Wicked Fox (Gumiho #1)(78)

“If you’re not here to get your bead back, then why did you return?”

“You think I’d tell you that?” Miyoung scoffed.

“Well, if it was easy to accomplish, you’d have done it already. You even have Junu on your side. Perhaps it’s because you don’t have a solution for your problem.”

“And you do? Are you saying you can take my bead out of Jihoon without killing one of us?”

Nara hesitated. “I can’t. I took advantage of a month with a lot of spiritual power when I did it the first time. If I do it wrong . . .” She trailed off, but the implication was clear. Done wrong, it would kill him.

“Then you’re of no use to me,” Miyoung said, and began to leave.

“I did what I did for my family,” Nara called after her. “I thought maybe you could understand that.”

Fury filled Miyoung. “Funny that you think honoring your family requires you to kill. You’re right; it’s something I can understand all too well. I guess that means we’re both monsters in our own right and we’ll both never live up to our families’ expectations now.”

The words aimed to wound. Nara stiffened as they hit their target.

“He shouldn’t be out tonight,” Nara said. “His body has healed from his injuries, but it’s still mortal. And the bead gains power from the moon. It could overwhelm him.”

“What?” Miyoung asked, annoyance lacing her voice.

Nara frowned, then pointed to the sky, toward the full moon.

Miyoung cursed. How could she be so brainless as to lose track of the time. And now she was out during the full moon. It shone down on her, causing her heart to squeeze and her breath to catch.

“Are you okay?” Nara asked, stepping toward Miyoung, but she held up a hand.

“Don’t worry yourself about me,” Miyoung said. “And don’t get in my way. Or your halmeoni will have another reason to want revenge against my family.”

That stopped Nara in her tracks. She gave a curt nod and turned to disappear down the alleyway.



Miyoung glanced back at the moon and rubbed at her chest. She needed to find Jihoon.





47





SENIOR YEAR WAS on the horizon, arguably the hardest year for any Korean teen. And Jihoon found himself hoping for it to arrive faster. He hated the time he spent with nothing but his thoughts. Changwan was away with family for the school break, and Jihoon could only spend so much time at Somin’s without being fussed over.

He tried to fill his time by visiting his halmeoni, but after his own hospital stay the nurses had become strict with him and forced him home at the end of visiting hours.

So he found himself restlessly wandering his neighborhood. He’d felt claustrophobic cooped up in his small apartment, where everything reminded him of Halmeoni.

He rubbed a hand over his neck. It itched like sharp pins were pricking at his skin. Glancing up, he took in the full moon and sighed. Of course that was the cause of his discomfort. A regular reminder of his past mistakes.

And Jihoon realized he’d stopped right next to the entrance of the neighborhood playground. Like he’d been brought there so he could be haunted by old memories. He should go back home. He knew it was ridiculous, but just the sight of the moon made his heart ache.

Instead, he found himself turning into the playground, running his hands over the roundabout until it spun in squeaky circles. He remembered riding that merry-go-round as a kid, spinning and spinning until he felt like he was going to puke.

Funny, he’d forgotten that once he’d loved this place. Because now it only represented her and how much he’d cared about her before she broke his heart. Sitting on one of the swings, he pushed off, leaning back so all he could see were stars and sky.

Then his heart clenched. His breath shortened. And a face, pale as the moon, appeared above him. He let out a shout and fell from the swing. Dirt and gravel dug into his palms as he scurried to his feet.

He glanced up, half expecting to see a ghost. But what stood there was much worse. Miyoung.

She was as beautiful as he remembered. The moonlight hugged her with its bright embrace. Her skin glowed. Her eyes sparked. Dark hair blew around her pale cheeks in the winter breeze. And behind her was the ghost of her tails. He had a moment to worry that someone would walk by and see, but the clouds shifted and covered the moon and she was just a girl again. But not just a girl. She was never just a girl to him.

“Are you real?” he breathed, not quite trusting his mind. It had often played tricks on him in the past two months.

“Jihoon-ah.”

He held up a hand to stop her. Her voice sounded clear and smooth, as beautiful as he remembered. It made it hard for him to think.

“It’s been a while,” he finally managed.

She nodded.

“I don’t know why you left and I don’t need to know,” Jihoon said, determined to stay calm. “But I need your help. My halmeoni is sick.” He watched her face carefully. It betrayed nothing of her inner thoughts. “The doctors don’t know why she’s been in a coma this long. Her brain waves are strong. She has a good heart. I brought in a shaman and she said that there is dark energy in Halmeoni, like she’s been cursed.”

Miyoung shook her head. “It’s not a curse.”