c006

"Just try it," Hani encourages, watching as Somi pokes gingerly at the bloodied livers on the plate before her. They sit in Somi's kitchen, Hani already dressed in her café uniform and Somi still in her pin-striped pajamas."You'll like it. I promise." She ran over to Somi's small apartment first thing in the morning, carrying a Tupperware of human liver in an inconspicuous corduroy tote bag. It feels almost wrong to bring the bloodied organs into Somi's impeccably clean, unspoiled apartment with its pristine white floors, but it is no matter. Somi, Hani knows, will find the livers to be the perfect breakfast.

Eventually.

Once she stops thinking of it as taboo. Which, Hani supposes, is really her own fault in the first place.

"Are you insane?" Somi stares at Hani, the morning sunlight bathing her aghast face in a soft glow. "I can't believe that you killed them," she whispers hoarsely. "You actually killed them and brought me their livers. I literally don't know what to say."

"A simple thank-you would suffice. Would you rather have them prowling around the streets of New Sinsi?" Hani replies, cocking a brow. "Their kind is an infestation that I've taken it upon myself to get rid of."

"Do the haetae—"

"The haetae didn't see anything," Hani assures her. "Besides, these were bad men. And bad things happen to bad men all the time. You'll find, though, that their livers are scrumptious."

"Is this because…I asked what…"

"No," Hani replies, "it's because they attacked me. It was self-defense. Do you want them? Just a taste? Nobody will know. It's your lucky day."

Somi blinks, still evidently in a state of shock. "Do you know, Hani," she says slowly, "what this reminds me of?"

"What?" Hani asks curiously.

"When a cat trots up to its owner with a dead rat in its mouth and gives it to them as an unwanted present." Somi looks queasy.

Hani snorts. "If you don't want the livers just say so. I'll go bury them outside or something." She reaches for the plate, but Somi abruptly stops her, placing a slender hand on her wrist. Hunger flashes across her face, and Hani realizes that Somi has been acting disgusted because that's what she thinks she's supposed to do.

But in reality…

"Wait." The young gumiho fastens her eyes to the bloody organs, and Hani feels a surge of triumph as Somi licks her bottom lip. She knows that Somi is remembering the previous night, Hani's claim that a liver tastes better than bulgogi. "Nobody will know?" she whispers.

"Nobody at all."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

There is a split second where Hani watches Somi wrestle with her two conflicting sides—fox and human.

The fox wins.

With shaking hands, Somi raises the liver to her mouth and sinks her teeth into a blood-red lobe. Hani watches her chew, her lips stained with blood, and swallow.

"Do you like it?" she asks eagerly, leaning forward across the wooden table. "Isn't it delicious?"

Somi's smile of stained teeth and ruby red lips is the only answer that Hani requires.

"I feel like I've drunk forty coffees," Somi whispers in Hani's ear as she flips the café's sign from closed to open. "I feel like I've drunk forty coffees and seven energy drinks. I can't keep still."

Hani smirks as she makes her way over to the counter. "I can tell." Somi hasn't stopped jittering since she polished off the second liver, licking her fingers with considerable satisfaction. "Try to calm down, though," she adds under her breath. "You never have this much energy in the mornings." It's true. Somi is usually bleary-eyed and groggy at eight a.m., but with her fox bead absorbing so much power, the girl is unable to contain herself.

"Nobody will know, right?" Somi follows Hani as she pours the (disgusting) coffee beans into the grinder. "I mean, with me being so energetic? They won't be able to tell by looking at me what I did, will they?" Fear seeps into her voice. "Oh, gods. Nobody will know, right?"

"I've told you," Hani says, shaking the last of the beans into the grinder. "You'll be perfectly fine." She grimaces as she switches the grinder on. GRRR. GRRR. GRRR. Damned coffee, she thinks bitterly.

"Do I have blood on my mouth?" Somi half-shouts over the grinding. "I don't, do I?"

