Page 14 of Wicked Fox

“It couldn’t be avoided,” Yena said sharply. “You refuse to hunt without the moon.”

“I know.” Miyoung wondered how to broach the subject she really wanted to ask about. “Actually, I noticed a few books while I was unpacking. One of them was about fox beads.”

Yena gave a short laugh. “Those fairy tales? Things humans made up to tell their children. There’s no such thing as a fox bead.”

Miyoung frowned, her hand clenching in the pocket of her robe where that mythical object rested. Could it be that in her mother’s hundreds of years she’d never actually seen or felt her own bead?

“Miyoung-ah, I’m tired. It’s been a long night. No more talk of fantasies and what-ifs.”

“Yes, Mother.” Miyoung felt defeated.

“I worry sometimes that I let you have too much freedom with your dramas and shows.” Miyoung’s heart sank, fearing a new rule or restriction about to be declared. “Don’t let those fantasies warp your brain. You have to stay alert always. We must protect each other. It’s only the two of us against the rest of the world.”

Miyoung nodded. The words were something Yena often said, as easy as any other parent would offer a comforting hug. But Yena didn’t hug. In fact, she rarely touched Miyoung at all.

“Mother?”

“Yes?”

Miyoung tried to screw up the courage to tell her mother about her bead and the strange boy in the forest. But she couldn’t push out the words.

“Good night.”

“Good night, Miyoung.”

5

JIHOON OVERSLEPT, WHICHwouldn’t usually bother him, except it was Saturday and he was supposed to help in the restaurant.

He shuffled down the hall to look in on Dubu. She lay curled in her small bed. With a low whimper, she tried to limp over.

“Oh, you brave girl,” Jihoon crooned, giving her a gentle hug. He still wasn’t sure if he was mad at Dubu or relieved she was okay. Probably an even mix.

He’d been up half the night with thoughts of goblins and gumiho. Halmeoni used to tell Jihoon stories about dokkaebi tricking humans and nine-tailed foxes eating the livers of men. Horror stories camouflaged as fables to teach lessons. But those types of stories were supposed to stay in books, not come to life and almost choke him to death.

He’d tried to convince himself last night had been a vivid hallucination. But he couldn’t ignore the bruise on his temple, a reminder of the girl’s head coming into contact with his. And the strange stone that had come out of her. His fingers still tingled from it, like it had sucked out his very energy.

When Jihoon shuffled down the rear staircase, the sound of the bustling restaurant greeted him.

Voices drifted up from the back room, but he ignored them until the wordsanimal attackstopped him in his tracks.

“Thank you for coming to let us know, Officer Hae,” Halmeoni said.

“Detective.”

“Sorry, Detective Hae.”

“We’re letting the neighboring apartments and businesses know so they can be on the lookout. It seemed like a wolf or a wild dog came down from the mountain, so be careful.”

Jihoon froze, absorbing the words. Animal attack? Like a fox?

“We’ll let our customers know,” Halmeoni said as the door opened. “Come by anytime if you’re in the mood for a good home-cooked meal.”

The door shut, and Jihoon heard his halmeoni make her way to the front kitchen.

Jihoon wondered if the animal attack could be connected to that girl.

He shouldn’t worry about her. She’d told him not to speak of last night, so it would be easiest to forget it completely.

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