but he hated cooking, so he ordered in more often than not.
Annoyed, Somin reluctantly went out to buy food before they starved to death. Okay, fine, maybe that was an exaggeration, but she felt better being annoyed with Junu than being worried about him. So she held on to the feeling as she traversed the neighborhood to the closest market.
She was baking under the sun and out of breath as she lugged her groceries. Maybe she’d let her anger push her too far, as she’d bought enough food to make a full banquet. Sweat dripped into her eyes, and since both of her hands were filled, she tried to wipe it away with her shoulder. She heard shouts but ignored them as she shifted the bags digging into her palms. She didn’t realize that people were shouting at her to get out of the way until someone slammed into her and she went sprawling, groceries spilling into the road.
More people were shouting, yelling things she couldn’t process at first.
“What are you doing?”
“Wait, don’t!”
“Somebody stop him!”
She pulled herself up in time to see a man race into the street, right into oncoming traffic.
He turned for just a second, so Somin could see his face. His wide eyes were shifting wildly. And she had a moment of recognition as he howled, “He’s after me!”
Then a cab screeched as it slammed on the brakes and swerved to avoid him. But the cab clipped the man with the edge of its hood and he went flying. For a moment, as he soared through the air, she saw a moment of clarity on his face. And the madness was replaced with terror. Somin turned away, not wanting to see what happened next.
She heard the screams. People shouting about calling an ambulance, about getting help.
It’s that man, Somin thought. The one who said he was being haunted.
“The ghost drove him mad,” said a low, clear voice.
A shiver raced down Somin’s spine before she looked up. The boy in black stood beside her. The one she saw outside of Jihoon’s apartment. This close, she could see that he was gorgeous. Smooth pale skin, a long thin nose, and full lips. He was again dressed head to toe in black, including a black trench coat that was inappropriate for the sweltering weather.
“I’ve seen you before,” she said.
“This will happen again if he does not hurry.”
“Who has to hurry? What happened here?”
“Spirits should not spend too much time in the world of the living. Their influence can be . . . harmful.”
“Like driving a man to throw himself into traffic?”
“He must hurry,” the boy said, instead of answering her question. “The tear between the worlds is widening. This will happen again.”
“What are you?” Somin asked, because she knew that this beautiful boy could not be human.
“My list changes every day, every hour, every minute. The souls I must reap are no longer set.”
“You’re a jeoseung saja,” Somin said, taking a step back. She’d never met a reaper before. Never knew she could while still living. She was just getting used to the idea of there being gumiho and dokkaebi. She wasn’t ready to meet a servant of King Yeomra. “What do you want from me?”
“Tell him to hurry. Tell him that his time is running out.” And the boy disappeared into a haze of vapors like heat waves fading into the sun.
She didn’t know how, but Somin knew that the reaper spoke of Junu. She took off down the street, leaving her groceries behind as she ran.
* * *
o o o
Somin ran so fast she was gasping for breath when she rounded the corner toward Junu’s apartment. Relief and anxiety raced through her, braiding together as she spotted Junu and Jihoon approaching the front door.
“Junu!” she called. He turned in time for her to barrel into him.
“I see you missed me desperately.” Junu’s voice rumbled in Somin’s ear.
She pulled away and cleared her throat as she tried to find something sharp and clever to say. But she was still wheezing for breath and her hair was plastered to her face with sweat. It wasn’t the most dignified look. So she turned to Jihoon instead.
“Are you okay?”
He was watching her curiously, like he was trying to figure out how to react to what he’d just seen. Somin blushed under his stare. She knew Jihoon would probably give her an earful later. But right now, he just nodded.
“We’re fine. It was a very quick trip.” His eyes slid to Junu meaningfully.