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“I am, too. Just follow my voice.”

“I cannot find you.”

“Mother, please. I have so many questions,” Miyoung said. “Do you know where my bead is? We need it back and if you can help—”

“It’s all that keeps us together,” Yena said.

Miyoung’s limbs shook. Her stomach felt like it held rocks. “Does that mean it’s here? Is my bead with you?”

“It is lost.”

“I know,” Miyoung said. “Please, help me find it.”

“He is lost.”

“Who?” There was a shadow of movement to her right and Miyoung turned to follow it. “Mother, stop moving. Let me come to you.”

“You’ll lose him. You’ve already lost so much. My poor daughter.”

“Who are you talking about?” Miyoung’s vision wavered. “Please, Mother, you’re scaring me.”

“Good, you should be scared.”

That made goose bumps rise on her skin, but still she moved forward, determined to find her way out of this. Determined not to lether mother’s cryptic words stop her. “Tell me who you’re talking about, Mother. I can’t do anything if I don’t know what the threat is!”

Yena’s laughter rang through the mist. “Oh, my foolish daughter. You think you have the strength to fix this? A problem of your own making, because you were too sentimental to protect yourself over others?”

“That’s not true!” Miyoung shouted, her tears making warm tracks down her cheeks. “I refuse to be alone any longer. I refuse to push people away.”

“And when you pull others close, you put them in danger. He is lost because he loves you.”

Miyoung’s pulse leapt with knowledge now. “Jihoon-ah? Where is he?”

“Even he no longer knows. He runs and runs. Dirt and sticks.” The dark shape moved closer, so fast that Miyoung barely blinked before Yena’s pale face melted out of the mist, her eyes wide but unseeing. Her teeth bared. Miyoung tried to jerk back, but Yena clasped onto her shoulder, her nails digging into flesh. “He runs, but he cannot escape. Because the threat is coming from inside.”

Then Yena shoved Miyoung away and she fell through the mist.

And she woke with a start at the moment she was sure she would have hit the ground. She lifted a hand to her sore shoulder, and it came away with a streak of blood. She leapt up and ran to the mirror above her dresser. Twisting so she could see the back of her shirt, she made out the smudge of blood above her shoulder blade.

If this was real, then...

“Jihoon,” Miyoung whispered before running for the door.

31

SOMIN WOKE TOthe ring of her phone. When she picked it up, she saw Junu’s name and pressed ignore.

Just as she was about to fall back asleep, it rang again. And with a jab at the screen, she sat up. Fine, she’d just be awake.

She’d almost forgotten what day today was. She wished she’d forgotten. But as if her mind wanted to remind Somin to be miserable for the next twenty-four hours, she’d woken up at 3:00A.M.and noticed the date. It had taken her over an hour to fall back to sleep.

Somin told herself lack of sleep was the main reason she was so irritable, but she knew it was a lie. She hated being alone on this day. So she waited for others to join her in the land of the awake. Finally, with a frown she glared at the clock on her phone. It told her it was already 9:00A.M., which meant either everyone had overslept or she was alone. But that couldn’t be right.

She walked to Jihoon’s room and hesitated before knocking. Jihoon was not a morning person. But shouldn’t today be different? He’d never miss today. In fourteen years, he hadn’t.

So Somin rapped on the door. When there was no reply, she knocked again. Slowly, she chanced opening the door a crack. If he was a grump, then so be it. She’d dealt with angry morning Jihoon before. But when she poked her head in, the room was empty.

Where could he have gone so early in the morning? She dialed his number, but it went straight to voice mail. As if he’d turned it off. Or was screening her call. Could he really have forgotten?