Page 34

“I’m fine.”

“Don’t be a baby,” he said, digging in his pocket and pulling out a tissue. He clucked his tongue at the blood as he tied the makeshift bandage around her hand. “I don’t have anything on me, but you should clean it when you get home. Or else it’ll get infected.”

“You sound like an old woman.”

She watched him so intently with a look somewhere between confused and intrigued. It made his heart stutter a beat.

Jihoon dropped her hand and wiped his suddenly sweaty palms on his pants. “I get it from my halmeoni.” He used his rambling words to chase away the sudden awkwardness. “She’d lecture you for an hour about bad habits. When I was younger I used to bite my nails and she’d dip my fingers in goya juice every morning to deter me. Now I think I actually like the taste because it reminds me of her.”

“Must be nice.”

“What?”

“Nothing,” she muttered, gripping her crudely bandaged hand with the other. “I just don’t know what it’s like to have a halmeoni to fuss over me.”

Jihoon blinked at the hint of wistfulness he heard in Miyoung’svoice. It seemed so ordinarily human, to wish for family. It made her so much more of a mystery and he couldn’t help asking, “Do you have parents?”

Miyoung scowled at him.

“I mean, I thought the myths said gumiho were originally foxes.”

“I was born just like you,” she said, almost indignantly.

“And your father is a gumiho, too?” He wasn’t sure if he’d ever heard of gumiho being anything other than female.

“He was human.”

“Was?” Jihoon’s mouth suddenly felt dry and he swallowed. “Is he dead?”

“How should I know?” Miyoung mumbled. “I’ve never met the guy.”

“How dysfunctionally ordinary,” Jihoon said. Then he thanked the stars gumiho didn’t have laser eyes or else her glare would have melted his face off. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I’m not judging or anything.” He began to ramble again as her dark eyes continued to watch him. “I mean, I wouldn’t even have the right to judge, I grew up without my father, too. Haven’t seen him since I was four.”

“Well, humans suck sometimes,” Miyoung said. It was not the reaction Jihoon usually got, and definitely not the one he was expecting from her.

He was silent a moment, unsure how to reply. Then he let out a roaring laugh. “Thanks.”

“What for?”

“Just for distracting me from my problems by being you.”

“You’re so strange.” Miyoung shook her head. “I should get going.”

But she didn’t leave. Instead she narrowed her eyes, like she was debating something. Then she held out her umbrella.

“What’s this for?” Jihoon asked.

“Gumiho don’t get sick. I don’t need it.”

“Be careful,” he said, accepting the umbrella with a grin. “I might start thinking you like me.”

She rolled her eyes as she left. Her form faded long before he was able to tear his gaze away.

It’s not smart for a person to go looking for trouble among things he doesn’t understand,he reminded himself.

But it seemed he wasn’t that smart.

10