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57
JIHOON PARKED THE newly fixed scooter in front of the convenience store. The chill of the late-fall night made his cheeks red, and he wanted something hot to drink.
To say his halmeoni was upset would be an understatement. But she’d needed to run the restaurant, so it had fallen to Jihoon to retrieve the scooter from the mechanic. The errand gave him a short reprieve from her wrath.
Jihoon lingered at the case that warmed individual cans of coffee, his thoughts on things other than the toasty drinks inside. Turning toward the cold drinks, he caught a glimpse of movement outside.
Like a vision called forth by force of will, Miyoung sat at one of the plastic tables. Her head hung low so her hair covered her face.
Jihoon walked out and settled into the chair across from Miyoung.
“What are you doing here?” she asked without looking up.
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Rejected Luna 58
MIYOUNG WASN’T SURE if she was prepared to go home just yet. A new talisman was nestled in her pocket next to her bead. Two lies she kept from her mother. Lies she didn’t want to think about right now.Jihoon parked behind a short square building. The savory scent of doenjang jjigae permeated the air. It was a simple dish, but no Korean could smell it and not feel comforted.“Where are we?” Miyoung swung off the scooter.Before Jihoon answered, a voice called out. “Have I been replaced, Jihoon-ah?”Jihoon chuckled and called back to the old halmeoni sitting on a wooden platform across the street. “Never, you’ll always be my number one.”“She’s a yeowu.”Jihoon and Miyoung both froze, exchanging shocked looks.“A foxy girl,” the halmeoni sa
Rejected Luna 59
NOT ALL PREDATORS are monsters. But if you beat them enough, they’ll bite. This was a lesson learned by a small village in the late nineteenth century. Empress Myeongseong, known as Queen Min, sought to bring modernization to Joseon. During that time lived a gumiho. She chose to reside in a small town that climbed one of the craggy mountains scattered across the country. Though most gumiho lived a nomadic life, she’d fallen in love with her isolated village and the people in it. So she made it her permanent home. She learned the name of every neighbor. She played with their children. She helped harvest crops. She never chose her victims from the humans she lived among, for she’d learned to love them. Instead she traveled far each full moon to feed. Q
Rejected Luna 60
JIHOON STOOD OUTSIDE the pristine white door for ten minutes before he gathered the courage to ring the bell.No one answered.He glanced up. It was just as beautiful and haunting as the last time he was here, to deliver food to Miyoung.And he wouldn’t be here now except Miyoung had been absent from school since the last full moon. It had been a long week of thinking of Miyoung. Of worrying about her. Of remembering that night in the rain. That night, by the side of the road, drenched, he’d been tempted to kiss her. He’d wanted to see if she’d taste like rain. He suspected it was more likely she’d taste like lightning.He knocked again to no answer. He had started back to his scooter when the door opened.Miyoung looked gaunt, like she’d lost ten pounds in the last seven days. Her eyes were covered with oversized
Rejected Luna 61
MIYOUNG BANGED ON the rusted metal door, grateful for the narrow alleyway and its ability to block out the light of the sun. Her sunglasses weren’t able to hold off her throbbing headache. And, unfortunately, they only protected against UV rays and not ghosts that danced in and out of her vision.These ghosts had plagued her for the past week. Demons of her past, men who’d sinned in life, and now, as specters, taunted her with threats.Cannot wait till your soul joins us.You kill to live; how is that any different from what I did?Your sins are all that sustain you in life, and when you die, your punishments will be severe!Miyoung knocked harder, trying to drown out the whispers.“Okay! I hear you!” a voice shouted from inside a second before the door opened to reveal Junu&rsq
Rejected Luna 62
SCHOOL WAS TORTURE. Well, more intense torture than normal.Miyoung sat across the aisle, face worn, purposefully ignoring him. But at least she’d come back to class. Jihoon made note of her sallow skin and sweaty brow. It worried him. She’d told him gumiho couldn’t get sick. So what was making her look so pale?Jihoon stewed over it as he walked back from the school store with Changwan, arms loaded with snacks. Then he stopped short, noticing Miyoung walking down the hall. She saw him, then swerved right, entering the girls’ restroom. Obviously avoiding him.“She’s still ignoring you?” Changwan asked.“What are you talking about?” Jihoon failed miserably at playing dumb.“Everyone knows.” Changwan shrugged. “There’s a bet about when she’ll break up with you.”
Rejected Luna 63
WHY DOES AHN Jihoon have to be so frustratingly understanding? Miyoung thought.Her phone buzzed again. Another message from Nara.I’m outside your school, please can we talk?Miyoung raced down the hallway despite the warning bell telling students to return to class. She couldn’t go back right now. Her head was pounding with the start of a migraine and though she refused to acknowledge them, the shadows of phantoms still swirled around her. If she stood too still for too long, she could just make out their whispered words.Murderer.Monster.Yokwe. Beast.The yeowu guseul swung in her pocket as she walked outside. It felt like the beats of her life were being tapped away every time the bead thumped her side.With the front gate locked, she had
Rejected Luna 63
JIHOON HALF EXPECTED Miyoung to be absent again at school the next morning. When he saw her dark hair curtained around her slumped form, he couldn’t hold back the smile of relief.Other kids sat in small whispering groups, their eyes tracking to Miyoung. He sighed and hoped the rumors of their “relationship troubles” would die down soon. It was taking everyone longer than normal to get over this gossip.A shuffle of activity by the back door of the classroom drew his attention to Baek Hana.She was hunched over, cradling a heavy object in her arms. Her friends rushed over, speaking in hurried whispers. One pulled out her phone and positioned herself in the corner, a prime viewing spot.Hana homed in on her target with a leer.Miyoung sat with her head down, scribbling notes, oblivious.Jihoon sprinted down the row as Hana he
Rejected Luna 64
MIYOUNG SHIVERED AS an early winter wind swept into her jacket. She sat on the steps beside the sports field, watching the kids who braved the cold to play soccer. The cold was a weirdly effective tool against the ghosts that still swung in and out of her peripheral vision. Like it slowed them down. She shoved her hand into her pocket and wrapped her fist around the talisman she’d bought from Junu. It helped ease the incessant buzzing in her ears.She didn’t even glance up as Jihoon sat. He pulled out a banana milk and held it toward her.Miyoung looked at it with a frown, feeling a sense of déjà vu from when he offered her a pair of headphones.“I have two. It’s a waste if you don’t drink one,” Jihoon said.She tried to reject it, but he wrapped her hands around the banana milk, holding them cupped between his. The warmth of his palm
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