Page 28 of Gumiho Kiss (Realm of Eternal Blossoms #1)

The Plan

C hin Sun scurried back to her quarters, heart galloping like a horse. She couldn’t believe she’d nearly given away her secret. What had she been thinking?

She hadn’t been. Clearly, she’d been caught up in a moment of desire, hypnotized by Mr. Park’s delicate touch. She could still feel the effects of it now, that hint of longing buried in her chest.

She tried to pry it out so she could extinguish it, but the ache refused to budge, burrowing deeper like an eaglet in its nest. What was this?

Now that she was away from Mr. Park, it should have been easy to stamp out this feeling and clear her head. Why couldn’t she?

Chin Sun removed her outer layer of clothes and got onto her sleeping mat, but sleep didn’t come easily. Every time she shut her eyes, Mr. Park’s peered back at her.

* * *

“What are you doing here?” Kim Min Joon hissed through his teeth. He checked over her shoulder, then pulled her into one of the police bureau’s empty rooms.

Inside was a long table with tall chairs, a place for the officers to share updates and strategize before leaving for their individual assignments.

Chin Sun had never been inside the police bureau before; when she and Min Joon had become allies, they’d agreed not to meet in public unless it was an emergency.

The night she’d just had definitely constituted an emergency.

She’d calmly told the officer at the entrance that she had information for the inspector’s ears only, but at the sight of her friend, all her composure shriveled up like a persimmon. She collapsed in one of the chairs and rubbed circles into her throbbing temples.

“There’s so much I need to tell you, but I don’t know where to start,” she murmured.

Her friend’s warm hand on her shoulder was comforting, but it also made her throat constrict. She swallowed a few times, then confessed, “You were right to tell me to stay home last night.”

Min Joon’s hand slid away, and he sat down in the seat beside her. “You came anyway.” It wasn’t a question. His voice was soft, controlled, yet it carried an undercurrent of anger that cut to Chin Sun’s core.

He pulled her hand away from her face, urging her to look him in the eye. “What happened?”

She started with the easiest part: fighting the bandits and discovering they were more than they seemed.

Min Joon slammed his hand on the table. “You mean Magistrate Hong hired them? Why would he—” His eyes widened with sudden clarity, and he slumped into his chair. “That sniveling little rat. I knew he wanted to catch you, but I didn’t think he’d stoop so low as to harm innocent people.”

“There’s more,” Chin Sun revealed. “One of the bandits wasn’t part of Hong’s group. He was a goblin.”

“A goblin?” Min Joon leaned a little closer, one eyebrow raised. “Are you sure?”

She nodded. “The same one who tried to take my bead in the forest.” She filled him in on the rest of the details, stopping after the part about Hyun Soo rescuing her from the fire. Min Joon didn’t need to know that she’d almost revealed her identity.

Her friend stayed silent for a long moment. “Then it’s only thanks to Mr. Park that you’re alive today.”

Chin Sun dropped her gaze to the table, accepting his words with a heavy heart. She couldn’t help but think back to when Hyun Soo had snapped at her in the schoolyard.

“How am I supposed to protect you if you have no sense of self-preservation? Is jumping into fights you can’t win a habit of yours?”

“It sounds to me like I’ve made a grave mistake in judgment,” Min Joon continued.

Chin Sun’s head snapped up. Was that amusement in his voice?

A touch of a smile played on his lips. “This Mr. Park is much better alive than dead, even if he did try to kill you. I suppose I shouldn’t fault him for that, considering I tried to do the same once.”

“I think you’re focused on the wrong thing. I came to you because I need your help figuring out how to stop this goblin.”

“On the contrary, I believe I’m focused on exactly the right thing. The goblin has beaten you twice, yet both times, you’ve managed to get away. Why is that?” He snapped his fingers. “Mr. Park.”

Chin Sun started to protest, but Min Joon held up his hand.

“I’m not saying I doubt your abilities. The first time the goblin overpowered you, you were already injured.

The second time, you didn’t have your bead.

I’ve seen what you’re capable of, Chin Sun-ah.

I’m willing to bet that if you were at your full strength, you could take that monster down. ”

“But I’m not.”

“ And that’s where it comes back to Mr. Park. If you want to defeat the goblin, you’re going to need every weapon you’ve got.”

Chin Sun turned away, something unpleasant pressing on her chest. “I’ve tried to get my bead back. You know that.”

