c036

Darkness slowly gives way to light.

Hani awakes in a warm bed, strong arms wrapped around her waist. She blinks, blearily, uncomprehendingly. Her mind fumbles for memory of who she is—where she is—but fails to grab the strings of remembrance that dangle tauntingly out of reach. Panic overtakes her, hot and buzzing, and she jerks upward with a scream in her throat.

The room is unfamiliar. Black walls, a glossy black marble floor, a bookshelf teeming with novels upon novels upon novels. The windows are concealed by gray curtains, the only source of light an elegant bedside lamp. The room is heavy with the smells of pine trees and soap. It is familiar, somehow, that scent.

"You're awake," a hoarse voice rasps. She moves her gaze downward. On the bed next to her, in the black sheets, lays a man. A man with a cruel, hard mouth that she somehow knows is capable of the brightest smiles. A man with icy emerald eyes that soften as they look at her. A man who is…A man who is reaching for her in concern. A man who is not a man at all, but a god. Slowly, she lets him fold her into his embrace. A name is whispered through her mind with loving gentleness. Seokga.

"Seokga," Hani says slowly, rolling the name around her mouth. And as if that name is the magic key, everything comes rushing back to Hani with terrifying clarity. She stiffens in Seokga's arms, choked by panic. The club. The eoduksini. Somi.

The nightmare that felt far too real to be one.

The nightmare that, try as she might, keeps slipping out of her reach. There was something she knows is important to remember, something that was wrong. What was it? There was Somi, and there was…Dok-hyun. But it feels as if she's forgotten something important about the eoduksini. Something…pivotal.

Yet all she remembers is Somi, turning against her, believing Hani to be her enemy.

Hani scrambles out of Seokga's embrace. "Seokga," she chokes again. "Seokga—"

"You were asleep for a day," he says very quietly. "A night and a day. The eoduksini struck the Emerald Dragon. Other than us, there are no survivors. Shim is—" Seokga's throat bobs. "Shim is furious with us. We can't work with the precinct anymore."

No survivors.The mass of dancers, the glittering dokkaebi…All gone. She raises a trembling hand to her mouth. "No…"

They have failed.

They have failed.

"Hani," Seokga says gently, gathering her to him again, "you've been asleep for a very long time. Take a moment to—"

"Somi," Hani croaks. "I need to call Somi."

Seokga's arms stiffen around her. "I don't suggest it."

"I-I had a dream," she whispers. "A dream that the eoduksini came to her. And he said…"

Join me, Nam Somi. By my side, you can satisfy your Cravings without ever being caught. By my side, you will be untouchable. By my side, you will feel no guilt, no shame. This suffering, your suffering, it will end.

The words echo in her mind, distorted and horrible.

"You saw Dok-hyun?"

Hani doesn't understand why her first instinct is to say no. She did see him, didn't she? The eoduksini was irrefutably in that vision. Wasn't he? What is Hani forgetting? "Yes. He manipulated her, he told her…I-I need to call Somi."

"Hani," Seokga murmurs, stroking her hair, "there is something you should know."

Oh, gods. "What?" Hani rasps.

"You don't know Somi. Not really." She feels Seokga's voice rumble in his throat as she rests her head on his chest, hardly able to breathe. "I know you think that she is a baby gumiho, no more than twenty in human years. That's what her files say, as well. But she's been lying to you, Hani. Somi is old—very, very old."

No.

"Nam Somi," Seokga says quietly, "is the Scarlet Fox. She is working with the eoduksini as we speak. Suk Aeri's clue. The ones I seek are closer than I imagine. Teary eyes. In the Creature Café, I noticed her eyes were glassy. You were in the restroom at the time, so perhaps you didn't see. But it all makes sense. All this time, it was Somi. And since the nightclub, Hani, things have…escalated."

Hani closes her eyes, unable to breathe, unable to speak. Her worst nightmare has come true. She's not the Scarlet Fox, she wants to say. It's me. It's me. But…she can't.

Perhaps the eoduksini is right about her, after all.

Do you really think that Hani will step up to save you if it means revealing her secret?

"New Sinsi is in a state of emergency," Seokga says, still running his hands through her hair as if to comfort her. It does not do much. "The haetae are doing their best, but in the past day, there have been forty murders. Twenty by the eoduksini, and twenty…"

"Twenty by a gumiho," Hani whispers, tears pricking the backs of her eyes. This is all her fault. "Have you—" Her throat is so impossibly tight. "How do you know it's her?"

"CCTV footage. Photographs from civilians," Seokga says quietly. "But even that isn't necessary. She's not making an effort to hide, Hani. People have seen her. Here." The god shifts, pulling something out of his pocket.

It's a grainy black-and-white photograph: Somi, standing over bodies in what looks to be a convenience store. Hani takes the photograph in her hands with trembling fingers and swallows hard. There's blood all over Somi's mouth.