Somi had washed her mouth out with water, and then soap, and then mouthwash and more soap. There is no chance she missed even a single spot of blood. Hani shakes her head, and plugs her ears. But Somi still looks nervous. Do I? she mouths, greatly exaggerating each syllable.

Hani shrugs, unplugging her ears and switching off the machine. She killed five hundred men in London and got away unscathed. This is nothing in comparison. "You're perfectly fine," she assures Somi, who doesn't look convinced. She sighs. "If you did, I would tell—"

The café's bell chimes, signaling the arrival of the morning's first customers. Somi hastily retreats to don her apron. Hani plasters a polite smile on her face as a young jeoseung saja with white hair and an elderly haetae in a black trench coat approach the counter. "Welcome to the Creature Café. What can I get for you this morning?"

The old haetae smiles, his golden eyes crinkling at the corners, where many laugh lines lay. "I'll have a small green tea," he says. "And a small iced coffee, one cream, one sugar."

"And for you?" Hani looks at his jeoseung saja companion—who, she realizes, is staring at Somi with what could best be described as heart eyes. Sensing his stare, Somi glances up from where she's shoveling ice into one small plastic cup and flushes a brilliant red. Not in admiration, but in discomfort at being subjected to a grim reaper's stare. "Hey." Hani snaps her fingers, drawing the boy's attention away from her friend. The haetae laughs under his breath, shaking his head ruefully. "Eyes up here."

"Oh." The jeoseung saja hastily straightens, juts his chin out, and fixes his circular wire glasses. "I…I will have a small black coffee. No milk, no sugar. Thank you very much."

Amused, Hani joins Somi to begin creating the drinks. "The jeoseung saja is looking at you," she murmurs as she stirs the iced coffee. The white-haired boy is again peering at Somi in clear admiration.

Somi frowns. Her skin is pallid. "Snap at him again, then. His kind creeps me out."

Hani smirks before carrying the beverages over to the two creatures. "Enjoy your drinks," she says as she hands the haetae his receipt. "But I have to warn you—drinking both the tea and the iced coffee will give you one hell of a caffeine rush."

The old man smiles. "The coffee isn't for me. But I'll take your advice to heart."

Warily, Hani's eyes narrow. One iced coffee, one cream, one sugar. She watches as the pair settle down at a nearby table. The haetae must work with Seokga in the city's precinct.

She deeply regrets not spitting in the god's coffee while she had the chance.

It is a slow day at the Creature Café. Only a few other customers trickle in throughout the course of the morning…a pair of gumiho followed by a trio of swooning haetae boys, a few more jeoseung saja, a handful of demigods, and a weary-looking dokkaebi who requests raisin tea for his blatant hangover. With no other customers to tend to, Somi shifts restlessly from foot to foot, and Hani busies herself with munching on another cherry tart.

Through her chomping, snippets of the elderly haetae's conversation with the jeoseung saja reach her ears. She listens half-heartedly, more focused on her breakfast than anything else.

"…more on his plate at the precinct now than ever," the haetae is saying. "It would have helped, Hyun-tae, to be able to speak to the souls of last night's victims. If there are any strings that you can pull within your corporation, it would be much appreciated…"

Last night's victims.Hani pauses in her chewing. Next to her, Somi has gone rigid. "Unnie," she gasps under her breath, "do you think they mean—"

"Shh,"Hani retorts, setting down her tart. "I'm trying to listen."

Somi falls silent.

The jeoseung saja sips calmly at his coffee. "I am sorry, sir, but as I said, it is corporate procedure to deposit the souls into the hands of our CEO, King Yeomra, no more than two hours after their passing. It is likely that they are already being readied for reincarnation or prepared for their descent into hell. But," he adds, setting down his coffee, "Detective Seokga seems more than capable of handling the Scarlet Fox situation without their aid. As I said, they were missing their tongues. There is not much that they would have been able to tell him, anyways. If you would like to be put in contact with my higher-ups, Chief Shim, I can supply you with the necessary information…"

Next to Hani, Somi makes a tiny sound like a choke. "Hani," she whispers, "Hani, Hani, Hani…"

Hani swats at her, annoyance heating her blood to a boil. Seokga. Seokga ishandling the Scarlet Fox situation.

