Page 101 of Vicious Spirits

“The sansin has his bangmangi. And I believe he has a plan to sacrifice himself.”

“Now I know you’re lying. Junu would never risk his life like this.” But the empty bed seemed like glaring evidence.

“He’s learned the way to cut Sinhye out of your friend. With the sacrifice of an immortal soul. His soul.”

Somin stopped, finally looked at the jeoseung saja. There was a steadfastness about Hyuk that told her the reaper was telling the truth.

She slammed into the other room. It was empty, too. Sinhye was gone.

“Miyoung-ah!” Somin shouted, running into the living room. Miyoung was already on her feet.

“What’s the matter? Why are you making so much noise?”

“They’re gone. They’re both gone!”

“How? Why?”

“He said Junu’s going to sacrifice himself.” Somin turned, but Hyuk was gone. She’d thought he was right behind her.

“You need to slow down. You need to explain it to me.”

When Somin did, Miyoung cursed. “That stupid dokkaebi. Trying to martyr himself because he thinks he owes a debt.”

“I don’t care why he’s doing it. We need to stop him,” Somin insisted.

“Okay, we should leave immediately if we want to catch up.”

“How? We don’t know how long he’s been gone. And we don’t have a car.” Somin felt her throat tighten with frustration.

“A car,” Miyoung murmured. “I think I can help with that.”

“You have a car?” Somin asked. She didn’t even know that Miyoung had a driver’s license.

“No, but Junu has cars, lots of them. And he loves fast ones.”

“Yeah, except we don’t know where Junu keeps his cars.”

“Well,” Miyoung said, drawing out the word, and she shrugged as if she just couldn’t help herself. “When you live with someone you don’t fully trust, you tend to snoop. And in snooping, I found out where his storage garage is.”

Somin laughed. “Well, I guess, thank the gods for your paranoia.”

“Come on,” Miyoung said. “Every minute that passes, they gain more of a lead.”

51

KOREA IS Acountry of mountains. Folktales were written about their rocky facades. The mountain that had ruled Junu’s life had no such tales associated with it. It was not named in stories or poems like Guksabong or Baektu. But to Junu, this mountain was the genesis of his fate. The origin of his curse. And now it was where his long and twisting life would end.

Perhaps, knowing that, Junu should have taken his time with every step. Remembered the trees and how they climbed up the rocky mountainside. How the air became thinner as he climbed. How small rocks kicked up against his ankles, lodging themselves in his tennis shoes.

But Junu didn’t concentrate on any of those things because he was too aware of the minutes ticking by. How they seemed to go faster than normal. How they might be the last ones he had on this earth.

“This place,” Sinhye murmured.

Junu was surprised. They’d been silent the whole drive. And they’d been hiking for two hours without even acknowledging each other. He’d leaned into the silence. It was easier than having to talk to Sinhye, knowing that he planned to betray her. That after he got back his bangmangi and summoned Miyoung’s bead,he was going to ask the sansin to take his life in exchange for pulling Sinhye from Jihoon’s body.

“Are you okay?” Junu asked carefully.

“I’m fine,” Sinhye mused. “It actually feels more comfortable here than being in the city. I don’t know how you live like that. So much noise and bustle. It would give me a headache.”

---