“I do. And I know how much is at stake. That’s why I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help you. Even if it means I lose my job.”

Chin Sun shifted around with a look of surprise. Surely he couldn’t mean that.

But Min Joon’s face held such sincerity, tears of gratitude stung her eyes.

“Here’s what I’m thinking: I’ll call him in to ask him some questions about what he witnessed at the merchant’s house last night.

You’ll be waiting just outside. I’ll knock him out when he’s not looking, and then you can sneak in and kiss him.

You’ll get your bead back, and your reputation will still be spotless.

” He grinned like he was so proud of what he’d come up with, but his mouth was too tight, his smile too broad.

Chin Sun shook her head. “Thank you, my friend, but I can’t ask you to do that. I know how much this position means to you.”

“But—”

She shook her head again, resolve flooding her veins in the wake of his unwavering loyalty.

She wouldn’t allow him to sacrifice himself, not for her.

A plan began to form in her mind. It was terribly risky, but with Min Joon about to jump into the flames to save her, she couldn’t afford to wait any longer.

Especially when there were only seven days left until the bead absorbed the last of Hyun Soo’s lifeforce.

“This is my problem to fix,” she stated. “I’ve tried using subterfuge, and that hasn’t gotten me anywhere. It’s time for a more direct approach.”

Min Joon covered his mouth, eyes wide with disbelief. “You don’t mean you’re going to just do it openly?”

“That’s exactly what I mean.”

“But what about Kang Dol Sam?”

“I’m going to call off the betrothal. My uncle will be upset, but it can’t be helped. Mr. Park is a good man, too good to keep such a betrayal from his friend, and I won’t delude myself into thinking Kang Dol Sam could still want me after he finds out what I’ve done.”

“Are you sure that’s what you want to do?”

“Yeh, it’s for the best. With time, perhaps my reputation will recover enough that someone will be willing to marry me, and my cousins will find good matches for themselves.”

“Wait, you’re not going to tell Mr. Park you’re a gumiho though, right?”

Chin Sun scowled. “I don’t have a death wish, Kim Min Joon.”

Her friend let out a chuckle, but it was a dull, lifeless sound. “So, what are you going to tell him?”

“I . . .” Chin Sun cringed. She hadn’t thought that far ahead, but there was only one thing she could say besides the truth about her bead.

“I’ll just tell him I have feelings for him.

” She shrugged like it was no big deal, but inside, her heart was hammering against her ribs, demanding to be heard.

Min Joon crossed his arms. “Do you think you can lie that convincingly? I know you’re good at acting, but that’s—Chin Sun? What’s wrong?”

She tilted her head to the side, then felt what he must have already noticed on her eyelashes: tears.

She sniffled, hating her body for betraying her like this. She was supposed to be strong, to show no weaknesses, but when it came to Park Hyun Soo, she became as emotional as any other lovestruck maiden.

Min Joon still waited for an answer, his forehead creased in concern.

Chin Sun licked her lips and gave him a wan, self-deprecating smile. “Who’s to say it’s a lie?”

His jaw fell open. “What? Lee Chin Sun, are you serious?”

She closed her eyes but nodded. “I know it’s dangerous and utterly foolish, but I just . . . I just . . .”

Min Joon grabbed her hand, and when she opened her eyes, her friend’s expression was full of compassion. “You don’t need to explain.” He swiped a tear off her cheek. “Who can truly know the ways of the heart?”

Chin Sun’s mouth widened into a real smile. She hoped Min Joon knew just how much she appreciated his tenderness. If their roles had been reversed, she would have chided him for letting his heart run away from him.

“Do you think . . .” She took a deep breath, gathering her courage. “Do you think there’s any possibility he could feel the same?”

A spark of mischief lit up Min Joon’s face, as if he knew something she didn’t. “If the way he acted when we first met is any indicator, I’d say there’s a strong possibility.”

“What do you mean?” Her brow furrowed as she tried to conjure up the memory. “How did he act?”

Min Joon waggled his eyebrows. “Like he was so jealous he wanted to choke me.”

What? Mr. Park, jealous? Fire blazed down the back of Chin Sun’s neck, but try as she might, she couldn’t stop grinning. Up until now, she hadn’t allowed herself to dream he might reciprocate her feelings. But if Min Joon was right . . .

She dipped her head in a quick bow, suddenly eager to return home. “I better go.”