Wicked Fox (Gumiho #1)(48)

“For the joke? Free.” Junu gave her a saucy wink.

“The talisman.” She refused to react to how he’d purposefully misunderstood her. “How much for it?”

Without waiting for an answer, Miyoung pulled out all the cash in her wallet. Junu eyed the money, but didn’t take it.

“Why did you need the first talisman?”

She glared at him, refusing to answer.

“If you tell me, I’ll give you this one.” Junu pointed to the yellow strip of paper fluttering in the wind.

“I lost something. I needed to put it back where it belongs and Nara said that talisman would open my energy to it.”



“Unless what you lost was ghosts, I don’t think your shaman was telling you the full truth.”

Miyoung hated that Junu spoke her own suspicions aloud. “Is that really all it can do? Open my mind to seeing ghosts? Nothing else?”

“Well, all things can be . . . shifted,” Junu mused. “But it’s far too dangerous to try such a thing without the proper skill and direction.”

Miyoung sighed. She’d been a fool to think she had a handle on things. And now she was paying the price.

“What could a gumiho lose that would cause her to risk such a thing?” Junu asked as he studied her.

“It’s none of your business.”

“You can’t blame me for being curious.”

“I didn’t come here for a game of twenty questions. I came here for that talisman.”

Junu held up a hand, and it took all of her control not to snap off one of his fingers. His eyes widened with understanding. “How does a gumiho lose her yeowu guseul?”

Miyoung shouldn’t have been surprised he guessed so quickly. She’d already figured out this dokkaebi was smarter than an average goblin, and twice as annoying.

“I don’t know, but we’re about to find out how a dokkaebi loses his left hand.”

Junu lifted the appendage in question in surrender. Then pulled down the yellow slip, gave it to her, and plucked the money out of her grip.

“Nice doing business with you. No need to eat this one. Just keep it on you. It’ll lessen the presence of spirits.”

“Lessen?” she asked.

“It won’t completely protect you from the ghosts. My home has other charms that magnify the effects, but they’re too bulky to carry everywhere. Whether you like it or not, you are now the proud new owner of the gift of sight.”

“Oh goody.”

Miyoung pushed back out to the alley. The crash of the door exacerbated her headache, but the ghosts were gone. Or mostly gone. There were still shadows that flew in her peripheral vision, but they no longer swept tauntingly past her, and their whispers were silenced.

The buzzing in her pocket made her jump. For a moment she thought one of the ghosts had broken past the charm to shake her. She pulled out her phone and frowned at her mother’s number.

“Hello?”

“The school called me.” Yena’s voice dripped with displeasure. “They said you haven’t been in class all week. You know how I despise being contacted by your schools. Is there something I should know?”



“I just didn’t feel like going,” Miyoung said lightly, hoping the tremor in her hands didn’t transmit to her voice. “When will you be home?” Now her voice did shake. She was tired and scared, and she needed her mother.

“I still have business to take care of. It’ll be another two weeks at least.”

Miyoung swallowed back a sob.

“You’ll return to school tomorrow.” Yena delivered the edict and hung up without giving Miyoung a chance to reply.





21





SCHOOL WAS TORTURE. Well, more intense torture than normal.

Miyoung sat across the aisle, face worn, purposefully ignoring him. But at least she’d come back to class. Jihoon made note of her sallow skin and sweaty brow. It worried him. She’d told him gumiho couldn’t get sick. So what was making her look so pale?

Jihoon stewed over it as he walked back from the school store with Changwan, arms loaded with snacks. Then he stopped short, noticing Miyoung walking down the hall. She saw him, then swerved right, entering the girls’ restroom. Obviously avoiding him.

“She’s still ignoring you?” Changwan asked.

“What are you talking about?” Jihoon failed miserably at playing dumb.

“Everyone knows.” Changwan shrugged. “There’s a bet about when she’ll break up with you.”

“You can’t end something that’s never begun,” Jihoon said as he positioned himself to wait outside the bathroom. “Here, take my snacks back to the room for me, will you?”

Changwan took the bags of chips and candy, wished his friend luck, and continued on to class.

“What are you doing out here? Being a perv?” Baek Hana stuck her nose in the air as she pushed open the door.



“Last I checked, this wall was open to the public.”

Hana rolled her eyes and let the door close in his face.

Another two minutes passed before Jihoon gave up, annoyed. What was he doing? Waiting out here just to get yelled at or ignored, or worse.

He had started to leave when he heard a shout from inside. He pushed open the bathroom door in time to see Hana shove Miyoung so hard she slammed into the tile wall.