Page 24 of Vicious Spirits

“Aw, thanks, Daughter, I’d love that,” Ms. Moon said. Then she turned to Miyoung. “You just rest. I’m going to go to the store to buy ingredients for miyeokguk.”

“Seolleongtang,” Somin corrected her.

“Yes, seolleongtang,” Ms. Moon said, kissing Somin’s cheek. “Call if you need anything.”

As the door swung shut behind her mother, Somin bent to organize the fallen shoes.

“She’s not like any mother I’ve ever seen,” Miyoung said before she could stop herself.

“Yeah, I know.” Somin laughed. “Half the time I worry she’ll forget to put on shoes altogether when she leaves the house.”

“But she loves you,” Miyoung said, and felt her chest constrict. “It’s so obvious how much she loves you.”

Somin smiled and sat next to Miyoung on the couch. She picked up the forgotten tea that Miyoung hadn’t started drinking and held it out. “Drink your tea or my loving mom is going to lecture me about not catering to our guest.”

“You’re lucky, you know, to have a mother like that,” Miyoung said, sipping her tea. “One that can love you with no strings attached.”

“Your mother loved you—she just showed it differently.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Miyoung said.

“And listen, just because my mom is fun and cool doesn’t mean it’s easy to be her daughter. Half the time I feel like I’m the parent.”

Miyoung laughed. She could see that. Ms. Moon seemed so carefree. And she let Somin do pretty much whatever she wanted. Miyoung wondered what that was like. To have a mother who trusted you so explicitly.

“I really shouldn’t stay the night. Your mother said there was barely enough room now with Jihoon. I can just go to a hotel.”

“Are you not staying with Junu?”

The way Somin said Junu’s name struck Miyoung as odd. Like she wanted to spit it out as quickly as possible. Like she was afraid to say it.

“I don’t know. Maybe I will. It is someplace familiar. AndI guess that would be nice right now. I just don’t know if I can trust him.”

“Yeah, I guess he’s not the most trustworthy guy.”

“You guess? I thought you were the president of the anti-Junu club.”

“I am. I guess I’m just wondering if there’s anything else to him that I’m not seeing.” Somin turned to face Miyoung. “What do you think of him? Like, really think?”

“I think he’s annoying. Presumptuous. Exhausting. Pushy.”

“So the worst being to ever walk the earth,” Somin said with a nod. And for some reason, Miyoung thought she hadn’t given Somin the answer she’d wanted.

“Well, he’s not all-the-way bad. But I’d never tell him that to his face.”

“Are you happy he’s still here?” Somin asked.

“I wouldn’t sayhappy,” Miyoung said, but she remembered what Junu had said to her in the hospital.Sometimes I think I want the chance to show that I’m more than a fairy-tale monster.Maybe all this time he’d been hiding his insecurity behind his bravado. It made sense. But that didn’t undo all the bad he’d done. “I think Junu is a complicated person. I think even he doesn’t know who the real Junu is most of the time.”

“Do you think, underneath it all, he’s a good person?”

“What is ‘good’?” Miyoung asked. “What is ‘bad’? Is a bad person someone who lies and cheats and kills? If so, then I’m a bad person.”

“You don’t do that anymore,” Somin said with a frown.

“But I lived like that for nineteen years. I can’t forget that.”

“Are you telling me to give Junu a chance?”

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