"Shim says she's working with Dok-hyun."

Hani flinches as she remembers those words that she said in passing so long ago. Maybe the Scarlet Fox and the eoduksini are working together.

"Once we find one, we find the other. And…"

"And?" Hani whispers. "And what?"

Seokga is silent for a long moment before untangling himself from Hani and slowly walking toward the window. "The eoduksini has grown stronger," he says, lingering by the curtains. In the dim lighting, he is nothing but a silhouette. "The city is plagued by nightmares—nightmares and darkness." Slowly, Seokga pulls back the curtains to reveal a night sky so black, so impenetrable, that the blinking city lights are barely visible. "It looks like Gamangnara," he whispers.

Hani swallows hard. "That…that's the eoduksini?"

Seokga's gaze is somber. "It's mid-afternoon, Hani," he says. "At this point in the day, the sunlight should be golden. Gleaming. But the eoduksini has become too powerful. Unrulies are crawling the streets and it's only a matter of time before the humans become aware of their existence on a scale that we can't control. The shamans are working overtime. I haven't left your side since the nightclub, but the New Sinsi situation is all over the news. The mortals think that it's a chemical malfunction from a factory causing the darkness. But the darkness is spreading, and they'll soon see that's not true." Seokga grimaces. "Hwanin sent a message while you were unconscious. If we don't contain this situation soon, he's going to have to get involved, Chunbun be damned."

Fuck.Hani's stomach twists as she rubs her face. That darkness outside…"Let me call Somi," she whispers. "Please. My cellphone…Let me try to call to her."

Seokga's eyes darken, but he still nods, leaves the room, and comes back a moment later with Hani's cellphone in his hand. He hands it to her gently before returning to stare out the window, his back straight and shoulders tense.

This is all my fault,Hani thinks as the line rings once. Twice. I should tell Seokga the truth.

But what will the truth change? Hani is not the one out on a killing spree. Somi will still be put to death. And so Hani keeps her mouth shut—and hates herself for it.

The line crackles to life, but it is not Somi's voice that answers. It is Hyun-tae's. "Kim Hani. This is Hyun-tae."

"Hyun-tae." Hani clenches the phone between trembling fingers. "Where are you? Are you with Somi?"

"No." His voice is ridden with remorse. "No. I have been informed of her…discrepancies. She left her phone at the café two nights ago, and I've had it ever since."

"Are you trying to find her? Do you have a lead? Do you have anything?"

"No." Hyun-tae sounds as if he's in a deep state of grieving as he mumbles, "I can't believe that Ms. Somi is evil."

"She's not," Hani snaps angrily. "She's just…a little misguided, that's all." Hani is not furious about the fact that Somi has begun to kill—no, that's fine. Hani has killed quite a few in her time. She feels, instead, a crippling guilt that she is the one who has given Somi the Cravings, not knowing her sensitivity to power.

Hani bites down on a blinding terror.

And the fact is, Somi is working with the eoduksini to devour the world. If she continues like this, aligning herself with a monster…Somi might really become one, after all.

Hani listens to Hyun-tae sigh at the end of the line. It is clear that the jeoseung saja, with his heart eyes and flushing cheeks, has Somi's best interests at heart. And that—that is exactly what she needs right now. Somebody who is on Somi's side. Who will give her the benefit of the doubt. Somebody who Hani can work with knowing that they will not hurt the young gumiho.

It is clear that Seokga plans to. But Hyun-tae…

"Hyun-tae," Hani says, "how quickly can you get over here?"

Hani sits at the head of Seokga's long dining table, with Hyun-tae to her right and Seokga to her left. Seokga is cradling a cup of coffee in his hands, staring down into the dark depths. The god looks his age in this moment—so very old, and so very tired.

Hani takes a small sip of the hot chocolate Seokga made for her before setting her teacup down and finally saying hoarsely, "We don't kill Somi." This is aimed toward Seokga, who flicks his gaze up from his coffee, fixates his attention on Hani, and frowns.

"She's the Scarlet Fox."

"No," Hani insists. "We don't know that. She's been manipulated. Until she is given a chance to explain, she remains untouched."

"There must be an explanation," Hyun-tae says mournfully, adjusting his glasses and blinking in fatigue. They've been sitting here for so long as the city outside the windows swirls and eddies in a sea of darkness. "There has to be."

Oh, there is. But Hani keeps her mouth shut as she pushes on. "Has the new coroner found any markings left by scarlet daggers on the recent bodies? The latest victims of the Unruly gumiho?"

"He hasn't," Hyun-tae says quickly, eyes widening. "You're right—he hasn't."

"But," Seokga replies after glowering in what looks like annoyance at the jeoseung saja, "he did on the first two."

