Page 63 of Gumiho Kiss
Hyun Soo nodded, accepting her answer, but then his eyebrows stitched together.“How did I get here?”
“Pyung Ho carried you back,” Chin Sun lied.“Are you feeling all right now?”
“A little dizzy, but it’s bearable.”
“Here, drink more of this then.”She gave him some tea, blushing when her fingers grazed his stubble.
“It seems my presence is no longer needed,” Hae Rim stated.She dipped her head and rose to her feet.“Make sure he finishes that tea, and send for me if you need anything else.”
Chin Sun almost stopped her, but she didn’t want to raise Hyun Soo’s suspicions, so she gave the damo a glare that said,Don’t you dare betray me.
Hae Rim smiled sweetly and swept out of the room, but as she passed, something snagged Chin Sun’s attention.The ring on the damo’s index finger.Or more specifically, the symbol engraved into it: a pearl surrounded by flames.
She’d thought it peculiar before, but now a heavy feeling settled in her gut.She’d seen that symbol recently.
On the goblin’s sword.
Chin Sun chewed her lower lip.Could she have been mistaken?
No, the image of that symbol surrounded by the glow of blue fire was seared into her memory.There was no mistake.Hae Rim’s ring matched the design on the goblin’s blade.
But why?The symbol was too unusual to be a coincidence.Was Hae Rim connected to the goblins somehow?
“Lady Lee?”
She turned to Hyun Soo with a loving grin, hiding the fear clawing at her chest.“Yeh?”
Hyun Soo opened his mouth, then closed it again as if he was struggling with whether or not to ask something.Finally, he said, “Was it really Pyung Ho who brought me here?”
“Yeh, that’s right.Who else could it have been?”
“I must have dreamed it, but I had the strangest thought that you were the one who carried me back.”
Chin Sun forced herself to chuckle.“I may be strong, but that’s way too far for me to carry you by myself.”
“That’s true.Anyway, I want to say thank you.You saved me ...again.”He smiled at her with such open adoration she had to look away; otherwise, her heart might crumble under her guilt.
She was lying to protect him.If he knew she was gumiho, that would put him in even more danger.If the public ever found out her true identity and then learned he’d concealed it, he’d be executed alongside her.
Chin Sun pulled at the sleeve of her jeogori.“I guess you owe me again.”
“Yeh, I suppose so.Well, since I now know jumping into dangerisa habit of yours, I’m sure I’ll be able to return the favor soon.”Amusement danced in his voice, the pair returning to their normal rhythm of banter.It was easier that way, comfortable, especially in light of their weighty confessions earlier.
“Only once you’re feeling better.”She shook her finger at him, but his hand snaked out and grabbed hers.
“And then we can pick up where we left off.”
“Where we ...?”Chin Sun pulled away and threw her hands over her blazing cheeks.
Hyun Soo raised a teasing eyebrow.“Figuring out our future, of course.What did you think I was talking about?”
“I ...”Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, unable to form words in the wake of her embarrassment.
He laughed at that, a great belly laugh, but the movement brought on a coughing fit.“You must stop looking so adorable, Lady Lee.Until I’m better, that is.”
Chin Sun scowled through her blush, though inwardly she was squealing that he thought her adorable.“And you must stop calling me Lady Lee if your intentions are what you’re implying.”
Hyun Soo pursed his lips.“Then what should I call you?”
