A/N: Text in italics is a flashback.

Sorry for the wait! This chapter took longer than I anticipated, but I didn't want to post it before I felt good about it. :)

A big thank you to InHwa for her assistance with the Korean culture parts of this chapter and to both her and LilisLittleRose for reviewing the chapter for me :)

I am going to take a little break for the month of June (my brain needs it!), so there will be no updates on this story until July. However, I am working on a Good Girl, Bad Fox chapter that I will try to get posted soon ;)

Here are some Korean terms to know for the chapter:

Sanshin: mountain god

Hyeongnim: older brother of a male

Jangmonim: term for mother-in-law, used by a son-in-law

Jangin: term for father-in-law, used by a son-in-law

Doljanchi: Korean first birthday celebration, traditionally involving a fortune-telling custom called the doljabi, where the child is placed in front of a table of objects, and whatever object the child picks up (ie. a bow and arrow) foretells their future

Ahjussi: older, middle-aged man

Baekseolgi: steamed white rice cake, traditionally served at one hundred day birthday celebrations

Jal meogeotseumnida: "Thank you for the food" or "I ate well" ; polite way to thank the host after sharing a meal

Enjoy! :)

Ki Yu Ri was an interesting parent.

She was the same age as Ga Eul and had no biological children but had recently adopted a nine-year-old boy in Ga Eul's class, Kim Soo-oh, and she went about the task of raising him with the utmost seriousness and concern. Since the beginning of the new school semester, she'd been peppering Ga Eul with questions about Soo-oh's school subjects and sometimes general parenting questions that Ga Eul wasn't all that qualified to answer. Ga Eul sensed that she was trying her hardest to be a good mom but that she felt a bit overwhelmed with her new parental role. In addition, she'd grown up in Russia—though, oddly, Ga Eul couldn't detect much of an accent—and she'd said that Russian schools were a lot different from Korean schools, so she'd wanted Ga Eul to tell her everything she could about the Korean education system.

Literally everything.

Ga Eul could relate, maybe not to being a new parent or to being from a foreign country but at least to being new at working with kids. After all, she was only in her second year of teaching. Though immensely better than the chaotic learning curve that was her first year, her second year on the job still had plenty of challenging moments that would surely be better handled by someone with years of experience. She felt quite lost in moments like those, so she had plenty of sympathy for her new friend.

Yes, over the past few months, Yu Ri had grown to be a friend, and she'd come to be grateful for her company after such a lonely period in her life. So she'd always lent an ear every time Yu Ri dropped in for a chat, and a few days ago, Yu Ri had asked if she would mind tutoring Soo-oh after school 'just to catch him up with the rest of his grade level.'

Ga Eul didn't know if she had time for that, really, but she had a soft spot for Soo-oh after discovering his traumatic history, and she supposed she could use the extra money. She had student loans to pay. Plus, her cat was getting older, and her veterinary bills were piling up. Yu Ri's husband was a vet; maybe she could get a discount?

In any case, she'd agreed to help out twice a week, and on a warm Saturday morning in early May, she met Yu Ri at a park near the school to discuss her lesson plan for Soo-oh. Dressed in airy blouses and long skirts, they sat on a bench underneath a blossoming cherry tree and talked for a while; then Yu Ri suggested they grab a coffee together before Ga Eul left to run her weekend errands.

As they headed in the direction of a coffee shop across the street, they passed by a tent with a large white sign in front that read: Fortune-Telling, Physiognomy, Naming, Compatibility. Through the middle of the tan tent flaps, Ga Eul spotted an older man wearing dark sunglasses and dressed in dark purple and olive green traditional clothing. A red banner hung behind him with the same advertisement, and in front of his table draped in red, two red stools had been set out for customers.

Currently, the fortune teller had no clients.

Ga Eul was fairly certain she hadn't seen the fortune teller or the tent when she'd entered the park earlier, but perhaps she'd been too preoccupied to notice. Once, the tent might have interested her, but she had no use for fairy stories anymore, and she would have kept on walking past it if Yu Ri hadn't gasped and come to a halt.

