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“It’s rude to come into someone’s house and assault them,” Somin said.

“Somin, drop that and get out of here,” Junu said, gaining his feet. His voice was so serious that Somin almost did what he said. She’d never heard Junu sound scared. But he seemed terrified, and as his eyes latched on to hers, she realized with a flash that he was scaredforher.

The dokkaebi let out a guttural yell as he charged toward Somin. But Junu launched himself into the larger goblin. Together they stumbled to the side. The beast flung out an arm, smacking Junu in the gut and throwing him back. He had to have known he wouldn’t have any effect on this hulking thing.

He’d done it to distract the dokkaebi from Somin. And she watched in wide-eyed horror as the goblin slammed Junu against the wall.

“Stop it!” Somin shouted, jumping onto the dokkaebi’s back. She tried to use the club to batter at his thick skull. He easily dislodged her, and Somin crashed into the marble floor.

Her vision spun and a loud ringing filled her ears. For a second the world was a blur, and she could only make out colorful shapes around her.

A figure loomed over her. Not the dokkaebi. And not Junu. But someone who looked eerily familiar, except she couldn’t quite focus on their face.

“Somin-ah,” they whispered in a raspy voice, and it itched at her memory. She started to reach for them, but her fingers passed through nothing but cold air.

The dokkaebi let out an angry roar, and she blinked hard, finally clearing her vision. The dokkaebi still held Junu pinned to the wall, a meaty fist slamming into his stomach. Junu doubled over but didn’t fall as the dokkaebi dragged him up and shoved him against the wall again.

He was going to die if she didn’t do something.

She picked up the club. It had splintered from the fall. With a deep breath, she sprinted forward and thrust the jagged end of the club into the dokkaebi’s shoulder. He let out a roar and reared back, throwing her across the room. Somin heard a loud crack as her head connected with the gleaming wall. The sound was so loud, she wondered if her skull had split open. She watched in a daze as the dokkaebi turned and leapt at her. She lifted her hands, which somehow still held the splintered staff. And as the dokkaebi fell on her, she felt the staff pierce his hide.

The dokkaebi’s face was centimeters from hers, and even with her blurring vision, she could see his eyes widen in surprise. Then he let out a roar just as he burst into dust.

A whistling sound rang in her ears. Was it coming from the dokkaebi? No, he’d turned into dust and air. She’d killed it.Him, she corrected herself.

Though the dokkaebi had been a beast, he had still been a living thing. And Somin had killed him. This wasn’t like when she swatted a fly or a mosquito.

She’d killed someone. She was a killer.

The whistling grew, so high that she pressed her palms against her ears. And then, suddenly, it stopped. And the world seemed completely quiet.

“Somin-ah.” The word was whispered into her ear, and she jerked her head up. She saw nothing but darkness. Where was she? Had she died, too? Was she being judged and punished so quickly?

Then she saw something, a blur of light in the dark. It became opaque, forming a shape that looked strange and familiar at the same time. She squinted to make it out, then blinked hard to clear her vision. Because she must have been hallucinating. Standing before her was Jihoon’s halmeoni.

“Somin-ah,” Halmeoni said with a kind smile. “You cannot blame yourself.”

“What are you doing here?” she asked. “Am I seeing things? Or am I... am I dead?”

“You’re not dead. And I don’t know how much time I have. I am not meant to be here, but I could feel that you needed me.”

“Did you... did you see what I did?” Her words came out in a hiccupping sob as tears pooled in her eyes. She wiped them away with the back of her hand. Even if Halmeoni was a hallucination or a dream, Somin wanted to see her this one last time.

“I did, and you had no choice. Do not blame yourself. If you hadn’t stopped him, he would have killed you both.”

“This isn’t who I am,” Somin said, holding out her hands. The hands of someone who’d taken a life. “I don’t want to be like this.”

Halmeoni took them between hers. And her palms were warm and comforting, just how Somin remembered them. She lifted their joined hands to her cheek and felt Halmeoni’s papery-thin skin against hers. “I’m sorry, my child. But this world we’ve stumbled into is not an easy place to exist. You must realign your morals if you’re going to protect the ones you care about. Including my grandson.”

“Have you seen Jihoon? Are you watching over him, too?”

Halmeoni gave a sad smile. “I’ve seen him, but right now, you are the one who is in need.”

“He hasn’t been the same since you... left,” Somin said. “I’m worried about him.”

“Yes, I know. That is why I know he is in good hands. You are a protector. You will make sure my Jihoonie stays safe.”

“I will,” Somin said.