attention,” Junu said, “I’m not here to be interrogated by Ahn Jihoon.”
“What are you here for?” Miyoung walked down the hall. Suddenly, Dubu started barking so wildly her whole body shook.
“Dubu, stop it,” Somin said.
“It’s all right,” Miyoung said with a shrug. “I’m used to it by now.”
Somin moved past them to put Dubu in her mother’s room; she hoped the task would let her escape Jihoon’s scrutiny, but he just followed her down the hall.
“What happened last night? Why is Junu here?”
“He said he needs to talk to us,” Somin said, closing the door behind her to muffle the dog’s frantic barks. She hurried back to the living room before Jihoon could ask her more whispered questions.
“Where’s my mother?” Somin asked, looking around.
“She just went to the store to get some meat for miyeokguk. And we lied and told her you were still sleeping.”
“Thanks.” Somin’s gratitude was peppered with guilt.
“What are you here for?” Miyoung repeated. She’d been watching Junu since he’d stepped inside.
“I’m just here to help,” Junu said, lifting his hands in innocence.
“And how much will that cost us?” Miyoung asked.
Maybe because she was watching him, Somin saw Junu’s jerk of surprise. He let a smile spread on his face, and now Somin saw it for the mask it was. Not one of manipulation, like she’d always thought, but one to hide his hurt. How had she not seen this before?
“I’ll do it pro bono,” Junu said. “Out of the goodness of my heart.”
“You don’t have a heart,” Miyoung said before turning to plop onto the lumpy couch.
“I know what’s ailing you,” Junu said, his voice smooth as butter. But now Somin was paying attention. She saw how his fists were clutched by his sides, knuckles white from being held so tight.
“And how could you know that?” Miyoung asked.
“It’s my job to know things.”
“It’s your job to manipulate people with what you know,” Miyoung retorted.
“Let’s just hear what he has to say,” Somin found herself saying. Three pairs of eyes shot to her with varying degrees of surprise.
“I mean it can’t hurt, right?” Somin shrugged. But she couldn’t quite meet any of the eyes that followed her as she moved to sit on the other end of the couch.
“Sure,” Jihoon said, ever the easygoing one. “Let’s hear his theory.”
“It’s not a theory,” Junu said, gritting his teeth. “I have it on good authority that there is an energy lingering. Something powerful, kind of like a yeowu guseul. You know, the thing you mysteriously lost this spring.”
“I didn’t misplace it like a set of keys,” Miyoung said.
“Well, you did lose it. And you had no idea what happened to it. But it’s still connected to you. We’ve always wondered why you’re still alive after not feeding for a hundred days. I think it’s because the bead isn’t in the mortal realm anymore.”
“What do you mean?” Somin asked. She didn’t like the sound of all of this as she remembered the ghostly figures she’d been seeing the last few days.
“I mean the bead is in the ghost realm, which might not matter, except it’s still connected to Miyoung, and the energy of that connection is creating a rip.”
“A rip?” Jihoon asked, frowning.
“I’ve heard rumors that the world of the living and the ghost realm might be crossing.”
That surprised Somin. He knew about this? He knew that there were ghosts? And he hadn’t said anything. But why would he? It’s not like Somin had told anyone about the weird figures she’d been seeing. Still, there was a strange feeling of betrayal that sat in her gut, like she wanted Junu’s trust enough to tell her things. When had that desire started?
“The connection between a gumiho and her bead is strong,” Junu explained. “If one of you is in the mortal realm and the other is in the ghost world, then the energy of your connection to your bead could affect the barrier. After months of this energy piercing the barrier, it’s making a tear, one large enough to let ghosts cross into this world.”
“That’s why you’re finally telling us,” Somin said. “Because of what we just saw.”
“What are you talking about?” Jihoon asked. “What have you seen?”
The concern in her best friend’s voice made Somin feel guilty. It wasn’t too long ago that she’d been pissed at Jihoon for keeping secrets from her, and now she realized she’d been keeping secrets from him. Whether intentional or not.
“I didn’t think it was anything. And with all the stuff going on with