Page 37 of Vicious Spirits

“If I’m not here anymore, then there won’t be an anchor in the mortal realm to create this connection.” Miyoung said it like it was so simple, her voice eerily calm.

“No. You can’t give up this quickly. We can fight,” Somin insisted.

“It’s the simplest solution. Maybe it’s what was always meant to happen. I’ve cheated death too many times already,” Miyoung whispered.

“Let’s just slow down,” Jihoon said. “We have time to figure this out.”

Junu shook his head. “No, the longer the tear stays open, the worse it’ll be. It’s allowing ghosts to stay in our world for much longer than they should. The longer they’re here, the more people will start to see them, and they’ll start affecting people.”

“How?” Somin asked, remembering the wild ravings of the man on the street.

“Once people start to see the ghosts, they won’t be able to handle it. At best, they’ll go a little mad; at worst...” Junu paused. “It could affect the order of death itself.”

“How long do we have?” Somin asked.

“Five days, maybe six?” he said. And there was more in his expression. Like there was something he wasn’t telling them.

“Well, there has to be a way to find Miyoung’s bead,” Somin said. “Some kind of talisman. A shaman ritual. You guys are freaking mythical beings. You can live forever, but you can’t figure out how to find one fox bead?” She racked her brain, trying to remember Halmeoni’s old stories. Ones about magpies bringing good news. Or rabbits tricking tigers into holes. But it wasn’t a story that caught her memory but something from last night. Among the chaos and the violence. The dokkaebi. And his club. But Somin remembered that it wasn’t a club, not in the stories. It was a bangmangi—a dokkaebi staff—and it could summon things. “The bangmangi.”

“What?” Jihoon asked, but she could see recognition in Junu’s eyes.

“The dokkaebi staff,” Somin clarified. “It can summon things like food and gold, right? Can it summon anything you want? Is that story real?”

“I’ve heard tales of it,” Miyoung said, her eyes considering Junu. “Could it work?”

“We could try,” Somin said. “We have one. The dokkaebi last night—”

Junu shook his head. “No, it broke. It won’t work anymore.”

“Dammit.” Somin huffed. She’d thought she’d hit on something there.

“I hate to bring it up, but... aren’tyoua dokkaebi?” Jihoon said to Junu.

“And?” Junu lifted his brow imperviously.

“Yeah,” Somin said. Why hadn’t she thought of this herself? It was a solution staring them all in the face. “Don’t you have a bangmangi, too? Could you use it to find Miyoung’s bead?”

Junu shook his head. “No.”

“No, you can’t use it? Or no, you don’twantto use it?” Jihoon asked.

“I don’t have it anymore,” Junu said.

“Anymore? So you did have one. Where is it now?” Jihoon asked.

“Not here.”

“Okay, well, tell us where it is and we’ll go get it,” Somin said.

“No.”

“Why not?” Somin wanted to shake Junu. He was usually so chatty, and now he was barely answering them.

“It’s somewhere I can’t go,” Junu said, turning his back to them. His shoulders were hunched defensively. Classic avoidance pose.

“Can’t? Or won’t?” Miyoung asked.

“I’m sorry, it’s not possible,” Junu said. “We’ll have to find another way.”

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