Because apparently, there is a Scarlet Fox situation.

Fucking hell. That's just—that's great.

It seems that she has grossly underestimated the capabilities of New Sinsi's law enforcement. Quietly, she curses herself for not dumping the bodies into the Han River, weighed down by stones. It would have been the smart thing to do, but Hani is dreadfully out of practice, and now the consequences are staring her directly in the face.

"No, no." Chief Shim wearily waves a wrinkled hand. "That won't be necessary, Hyun-tae, thank you. We're working on a suspect list now. Thirty gumiho were in the area last night, judging by places of work and residence. We'll…"

"Hani," Somi whispers again, this time with a shrill cadence peeking through her hushed words. "Do you hear them? Oh, gods, oh, gods…"

Something thick and heavy has settled in Hani's stomach as Somi begins to hyperventilate.

The detectives will see, sooner or later, that both Somi and she were in the grocery shop close to the scene of the murder.

Hani misses the days where the closest thing to CCTV was a gossipy ajumma who didn't know when to hold her tongue. They'll both be pulled in for questioning, and while Hani can lie up a storm, Somi is already breaking into a nervous sweat next to her.

It doesn't matter that Somi's files say that she's only a baby—files can be forged. Hani's certainly was. With the way that Somi is already panting wildly and clutching tightly at her arm…this is not, Hani decides, looking very good.

Hani knows that she will do anything to shield herself from the haetae's suspicion. As much as she may love Somi, Hani's sense of self-preservation will far outweigh the possibility that Hani flat-out admits what she's done to take the scrutiny from her friend.

So that scrutiny will be redirected to the nervous, bumbling, sweaty gumiho that looks very, very guilty…and has a suddenly powerful fox bead rolling around within her. There are examinations, now, that can show that sort of thing. Hani curses modern technology vehemently in her mind.

"Hani," Somi whispers again. "Oh, my gods…" She's on the brink of tears. "They'll know what you did, what I did…" Her breathing is shallow and quick.

Hani doesn't bother to mention that technically, Somi isn't the real criminal here. A claim that Somi was cajoled into eating the livers could stand up in court, but it certainly wouldn't reflect very kindly on Hani. More accurately, it would most likely lead to the younger gumiho pushing Hani to confess that she was the one who killed the two men. And Hani does not want to confess.

"I'll fix it," she mutters to Somi out of the corner of her mouth, although she's not sure how. "You're acting suspicious. Go make coffee or something." She nudges Somi firmly with her hip and returns her attention to Chief Shim and Hyun-tae.

Chief Shim is sighing and taking another sip of his tea. He taps the lid of the coffee that will likely be brought to the fallen god. "He's overworked, you know."

"Ah," says Hyun-tae, frowning. "I'm not surprised. His penance is…we have all heard of it."

The chief looks sad, Hani thinks curiously. So very, very sad. "I feel for him," he murmurs, more to himself than the jeoseung saja. "He is, in many ways, still a child. Petulant and hurt, abandoned and so alone. So, so alone." Shim sighs.

Hyun-tae clears his throat a bit awkwardly. "Have you considered finding him an assistant?"

"I certainly have. When I put in an ad for an assistant on the New Sinsi job search site," Chief Shim continues tiredly, "I expected to get a flood of applications from creatures willing to help out at the precinct. But there have been none so far. Likely due to Seokga's infamous, ah, disposition."

Hani blinks. Interesting.

"An assistant seems as if they would be able to greatly lessen the god's workload."

Hani cocks her head in acute interest as Chief Shim replies, "Precisely. Yet he won't admit that he needs the help. And I have a feeling that the Scarlet Fox situation will consume him whole. When he begins a case, he stops at nothing to close it."

