Page 46 of Vicious Spirits

“Well.” Jihoon pretended to think it over, then emphatically nodded. “Yes. Yes, I do think that’s what you do. Can you honestly say that you don’t?”

Junu scowled because Jihoon wasn’t completely wrong. Miyoung always claimed Jihoon was more observant than he let on, and Junu was starting to suspect that might be true.

“I do, but I don’talwaysdo that. Sometimes I’m being genuine.”

“Well, that’s really hard to tell.” Jihoon shrugged. “Maybe if you spent as much time having an honest conversation as you did talking about how amazing you think you are—”

“Rude,” Junu said.

“The truth,” Jihoon said with a knowing smile. “Listen, I don’t mind a person who keeps their feelings to themselves. I mean, we all do it. But you always act like you don’t care about anything but yourself, so what else are we supposed to do but believe it?”

Junu scowled. He’d heard that Jihoon could be brutally honest.A boy who hated to lie. Junu had thought it was an exaggeration when Miyoung first told him.

“Fine, let’s have a moment of honesty because we’re not just going on a leisurely hike.”

“When is a hike ever leisurely?” Jihoon muttered, and Junu smiled despite himself. If they’d met any other way, Junu had always thought he and Jihoon could have gotten along. A shame, really, that they had to be frenemies.

“The mountain we’re going to isn’t just a mountain.”

“What is it? Like, your evil lair?”

“What? No, you watch too many movies.” Junu realized he should just spit it out. “There’s a sansin that isn’t really a fan of mine.”

“A sansin? Like a god?” Jihoon turned now to stare at Junu.

“Do you know any other kind of sansin?”

“Why does this one hate you?”

“Hateis kind of a strong word. This one just doesn’t like me that much. And, to be honest, I don’t really like him either.”

“Care to elaborate?” Jihoon asked. “Is there anything else I should know?”

“No,” Junu said. And he meant it. There wasn’t anything Jihoonhadto know, and Junu was risking enough going back to this place. The place where everything had begun. The place where she was.

“If he’s a god, then won’t heknowyou’re on his mountain?”

“Even a sansin has limits to his abilities. And that’s why I needed to prepare yesterday. Here.” He popped open the center console and took out a bujeok. The yellow paper waved like a flag as he handed it to Jihoon. “It should help hide our presence.”

“Oh great, more bujeoks,” Jihoon said, but he took it and tucked it carefully into his pocket.

“Just be cautious while we’re on the mountain and stick close. We’re going straight to the bangmangi and straight back down. No detours. No dawdling.”

“I’m fine with that,” Jihoon said.

THE FIRST TIMEJunu saw Sinhye was in the market.

Junu’s mother and sister had dragged him out to hold their purchases as they shopped. His mother said it was because she wanted all the women to see her youngest son and how filial he was.

He would believe her, except she already had a son who’d achieved great things. She didn’t need her useless second son to help increase her pride. She just wanted someone to hold her things. But at least that meant she wanted him around. So he went along.

Before the war, their city had had a variety of classes. Now there was no in-between. If you weren’t noble, then you were slave class. Junu’s family was part of the noble class, barely. And his parents always worried about their place in society and the maintenance of their precarious hold on the claim of nobility. The market was the only place the two levels of society mingled.

The girl wasn’t entirely visible through the crowd of men surrounding her.

Junu could barely make out her fair complexion, her raven-dark hair, long and flowing. Not the way a noble would wear it, but she still held herself with such grace and class. And the men surrounding her were from some of the most noble houses intown. Her clothes were made of fine silk. Brightly colored, but still not enough to take attention from her beautiful smile.

Then her eyes lifted and latched on to Junu’s. A quick second later, someone shifted, and she was swallowed again by the crowd of her admirers.

---