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Neither of them dares to close their eyes that night as they speed through Busan, determined to make the journey back to New Sinsi as quickly as possible. Dok-hyun still hasn't been found, but Hani has the suspicion that he'll turn up eventually—probably at the most inconvenient time possible.

Especially when Seokga re-enters the city.

"Have you been having nightmares?" Hani asks as Seokga flies through an intersection with grim determination, one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding a large coffee from a Coffee Star.

"Not yet," he replies, glancing at her. "But I'm sure they'll come. The demon in Dok-hyun's body hasn't forgotten about me. If I had to guess, he's biding his time. He's probably had great fun dragging us all over South Korea for nothing."

Hani nods, but bites her bottom lip.

An eoduksini can kill a god. And Seokga doesn't have access to his full powers, and thanks to her, he never will.

The ones you seek are closer than you imagine,the yojeong had said in that deep, otherworldly voice. But you are alone, god, in a sea of deception. Let your mind not be fooled by surface perceptions. Look to the one with the eyes of the weary. Look to the one with the eyes of the teary. There you will find verity, hidden beneath insincerity.

Sighing, Hani drags a hand through her hair. Although the part about weary eyes was certainly about the haggard forensic pathologist, everything else had to be referring to the other half of Seokga's mission: the Scarlet Fox. And as vague as Aeri's declaration is, it's true. Hani is certainly deceiving Seokga. He will never catch the notorious gumiho.

And because of that, Seokga the Fallen will never reclaim his power.

Teary eyes. Perhaps Hani will cry for him, one day. She grimaces and shoves down a rising tide of guilt. Seokga cannot truly expect her to trade her life for the restoration of his former position, especially when he brought his fall upon himself with that attempt at a coup. That is an unfair deal, an unfair trade.

He won't have to know,Hani tells herself, watching as the highway speeds past the window in a blur of gray. He won't ever have to know.

So she is deceiving him, yes. Deceiving the god of deceit quite well, despite his claim that trickster gods cannot be tricked.

It is both a blessing and a curse that the fairies always speak in fickle riddles. Seokga mulled over Aeri's words and came to the conclusion she'd hoped he would: Weary-eyed Dok-hyun had deceived him from the start. Despite outward appearances, they cannot afford the belief that Dok-hyun is still human—his body has been possessed by something great and terrible.

If Seokga had heard that little plurality in the ones you seek, he has not mentioned the Scarlet Fox. Perhaps he is too tired to stretch his mind past the case of the eoduksini. Perhaps he simply didn't hear it over the whispering of the trees and his panic over Shim and his probable shock over kissing her. Whatever the case, Hani is relieved. She drags her hand down her face.

She feels Seokga slide her a sideways glance. "What are you doing?"

"Thinking," she admits. "About this godsdamned investigation." She peeks over at him through her fingers. His brows are drawn in concern. Worry. "And you are, too."

"Inaction breeds restlessness," the god mutters. "Call Shim. Tell him we want a shift on one of the stakeouts he's running tonight. We'll be within the city limits by eight." He hands her the phone, and she does as he says. Shim picks up with the first ring.

"Of course you can help," the chief says after she's explained what they want. "I can put both of you down for watching his house."

"His house?" Hani asks dubiously, frowning. "You think he'd go back?"

"After escaping custody, it's what most criminals do. To grab weapons or other resources. I don't want to write it off entirely. The eoduksini might be feeling cocky."

"Have you looked inside?"

"As much as we were able to without disturbing it. There are lots of, ah, ropes and gags. A good number of whips, too. We're unsure if this signifies a hostage plan."

"Ask for the address," Seokga says. Shim, hearing him, rattles off an address in a suburban section of New Sinsi.

"Park a few blocks away. We'll switch you into an undercover vehicle. Seokga's is rather conspicuous. You'll be on shift from nine to ten."

"Got it." Hani hesitates. "But…"

"What is it?" Shim asks.

"It's just—I don't think he'll go back to the house. Wouldn't it be quicker to lure him out somehow?" Hani thoughtfully picks at the hem of her sweater as Seokga cocks his head, listening to her. "It's definitely going to go after Seokga soon. Since he, you know, got the Dark World locked and all."

Seokga mutters something distasteful under his breath and runs a red light.

"So what if we set a kind of trap for it? We could end this sooner. Seokga could be cheese in a mousetrap."

The trickster seems to choke at being referred to as cheese.

Shim hesitates. "In light of recent events, it's best for the precinct to follow procedure. If the stakeouts yield nothing, we can regroup. But for tonight, we're following protocol. I'll see both of you at nine." He hangs up.

"Surprisingly," Seokga says, "it wasn't a bad idea."

Hani draws her knees up to her chest, peering at him in curiosity. Peering at the god who held her in his arms that morning, at the god she's shared a kiss with. At the god who is…the god who is becoming her friend, despite his perpetual grouchiness and inability to remember his manners.

This could be slightly problematic.

"If we don't find anything tonight…" Seokga shrugs. "We could try your strategy."

"Shim wouldn't approve."

Seokga snorts. "Shim wouldn't need to know. Until we succeed, that is. He's held back by protocol. We aren't."

Hani stares at him. "You want to spend even more time with me?" she demands incredulously.

He rolls his eyes. "Don't sound so shocked."

What if I told you I liked it, too?Hani can't stop the heat from rising to her cheeks. "We don't make a terrible team, you know," she says. "We can be the new Sherlock and Watson."

"Sherlock and Watson," Seokga says dubiously. "Those are strange names."

"They're British names." Hani eyes him. "You've never read the books?"

"No." Seokga wrinkles his nose. "I prefer Seokga and Hani."

"Hani and Seokga."

"Fine." A small smile tugs at his lips, and Hani cannot stop the sudden quickening of her heart. "Hani and Seokga."