"An assistant to Seokga," Hani murmurs to herself as her sly, cunning mind begins to whirl. An assistant to Seokga…this has fallen straight into her lap. Perhaps Gameunjang, goddess of luck, has decided to toy with Seokga by making today a very, very large payday for a certain Kim Hani.

"I would hope that you'll pay whoever is foolish enough to take that job a very large sum," Hyun-tae mumbles. "That god is irritable."

"Which is why I am willing to compensate."

Hmm.A smile tugs at Hani's lips as she eyes the chief. Seokga needs an assistant. And the pay is high.

Well, well, well.

This could be a very good opportunity for her indeed.

To work side by side with the insufferable god and steer him in the opposite direction of her and Somi. To fix the mess she's somehow landed Somi in. And, to protect herself.

Because although Hani has never been caught, she does not want to take any risks and be sent to Jeoseung for her past crimes. No, she wants the Scarlet Fox to remain buried, an urban legend, until she is once again hungry and can emerge from her fast with all the ferocity of a bear who has been hibernating during an exceptionally long winter. And if Seokga sticks his pointed nose in her business and uses his far-too-clever mind to somehow uncover the Scarlet Fox's true identity, to unravel the lies that she would spin under questioning…Hani is not taking any risks. Not when this opportunity lies in front of her, shining and golden, to lead Seokga on a wild goose chase as his assistant.

If anything, her proximity to him will most likely make him suspect her less. Only a fool would put herself so close to the one hunting her.

Get the job. Steer Seokga away from Somi. Play the game.

A foxy part of her mind revels at the thought of playing with Seokga the Fallen. It is revenge, in many ways, for his tendency to bring his shit-poor attitude to the Creature Café.

This is one case that Seokga will never solve.

And perhaps there will be more.

Hani, too, has heard of Seokga's price for penance. It would be quite unfortunate if he was prevented from paying it. If a new, clumsy assistant somehow botched all of his quests…if the Unrulies began escaping from Seokga's clutches.

I'm a genius,Hani decides. I'm a fucking genius.

It's almost as if Somi senses Hani's train of thought. She scampers back to her side, still sweating profusely. "Unnie—"

But Hani is already half-running, half-skipping over to the chief's table. "I'll do it," she declares. "I'll do it."

Chief Shim blinks up at her in confusion. "I beg your pardon?"

"The job," she explains hastily. "I…I overheard that Seokga the Fallen needs an assistant." Hani is acutely aware of Somi frantically shaking her head behind the counter and sends her a calm down gesture behind her back. "I'm willing to do it. To be the assistant, I mean. Sir," she adds as an afterthought.

The chief seems to be swallowing a laugh. "You're an eager one, aren't you?" His companion is watching Hani curiously.

"Truth be told," Hani continues, the words bubbling to her lips, "I hate this café. My boss is insane. She carries around this hideous purple purse and makes me buy her memil-muk. So, I'd love to work as Seokga's assistant." Hani smiles as brightly, as innocently, as she can manage. "I can provide you with a copy of my résumé—"

"That won't be necessary," Chief Shim cuts in with an almost grandfatherly twinkle in his eyes. "Just answer these three questions. Answer them correctly, and you got yourself a gig."

Hani nods her head, breathless.

"Are you squeamish around dead bodies?"

"No," Hani answers—a little too fast. Chief Shim arches a brow, and Hani fumbles for an explanation. "I mean, no, I don't think that I will be." She smiles winningly.

The haetae chief seems satisfied. "That's the sort of spirit we like to see in the precinct," he agrees jovially. "Next, then. Are you opposed to long hours?"

Yes.Beauty sleep is an essential part of Hani's nightly self-care routine. But she makes herself shake her head. There will be no beauty sleep for her if she is sent to Jeoseung. It is very unlikely that King Yeomra will allow her to reincarnate after her little stint in London. "Oh, no. Not at all."

"And last but not least…"

Hani holds her breath.

"Are you willing to make Seokga coffee?"

"Oh," Hani replies, a grin stretching her lips wide, "oh, you have no idea."