a frustrating blank. “I hope you weren’t breaking any juvenile labor laws.”
“I heard you like to use humor as a way to shield yourself. Good to know my sources are accurate.” The woman sat beside Junu on the bench.
“Why don’t you give me your message instead of wasting both of our time?”
“You seek answers,” she said.
When she didn’t continue, Junu asked, “Do you have any?”
“You seek something you lost.”
This piqued Junu’s interest, and he sat up straighter. “Do you know where my bangmangi is?”
The woman chuckled. “I know how you do business, dokkaebi. And I know that you don’t give anything up for free. Neither do I.”
Junu chuckled. Whether or not he trusted this woman, he could at least respect her.
“What’s the cost of your information?” Junu asked; money was no problem for him.
“The cost is a trade.”
“What kind of trade?” Junu asked, suspicion blooming.
“The fox spirit for your bangmangi.”
“And what do you want with Sinhye?”
“Not me—my family’s sansin.”
“Your family?”
Now the woman turned to face him, and at that angle, with that look in her eyes, he knew why she seemed familiar. “You’re descended from that shaman. The one who turned me.”
“She was my ancestor. And my family has faithfully served that sansin for centuries.”
“Then why are you here? That sansin is not a fan of mine.”
“I’m just delivering a message. You met my emo the last time you went to visit our mountain. She’ll wait for you by the cave tomorrow. If you still seek your bangmangi, then she will take you to have an audience with the sansin. But in return, he wants the fox spirit.”
“There’s a bit of a problem,” Junu said. “That fox spirit is currently possessing my friend. If I give her to you, I want her removed from his body first.”
“If she is possessing a human, then she should be expelled soon enough,” the shaman said.
Junu shook his head. “No, he’s an ideal vessel for her.”
The shaman hummed in concern. “How long has she been possessing him?”
“For almost three days.”
“So you must sever her bond to the body,” the shaman said. “There is a way if you’re willing to pay the price.”
“What price?” Junu asked.
“It requires a sacrifice.”
“Like a life for a life?” Junu asked, wondering if he could do it, if he could bring himself to kill again, even if it meant saving Jihoon.
“No, not that simple. The soul you wish to sever from her vessel is immortal, so the soul you must sacrifice has to be immortal, too.”
“Immortal,” Junu repeated slowly.
“Yes, to cut the immortal spirit out of your friend, another immortal spirit must cut its ties to the world of the living. An even trade.”
“Even trade,” Junu murmured. And he knew exactly how to pay back his debt to Miyoung. How to save Jihoon. How to make sure Somin didn’t lose her best friend.
He had to die.
49
JUNU WAS QUIET when he returned. Using a back door that no one knew about but him to avoid any unwanted questions as he made his way to the bedroom door surrounded by bujeoks. When he opened it, he wasn’t surprised to see Sinhye sitting on the edge of the bed as if she’d been waiting for him.
“Hello, lover.” Sinhye flashed a sharp smile.
“We need to talk,” Junu said, closing the door behind him and flicking the lock.
“Of course.” She patted the bed beside him. But instead Junu sat in the armchair across the room.
“I have a deal for you.”
“Ah, I was wondering when we’d get to this part.”
“Fine, if you don’t want to hear the deal, I can go.” Junu started to leave, but Sinhye stood up quickly.
“You might as well tell me,” she said.
He heard curiosity in her voice and knew he’d piqued her interest. “I’ll help you get revenge. I’ll help you kill the sansin.”
Now Sinhye’s eyes hardened. She became completely still, like she was waiting for the trap. “And what makes you think I want that?”
“Because you want revenge against those of us who trapped you. But you never thought that you could go up against a mountain god. Not with that mortal body. I can help you.”
Junu had thought this through his whole walk home. There were two things at stake here: his bangmangi and Jihoon. He had to be very careful how he orchestrated this dance. Sinhye had to come with him to the mountain if he was going to trade her for the bangmangi, but she couldn’t know about the second part of the plan or else she