"You should consider," Hani says, very carefully, "that there are two Unruly gumiho in New Sinsi. One is the Scarlet Fox. The other is Somi. I know," she insists as Seokga opens his mouth to argue, "what it looks like. But I also know, beyond a doubt, that Somi is too young to be the Scarlet Fox. She's only one thousand and twenty in total, in both fox and human form. Her records must show that."

Seokga's lips tighten. "I told you, Hani. Her records were masterfully forged. The Scarlet Fox has eluded capture for so long due to a reason. And Aeri's clue leads right to her."

"Regardless." Hani stares Seokga down and tightens her grip around her cup. "Until Somi has a chance to explain, she remains untouched." As Seokga fails to respond, she softens her voice. "Please. For me."

He mutters a curse, glaring back down at his coffee. "Fine."

Hani relaxes, but only slightly. It is still clear that Seokga is eager to kill Somi and be done with it, despite any promises made.

"We must find Ms. Somi," says Hyun-tae. "I fear for her."

"Hyun-tae," Hani says, turning to the jeoseung saja, "you're a grim reaper. When do you get notification of a death? Is it before or after it occurs?"

"We are given a number at the beginning of each shift," he replies promptly, straightening in his seat. "We don't get the specifics of who dies and where they die before the event, but we do get a number. And it's unpreventable—the haetae have tried, in the past, to utilize this knowledge to save lives, but it never worked. One way or another, the number will be met. This morning, I received the number three. One of them died in a car crash, the other in the hospital, and the last one fell from a roof. I knew to expect three deaths, but only received the walkie calls with the location moments after they passed."

Hani's mind whirs with blinding speed. "Do you have the numbers for tonight?"

"The night shift?" Hyun-tae shakes his head. "No. I work during the daytime. But I suppose," he says slowly, evidently catching Hani's drift, "that I could fill in for Pak Dong-wook tonight. He's been wanting to have a night off. I mean—I know that laziness is a sin," he adds quickly, "and I don't mean to perpetrate it. But—"

"If we get the numbers for tonight and if they're higher than usual, we can assume that Somi or the eoduksini will strike. If we get a call that sounds as if Somi has attacked," Seokga says, his eyes glinting, "we can make it to the bodies while a trail is still fresh. Find one, we find the other. Somi will lead us to the eoduksini. Two birds with one stone."

"One bird with one stone," Hani returns in warning. Seokga nods—but only slightly.

Hyun-tae pushes back his chair, standing abruptly. "I will travel to Jeoseung now and retrieve the numbers for the night shift from my superiors."

"Wait." Hani frowns. "We need to be ready to face the eoduksini again." It had been easy—so unbelievably easy—for the eoduksini to send her down into unconsciousness in the nightclub. "We need to go in prepared." She frowns at Seokga, something occurring to her. "Seokga," she says slowly, "did you dream at all? In the Emerald Dragon?" Had he even fallen asleep?

The god nods, his face darkening. "I did."

Hani nearly asks him what he dreamed of but decides against it. The planes of the fallen god's face are sharp and haunted. Whatever Seokga has seen, it is probable that he does not wish to speak of it. So instead, she inquires, "How long were you out for?"

"Two hours. Maybe three."

Only three hours. Whereas Hani had been out for a night and a day. "How…How did you wake up?"

"I just did. The nightmare ended, and I awoke." His gaze is dark with a painful memory. "It was…disorienting."

"Why did you wake up before me?" she muses, frowning deep enough that her head aches.

"I am a god," Seokga says, sounding quite self-important.

"You're a fallen god," Hani corrects, ignoring his offended scowl. "Your powers are equivalent to mine. Did the eoduksini let you go? Or…Or is there something else? Something you did in the dream? Something…"

Seokga rubs his temples wearily. "The eoduksini showed me a memory," he says, his voice stiff and cold in the way it becomes when he is displeased. There's no need to ask what memory he speaks of—the shadows under his eyes inform Hani of all she needs to know. He dreamed a memory that haunts him every day he remains on the realm of Iseung, so far below his home of Okhwang. That much is clear. "It played out how it did in real life. And then I woke." He shakes his head and raises his cup of coffee to his lips.

Hani blinks. Once, twice.

Coffee.

Surely not.

That is the easiest, most simple explanation, so it cannot be true. It simply cannot. No, Seokga must have done something within his memory to burst from the eoduksini's clutches. He must have regained some sort of godly strength, if only for a few moments…

But the morning before the attack, in the Creature Café, Seokga drank two extra-large coffees with one cream, one sugar. Had drained them to the bottom. That is no small amount of caffeine.

Is it coincidence? Or is it Gameunjang throwing her, for once in her life, a bone? Hani stifles an incredulous giggle as it pushes upward in her throat. Is coffee the solution? Is coffee—her most detested drink—the most powerful defense against a demon of darkness?

Both Hyun-tae and Seokga are staring at her. "What," Seokga demands, looking wary, "are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking," Hani says, a wicked smile stretching her lips, "that we should make some more coffee."