Vicious Spirits - Kat Cho Page 0,58

sure?” Somin asked. Her best friend had dark bags under his eyes. He looked like he hadn’t slept since he left.

“I’m fine,” Jihoon insisted. “Let’s go inside. I’m melting out here.” He turned to open the front door, and as soon as it beeped, Miyoung came rushing toward them.

“Thank the gods you’re back,” Miyoung said, wrapping Jihoon into a hug.

“So . . .” Jihoon hesitated. “You’re not mad?”

“Of course I’m mad. You did the exact opposite of what I asked you to do. What happened to ‘people don’t like martyrs’?”

Jihoon hunched his shoulders like he used to when Halmeoni scolded him. “I wasn’t going off to die. We were just trying to get Junu’s staff.”

“Did you get it?” Miyoung asked, turning to Junu.

He shifted, his eyes not quite meeting anyone else’s, and Somin knew the answer before he replied. “It wasn’t there.”

“Wasn’t there?” Miyoung asked. “Then where is it?”

“That’s a great question,” Jihoon said.

“What are we going to do?” Somin asked.

“I don’t know,” Junu admitted.

“Well, we have to do something,” Somin insisted. “I just saw . . . it was horrible. And this jeoseung saja said—”

“Wait, what jeoseung saja?” Junu’s voice was sharp.

“I don’t know. Just this boy, he appeared like from nowhere. He said you had to hurry.”

Junu and Miyoung shared a pointed look.

“What is it?” she asked.

“So the reapers really are here,” Miyoung said.

“I told you,” Junu said.

“You knew?” Somin asked. “You both knew that there were reapers here?”

She turned to Jihoon, who didn’t look surprised either.

“Did you all know?” she asked, her chest constricting with that familiar feeling of being left out. It happened so often these days.

“That’s not important,” Miyoung said. “What else happened? You said you saw something?”

Somin wanted to demand more answers. She felt like the kid that had been locked out of the secret clubhouse. But she knew that her feelings weren’t the important thing right now. “I just saw a man run into traffic. I saw him yesterday and he was scared, but he didn’t look like he was ready to jump in front of a speeding taxi. It’s getting bad. Just like Junu said it would. We have to do something.”

“Yes, we do,” Junu murmured. “And we will. I just . . . I need to think.”

“Think? We need to make a plan. Where else could your bangmangi be?” Somin asked, and if her voice was a little higher and louder than normal, then she felt she had an excuse after what she’d just witnessed.

“I need a minute.” Junu turned and retreated into his room, closing the door on any protests Somin might have made.

She spun on Jihoon. “What exactly happened?”

“We got to the cave and there was just a random jar.” Jihoon shrugged, then started to walk back toward the kitchen. Miyoung and Somin gave each other a confused look. Jihoon wasn’t one to give up the chance to share a good story. They followed him to find Jihoon staring at the fridge, frozen like the appliance was perplexing to him.

“What did you say?” he asked.

“I didn’t say anything,” Somin replied.

“Oh,” Jihoon said with a frown.

“Did you want water?” Somin asked, stepping forward and opening the fridge.

Jihoon blinked, his eyes clearing as he focused on her. “Oh yeah, that would be great.”

“Tell us what else happened,” Somin said, placing a cup in front of him.

“Well, he said that the cave was dangerous because”—Jihoon’s eyes slid to Miyoung—“because he’d helped trap a gumiho in that jar. He’d used his bangmangi to do it. That’s why he was convinced it would still be there. But it wasn’t.”

“Why would he do that?” Miyoung whispered. “Why would he capture a gumiho?”

“I guess you have to ask the guy,” Jihoon said, lowering his head into his hands. “Is there any aspirin? I have a splitting headache.”

“Sure,” Miyoung said. “I think Junu has some in his medicine cabinet.” She went into the bathroom to fetch it.

“What else did he say?” Somin asked. “Where else could his staff be? What else did you guys do?”

“I don’t know. We didn’t talk much. Why don’t you go to Junu behind my back and ask him what else I did?”

“What?” Somin asked, her spine straightening in defense. “Why would you think I’d do that?”

Jihoon let out a hard laugh. “Come on, Junu told me that you don’t think I’m capable of taking care of myself. You really think I’m that useless?”

Junu, that snake, Somin thought. She should have known better than to trust him. But she also hadn’t expected the