Page 56 of Gumiho Kiss
“No,” Hyun Soo lied, “I’ve just been trying to consider all the possibilities.Gwishin could be anyone, even a member of the police bureau.”
“Nonsense.No one with any sense of morality—even a twisted one like some of the men on the force have—is capable of such heinous crimes.”Dol Sam paused.“I know I told you before to stop him by any means necessary, but I’ve changed my mind.If it’s within your power, bring him to me—alive.Gwishin is the worst thing that’s ever happened to Sokju.He needs to be made an example of.”His lips peeled back in an unpleasant smile.“And I know just how to do it.”
Chapter19
The Plan
Chin Sun scurried back to her quarters, heart galloping like a horse.She couldn’t believe she’d nearly given away her secret.What had she been thinking?
She hadn’t been.Clearly, she’d been caught up in a moment of desire, hypnotized by Mr.Park’s delicate touch.She could still feel the effects of it now, that hint of longing buried in her chest.
She tried to pry it out so she could extinguish it, but the ache refused to budge, burrowing deeper like an eaglet in its nest.Whatwasthis?
Now that she was away from Mr.Park, it should have been easy to stamp out this feeling and clear her head.Why couldn’t she?
Chin Sun removed her outer layer of clothes and got onto her sleeping mat, but sleep didn’t come easily.Every time she shut her eyes, Mr.Park’s peered back at her.
* * *
“What are you doing here?”Kim Min Joon hissed through his teeth.He checked over her shoulder, then pulled her into one of the police bureau’s empty rooms.
Inside was a long table with tall chairs, a place for the officers to share updates and strategize before leaving for their individual assignments.Chin Sun had never been inside the police bureau before; when she and Min Joon had become allies, they’d agreed not to meet in public unless it was an emergency.
The night she’d just had definitely constituted an emergency.
She’d calmly told the officer at the entrance that she had information for the inspector’s ears only, but at the sight of her friend, all her composure shriveled up like a persimmon.She collapsed in one of the chairs and rubbed circles into her throbbing temples.
“There’s so much I need to tell you, but I don’t know where to start,” she murmured.
Her friend’s warm hand on her shoulder was comforting, but it also made her throat constrict.She swallowed a few times, then confessed, “You were right to tell me to stay home last night.”
Min Joon’s hand slid away, and he sat down in the seat beside her.“You came anyway.”It wasn’t a question.His voice was soft, controlled, yet it carried an undercurrent of anger that cut to Chin Sun’s core.
He pulled her hand away from her face, urging her to look him in the eye.“What happened?”
She started with the easiest part: fighting the bandits and discovering they were more than they seemed.
Min Joon slammed his hand on the table.“You mean Magistrate Hong hired them?Why would he—” His eyes widened with sudden clarity, and he slumped into his chair.“That sniveling little rat.I knew he wanted to catch you, but I didn’t think he’d stoop so low as to harm innocent people.”
“There’s more,” Chin Sun revealed.“One of the bandits wasn’t part of Hong’s group.He was a goblin.”
“A goblin?”Min Joon leaned a little closer, one eyebrow raised.“Are you sure?”
She nodded.“The same one who tried to take my bead in the forest.”She filled him in on the rest of the details, stopping after the part about Hyun Soo rescuing her from the fire.Min Joon didn’t need to know that she’d almost revealed her identity.
Her friend stayed silent for a long moment.“Then it’s only thanks to Mr.Park that you’re alive today.”
Chin Sun dropped her gaze to the table, accepting his words with a heavy heart.She couldn’t help but think back to when Hyun Soo had snapped at her in the schoolyard.
“How am I supposed to protect you if you have no sense of self-preservation?Is jumping into fights you can’t win a habit of yours?”
“It sounds to me like I’ve made a grave mistake in judgment,” Min Joon continued.
Chin Sun’s head snapped up.Was that amusement in his voice?
A touch of a smile played on his lips.“This Mr.Park is much better alive than dead, even if he did try to kill you.I suppose I shouldn’t fault him for that, considering I tried to do the same once.”
“I think you’re focused on the wrong thing.I came to you because I need your help figuring out how to stop this goblin.”
