Vicious Spirits - Kat Cho Page 0,119

wanted. Even if she still missed certain parts of her old life.

She jumped as hands dropped on her shoulders. Then heard Jihoon’s amused chuckle.

Miyoung hadn’t even heard anyone coming up behind her. That would never have happened before. But she supposed there were worse things than having your boyfriend surprise you in the middle of class. Especially a boyfriend she’d been on the brink of losing a week ago.

She turned in her seat so she could see Jihoon’s dimpled grin.

“Did you get the snacks you wanted?”

“And yours,” he said, holding out the honey-butter chips. Miyoung grinned and ripped into the bag. For some reason, food tasted more delicious now. Funny, she’d have thought it would be the opposite, since so many of her senses were duller after severing her connection to her bead.

“I didn’t hear from you last night,” Jihoon said. His voice was casual but his eyes were unblinking. Like he was watching for any signs of distress.

“I needed some time after visiting my mother,” she admitted. “And I wanted to go shopping for some things for my room.”

“Your room?” Jihoon frowned.

“Yeah, I figured since it’s more of a permanent situation now, I want it to feel more like my space, you know?”

“So, you’re staying there. With him?” Jihoon sounded surprised.

“I figure the guy deserves a break.” She shrugged.

“I’m glad,” Jihoon said.

“Really?” Miyoung asked. “Since when were you Team Junu?”

“I’ve never been anti-Junu.” Jihoon shrugged. “I just didn’t know if we should trust him before. But I guess, when a guy saves your life, you owe it to him to cut him some slack.”

“I am grateful to him. I don’t want to think about what I’d do if I’d lost you.” She was still awkward about sharing her feelings with people, even Jihoon. “I guess I’d have hated to lose you before I could tell you . . .” She choked on the words. They felt thick and uncomfortable in her throat.

Jihoon squeezed her hands. “You don’t have to say it. I know it.”

“No,” Miyoung said fiercely. “I want to. I want to tell you that I love you.” She said it fast. Like someone admitting to a crime instead of confessing their love. But Jihoon laughed, a delighted sound.

“Of course you make love sound like you’re being tortured,” Jihoon said.

“Ya! I’m trying here.” Miyoung scowled.

“I know,” Jihoon said, pressing a light kiss to her nose.

She hunched, her eyes darting toward the other kids in the room. “Don’t do that in the middle of school.”

“What? I can’t kiss my yeo-chin?” Jihoon asked, raising his voice.

Some of the kids looked over, rolling their eyes like they were bored with Jihoon and Miyoung’s relationship antics. Then they turned back to their homework or their conversations, mostly ignoring Jihoon.

“See?” he said. “No one cares what we do. We’re just normal students.”

Miyoung frowned. That was also going to take some getting used to. But it seemed like being with Jihoon made her “normal” now. And she smiled at the thought. It was going to be nice being a regular teenager who didn’t carry around the weight of deadly secrets.

There was a sudden bustle of activity in the hallway. Miyoung checked the time. Free study period wasn’t over yet. But kids were shuffling around, hurriedly gathering into small groups to whisper. Anxiety spread through her. This was a familiar scene. Kids gossiping about someone, usually her. But they weren’t looking into the classroom. They were all staring down the hall.

Then she saw him. Junu walked past the windows between the classroom and the hallway. Girls giggled as he passed them. But unlike his usually flirty self, Junu didn’t seem to notice.

Every eye was on him as he moved assuredly through the hallway. His eyes glanced toward their classroom, scanning the seats. He nodded in greeting when he saw Miyoung and Jihoon. She lifted a hand in a small wave.

“You know him?” a girl asked, leaning over her desk toward Miyoung.

This girl had once been one of Miyoung’s tormentors, and now she watched Miyoung with unaffected interest, waiting for a reply.

“Um, yeah, he’s kind of like my cousin?” Miyoung looked at Jihoon, who gave her an encouraging nod. “We live together.”

“Daebak,” the girl said. “Does he have a girlfriend?”

Miyoung pursed her lips at that. “I think that’s what he’s here to find out.”

The girl frowned in confusion, so Miyoung took pity on her. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure he has a girlfriend.”

With a sigh, the girl turned back to her desk, muttering about how the cute