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Junu almost lost his grip. She had really come here for him?

Miyoung had recovered by then and appeared beside Junu. “Hold him still,” she said.

He wanted to give a pithy retort, but he was too out of breath from holding the sansin in place. So he just watched, sweat stinging his eyes, as Miyoung pressed her palm to the sansin’s chest.

“Junu!” Sinhye shouted behind him. He turned to see the shaman holding a knife to her throat. Sinhye was still frozen in place by the bujeok, unable to fight back. In that moment of distraction, the sansin grabbed Junu’s shoulder. Before he couldpull free, Junu felt his flesh tighten, first along his arm, then racing down his torso and to his toes. It was like he was being stretched by an invisible force.

He screamed as agony burst along his limbs like sparklers.

The sansin lifted his fists to slam onto Junu. A final killing blow.

But before he could, the air shifted. It thickened. Waves of heat started to waft around them.

The sansin stopped mid-swing. And his hand loosened. Junu fell to the dirt, his muscles burning.

Miyoung stood above him, so focused on the sansin that her eyes looked dark as midnight. Sweat beaded on her brow from the effort.

The air sparked with energy. Then the sansin let out a roar as vapors sifted from his chest, waving around Miyoung’s outstretched arm, writhing around her like snakes made of smoke.

She was taking his gi.

“Wait,” Junu shouted. “His energy is too strong. It will overwhelm you!”

“Just help Jihoon,” Miyoung called, her voice strained as she focused on her hold of the sansin.

He threw himself at the shaman, twisting her arm so the knife fell from her hand. But Junu, still weakened from the sansin’s attack, overbalanced and they tumbled to the ground. Sinhye screamed as she also fell.

Junu rolled away from the shaman and crawled toward Sinhye to pull the bujeok off. But the shaman grabbed him by the hair, yanking his head back.

Stars exploded behind his eyes as he pulled away. He felt the rip of his hair in the shaman’s unyielding grip.

Behind him, the sansin let out an echoing yell that shook the trees so hard panicked birds took flight, peppering the sky.

“Junu! Get this damn thing off me,” Sinhye said through gritted teeth.

Junu reached her just as a roar sounded behind him.

He spun around in time to see a flash of orange emerge from the forest. Claws and teeth leapt toward him. And he flattened himself on the ground beside Sinhye. The tiger went sailing over them, its claws barely missing Junu’s nose.

Clambering to his feet, Junu turned to face the giant cat.

The shaman screamed and lunged at Junu, and he was caught off guard, with all of his focus on the tiger. He grabbed the shaman’s hands, barely stopping her nails from gouging out his eyes. He heard the low growl of the tiger behind him and spun around, hauling the shaman with him. The tiger leapt in that moment. Its teeth biting into the shaman’s shoulder instead of Junu’s throat.

She screamed as she went down under the weight of the tiger, and Junu wheeled out of the way. He turned away from the attack, unable to stomach the sight.

“Bring her to me,” Miyoung shouted, holding her hand out toward Sinhye.

Junu didn’t understand at first, but when he saw the wave of energy transferring between the sansin and Miyoung, he finally realized they meant to sacrifice the sansin’s soul to sever Sinhye’s hold on Jihoon. They meant to save him without sacrificing Junu.

Now that Miyoung had a solid hold of the sansin, Somin leapt down from his back and raced toward Sinhye, picking up the shaman’s discarded knife.

“Come on,” she shouted. But Junu could just stare at her.

“Why are you doing this? Why are you risking your lives for this? It’s too dangerous. You should have just let me—”

“You really think we’d let you sacrifice yourself without a fight? We aren’t willing to lose anyone else we care about. So make yourself useful and help me carry her,” Somin said.

“You’d betray me this way,” Sinhye spit out.