“What do you think he’s really doing here?” Jihoon asked Miyoung quietly.
“I think he’s looking for Somin,” Miyoung said, opening her workbook again.
“I hope she gives him hell.”
Miyoung smiled to herself. Is this what it felt like to be content? To know that everyone you cared about could be happy? To have people to care about? If it was, then Miyoung thought everything they’d gone through might have been worth it. If she was allowed to have this life now. And maybe she didn’t need to just survive anymore. Maybe now she could give herself permission to really live.
“I’m sure she’ll give him exactly what he deserves.”
71
SOMIN STARED AT her math workbook, and nothing made sense. She was usually so good at math. In fact, she was planning to enter the upcoming math contest to increase the specs on her college applications after her talk with her mother. But try as she might, she couldn’t get herself to study the material.
This study room was usually empty because it was next to the bathroom that was constantly flooding because of bad plumbing. When it was really bad, water would start to seep into this study room as well. So most students avoided it because they were squeamish. But Somin had been desperate for some quiet. Even that hadn’t helped.
She closed the workbook and dropped her head on top of it with a thud.
“Ow.” She let out an unhappy moan, muffled by her workbook.
“Is this normal human behavior?”
Somin jerked upright and frowned at Hyuk.
“Why are you here? To play more games with our lives?”
“A jeoseung saja doesn’t play. And we’re not supposed to do anything that affects outcomes in the mortal realm.”
“Not supposed to,” Somin said. “But you did.”
“There were extenuating circumstances. We had to do what we could to close the tear between worlds.”
“But you did more than help us close the tear. You wanted me to save Junu.”
“I merely told you where Junu was going. I never told you how to stop him or even if you could.”
“But you didn’t have to tell me. Why did you?”
When Hyuk didn’t answer, Somin did. “Because you care about him. He’s someone special to you.”
“A jeoseung saja does not have connections. In any realm.” Hyuk frowned again. “But we were once human, too. Though our memories of our humanity are taken, we all know where we once came from.”
“And Junu reminds you of your humanity?” Somin asked.
“He’s special. I always wanted to help him defeat the ghosts that haunted him. I never could. But you did,” Hyuk said. “I’m glad I was right about you.”
Somin wasn’t sure if he was right. After all, she hadn’t been able to get in touch with Junu for a week. But she didn’t want to tell the reaper that. A part of her was scared of disappointing him.
“Will we see you again?” Somin asked instead, though she didn’t know what she wanted the answer to be.
“I hope not,” Hyuk said. “This isn’t my world.” Somin saw a bit of wistfulness on his face, the first hint of emotion she’d ever seen on the reaper. “I should go.”
Somin thought he’d just disappear into vapors like he had before, but instead he walked to the door. When he opened it, Junu stood on the other side, his hand reaching for the knob. Somin jumped up at the sight of him, her chair scraping across the floor. Junu froze, surprise flashing across his features as he stared at the reaper.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“I’m just leaving. I wish you well, old friend.” Then he turned and did disappear where he stood. And Somin realized the reaper had come here to see Junu, to make sure he was okay.
Junu was staring at the spot where Hyuk had just stood. When he didn’t move to step in or out of the room, Somin cleared her throat meaningfully.
He looked up and seemed to finally remember she was here. It was a blow to her ego to realize he’d forgotten about her.
“What was he talking to you about?”
“It was private,” she said, primly sitting down again. Taking her time smoothing out her uniform skirt. As if it didn’t matter to her at all that the last time they’d seen each other, she’d been trying to reach beyond the veil of the living and pull his soul back. That he hadn’t reached out to her at all since then.
And she felt a fire lifting in her. An anger that told