Page 67 of Vicious Spirits

“I won’t,” Miyoung said. “Of course I won’t.”

“Miyoung-ah,” Jihoon murmured.

“What?”

“Miyoung-ah!” This time he choked on her name before he started to seize, shaking so hard that she couldn’t hold on to him and he fell to the forest floor.

She reached out for him again with the half-formed idea of holding him still to stop him from shaking. But at her touch, he stopped. Like she’d pressed a switch, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he flopped back.

“Oh gods. Oh gods. What do I do?” Miyoung stammered. “Hospital. We need to go to the hospital.” She started to rise when Jihoon grabbed her wrist.

He sat up, his eyes clear again, no longer hazed with fear and confusion.

“Miyoung?” he said again. And this time his voice was stronger.

“I’m here. I’m right here. I’m going to take you to the hospital.”

“I don’t need the hospital,” Jihoon said, standing andbrushing off his pajama pants so casually, you’d never have thought he’d just had a seizure in the middle of the forest.

“Something is wrong with you,” Miyoung said, reaching for him. But when she touched him, a spark raced across her palm. She jerked her hand back. It had felt like pure energy sizzling under her skin.

Jihoon chuckled, but it sounded jarring while Miyoung’s heart was still racing with fear for him.

“I was just disoriented. I think I was sleepwalking last night and I had no idea how I got out here.”

Call it instinct, but Miyoung wasn’t sure if she fully believed this sudden story. But what reason did Jihoon have to lie? “You’ve never mentioned sleepwalking before.”

“Well, that’s because this is the first time it’s happened. It’s why I was so freaked out.” Jihoon gave a quick smile.

“Then shouldn’t you get checked out? I know you hate the hospital, but I think we should see your old neurologist, just in case,” Miyoung said, trying to wrap her arm around him for support.

“Fine, if it will get you off my case, I’ll go,” Jihoon said, rolling his eyes, like she was overreacting.

“Why are you acting like this?” Miyoung asked. This wasn’t like him. He wasn’t mean or callous.

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were filled with tears. “I’m just... I think I’m just stressed. I’m scared every day that I might lose you.”

Miyoung let out a deep breath, which eased a bit of the tension that still sat in her chest. “You won’t lose me,” she assured him.

“Of course I won’t,” Jihoon said, his eyes suddenly dry again. “We love each other. Love can conquer anything.” He gave a slysmile that looked like he was making a clever joke, but what he was joking about, Miyoung couldn’t tell.

She remembered her conversation with Somin. How those words were hard to push out, but how Jihoon needed to hear them. And it seemed he needed them now more than ever. So she took a deep breath, held it, and then dove in. “Jihoon-ah.”

“Yeah?”

“I do love you. You know that, right?”

He gave her a crooked grin. “Of course I do. Now let’s get going, the faster we see the doctor, the faster we can eat breakfast, and I’m starving!”

“Okay,” Miyoung said with a frown. That wasn’t the reaction she’d been expecting to her first true declaration of love. But she supposed after everything they’d been through, words could pale in comparison. She tried to push away the worry that still poked at her. She wasn’t so insecure that she’d assume her boyfriend was sick just because he didn’t react the way she’d wanted to her confession.

So she let Jihoon guide her out of the forest. But as they left, she heard Yena’s voice echo behind her,Becareful, Daughter.

33

“I DON’T KNOWabout this,” Junu said warily.

“You said you’d take me anywhere,” Somin reminded him, pulling him through the lobby. His shoes squeaked against the gleaming floor as they dragged. Then, finally, with a sigh, he let her drag him to the entrance of the indoor amusement park.

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