen. And then they tried to kill each other. Zoey cringed a little at the memory. After Gwi-Ma was defeated and the Honmoon closed for good, the girls were surprised to find not just Saja Boys, but a handful of other humanoid demons still standing. As Jinu explained, they weren't monsters born of hell, but humans who had made mistakes they bitterly regretted - some years, decades, or centuries before. It was determined that the ones who remained after the fight were those who had retained most of their humanity even throughout their demon lives - who felt not just shame for their pasts but a desire to fix them, acknowledging their mistakes and striving to do better going forward.
For Saja Boys, that meant staying in Seoul and continuing their newly established music career. Each one had developed a knack for their respective roles and became rather fond of idol life, and without the influence of Gwi-Ma keeping their stories of shame echoing in their ears, they found meaning in making music for the purpose of connecting with others, rather than controlling them. They still struggled sometimes, but they were trying. Considering it had been generations since any of them had lived as part of human society, they were doing pretty well.
Since the Idol Awards, Zoey had yet to meet Mystery again in person. Huntrix took their well-earned semi-hiatus, and Saja Boys were busy with the variety and comeback schedules typical of freshly-debuted rookies, with the added challenge of adjusting to modern, human society. (More than one of the boys had gone viral for getting stuck in a revolving door.) Still, it wasn't as if Zoey hadn't seen Mystery at all since their battle. She may have searched his name on SNS once or twice. Made mental notes of the names of his fansites. Perused his photocard templates whenever Saja Boys had a big fanmeeting or music show broadcast. And, maybe, wondered what it would be like to meet him again without the existential threat of world destruction looming over their heads. Then Bobby appeared in Huntrix's studio and asked if she wanted to get fake-married for a TV show.
One minute left.
The Huntr/x Zoey x Saja Boys Mystery poll option was staying strong at number one with 43% of the vote. People really wanted to see her and Mystery together.
And, maybe, so did she.
She refreshed the page one final time and was greeted with the words POLL CLOSED. 11:59pm. 43%.
Mystery was going to be her husband for the day.
Shit.