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46
“Eat yeot. It’ll make the knowledge stick.” “Yes, Halmeoni.”
“Here, take this out to table three.” Halmeoni handed him a tray of stews, still boiling in their stone pots.
“Then get back in here. I’m going to finish fixing the seasoning in this next dish for table six,” Somin’s mother said before resuming her bickering with Halmeoni.
Somin gave Jihoon a smile and an eye roll as she also picked up a tray.
Jihoon followed, for once grateful for the chaos that was his life. By the end of the lunch rush, he’d almost completely forgotten about fox-girls and goblins.
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DO YOU WEEP for the battered, empty heart of the gumiho? You should. Though she has often yearned for love, she has always been denied it.There is a tale that takes place long after the first gumiho had become nothing but myth. And many more had risen to take her place as monsters of the night. Humankind traded stories of their existence like they were fables warning men against temptation. And only a few knew that there lay truth in the terrifying stories.During this time lived the son of a poor scholar, bright and precocious.Along the road to his private tutoring sat a Chinese Scholar tree.All were warned not to stand under the tree at night since the spirits liked to visit it when the moon was high.One night, the boy walked home long after the sun had set. He spotted a figure under the tree and app
Rejected Luna 48
JIHOON ZIPPED THROUGH traffic on the small scooter. A flag on the back flew the name of Halmeoni’s restaurant.The moped never hit over forty kilometers per hour and was always five seconds away from dying. A deathtrap on two tread-bare wheels. Really, Jihoon wondered why his halmeoni had such little regard for his personal well-being.He prayed it wouldn’t break down as he veered around a large bus spitting out exhaust.Here the neighborhood had given in to chain stores. Doors swished open to let customers out. Blaring pop songs followed them. Jihoon bopped along to the beat.The scooter protested as he turned onto a steep hill, and despite Jihoon’s urging, it gave up five blocks from the restaurant. He debated leaving it in the middle of the street, but dutifully pushed the scooter along. His halmeoni wouldn’t be happy if he abandoned the piece
Rejected Luna 49
AS MIYOUNG MADE her way through the forest, unease sat heavy in her chest. Was she a fool to allow a person to roam free while he held her secret?Yena would just make him fall in love with her. She always claimed that when humans thought they loved, they’d do anything. Miyoung didn’t like the idea that love could be manipulated. Yena might be jaded about the human heart, but Miyoung wasn’t yet.Still, Jihoon worried her with his observant eyes, devil-like smile, and glib tongue. It was a bad combination. Someone who knew too much and cared too little.It felt like he could see right through her lies. Like how she claimed to control their shared dream. It had been as much a surprise to her as it was to him. But she needed him to believe she was more powerful than she was. She needed to scare him into silence. He’d given his word, but she couldn’t trust that. Ev
Rejected Luna 50
MIYOUNG DIDN’T LIKE being home alone, but though Yena insisted on having everything just so, she rarely spent any time in the house. Perhaps she had more of a need for fresh air as a full gumiho. Or maybe she just didn’t like making awkward small talk with her daughter.The other night as they ate a silent dinner together, curiosity had pushed Miyoung to ask, “Mother, what do you do for fun?”“Fun?” Yena had said the word like it was a virus.“Yeah, do you knit? Play games? Read . . .” Miyoung trailed off at the icy glare from her mother.“What a strange question. I honestly don’t know what’s gotten into you,” Yena said.“I think I’m just tired.” And Miyoung had asked to be excused to her room.Maybe that was why Yena had texted saying she wouldn’t
Rejected Luna 51
MIYOUNG DIDN’T LIKE being home alone, but though Yena insisted on having everything just so, she rarely spent any time in the house. Perhaps she had more of a need for fresh air as a full gumiho. Or maybe she just didn’t like making awkward small talk with her daughter.The other night as they ate a silent dinner together, curiosity had pushed Miyoung to ask, “Mother, what do you do for fun?”“Fun?” Yena had said the word like it was a virus.“Yeah, do you knit? Play games? Read . . .” Miyoung trailed off at the icy glare from her mother.“What a strange question. I honestly don’t know what’s gotten into you,” Yena said.“I think I’m just tired.” And Miyoung had asked to be excused to her room.Maybe that was why Yena had texted saying she
Rejected Luna 52
MIYOUNG’S DAYS SLOWLY became routine. She was a fan of order. It ensured that there were no unforeseen variables. If she knew what each day would bring, she could better control her world.However, it felt strange to have a routine while a ticking time bomb sat in her pocket. The yeowu guseul was a heavy reminder that her days were not completely normal.Jihoon, on the other hand, was completely random. He never did anything consistently. He liked to goof off in class or sleep, but never with any rhyme or reason. More often than not, he’d be in the computer lab instead of class because he went there to play games.Jihoon had an odd skill for getting away with doing as little work as possible and staying in the teachers’ good graces. Probably because he had a wickedly boyish face with an equally mischievous grin. It worked well to get him his way.She hardly spoke to
Rejected Luna 53
MIYOUNG’S DAYS SLOWLY became routine. She was a fan of order. It ensured that there were no unforeseen variables. If she knew what each day would bring, she could better control her world.However, it felt strange to have a routine while a ticking time bomb sat in her pocket. The yeowu guseul was a heavy reminder that her days were not completely normal.Jihoon, on the other hand, was completely random. He never did anything consistently. He liked to goof off in class or sleep, but never with any rhyme or reason. More often than not, he’d be in the computer lab instead of class because he went there to play games.Jihoon had an odd skill for getting away with doing as little work as possible and staying in the teachers’ good graces. Probably because he had a wickedly boyish face with an equally mischievous grin. It worked well to get him his way.She hardly spoke to
Rejected Luna 54
JIHOON SAT IN a hard chair against a faded beige wall. A dozen police officers sat at desks placed in random jigsaw patterns around the room.He’d only been in a police station once before, when his mother had dragged him there to shout at the officer who’d arrested his father. A bad memory compounded by his current discomfort. And the cop currently questioning him wasn’t helping.“So tell me again, how did you break the window?” It was a question Jihoon had answered at least a dozen times already.“A rock.” He kept his answers short. Less chance of getting caught in a lie that way.“Why?”Good question, Jihoon thought. Why had he decided to cover for Miyoung? It wasn’t necessarily because he felt protective of Miyoung. Lord knew she didn’t need someone to take care of her. Perhap
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