"Ooh, a fortune teller. Should we get our fortunes read?" she asked excitedly. "The little sign there says it's only twenty-five thousand won a reading." Yu Ri pointed at a smaller stand-up sign off to the side of the tent. "It can be my treat for you helping us out." Yu Ri's eyes lit up. "Didn't you say that when you were younger you wanted to meet your soulmate? Maybe you can get a talisman that will help you find him."

"Oh, um…" Ga Eul regretted sharing that bit of information with Yu Ri. She couldn't even remember how it had come up in conversation, perhaps when Yu Ri had asked her if she was dating anyone. "That's okay," she hedged and pointed to the café. "The coffee—"

"Oh, come on. It will be fun. I've never had my fortune read before."

"Really?" Ga Eul asked, surprised. Most people she knew had gotten their fortune read at least once in their lives. But maybe people in Russia didn't believe in that sort of thing.

Yu Ri shook her head in answer. She wore an expression of wonderment, almost child-like, and looked so hopeful about the experience that Ga Eul couldn't bring herself to argue anymore.

They entered the tent, and the fortune teller exclaimed, "Oh, my goodness, hello! Come, sit down. Sit down. I can read your fate, physiognomy, compatibility, and previous life."

As Ga Eul and Yu Ri each took a seat on one of the stools, Ga Eul glanced at the various items on the fortune teller's table: an hourglass filled with sand, a magnifying glass, several books in various states of decay, a lamp with a green shade. Standard fortune-telling accessories.

"What about soulmates?" Yu Ri asked without delay.

"Soulmates!" the old man exclaimed gleefully. "Of course! I have plenty of talismans for sale."

"Not for me. It's for my friend." Yu Ri gestured to Ga Eul, and the fortune teller glanced at Ga Eul's flustered face.

"No, no, that's okay. You can just do a reading about...my past life," Ga Eul suggested with a pacifying smile.

"Don't be silly. How much for a talisman?" Yu Ri insisted, pulling out her wallet. She put a fifty-thousand won note on the table.

"Uh, no, no. It's really okay." Ga Eul waved her hands. "I don't want a soulmate." As she said this, the fortune teller picked up the magnifying glass on his table and aimed it in her direction, peering into it.

"Ah, but I can see that you do," he said after a moment, dropping his voice. He angled his body towards Ga Eul, and even though his eyes were hidden by dark glasses, she could feel his stare.

"Really, I don't," she protested, but really, she shouldn't make such a fuss. Of course, he could read her like an open book, seeing how distressed the subject made her.

"I can see that what you most want in your life is someone you can share it with forever," he continued. "Someone who will stay by your side in this lifetime and the next. I can give you a charm for that. But first, you must give me something." The fortune teller inclined his head meaningfully.

"You mean...money?" Ga Eul replied flatly, not in the mood to have her emotions preyed upon.

"No," the fortune teller replied, then quickly added, "I mean, yes, yes, of course, money...but something else also. Something you've been holding onto. Something that is holding you back from embracing your true love." As he said this, he gesticulated in a showy manner, and Ga Eul doubted that he believed in true love or soulmates. Everything was an act. Everything was pretend.

But, sadly enough, he was right that she still had something from her time with Yi Jeong Sunbae. Not one of Yi Jeong's personal items—she'd gotten rid of those right before the Lunar New Year—but something she'd carried in her purse for an even longer time. It was always in her purse, waiting to be worn: her bracelet from the New Caledonia trip. She'd been saving it for Yi Jeong all those years; she'd planned on giving it to him when he came back. Getting rid of it would be an admission that whatever she'd had with him was really over, that she didn't intend to go back to him ever.

Well, she didn't intend to go back to him, but...she hadn't had the courage to commit to it yet. Not fully.

Although...what was she going to do? Carry the bracelet around forever? Give it to whoever she married? Surely not. The bracelet would always be tied to that first trip with the F4. She could see herself sitting in a paddle boat on the ocean, preaching to Yi Jeong about soulmates, even now.

What a stupid bracelet. A bracelet she could only have given to him.

Maybe this encounter was the universe telling her to let it go, and if giving it to the fortune teller would make him leave her alone, so be it. The old man was scrutinizing her in a way that made her feel unsettled. He'd leaned back in his chair, fanning himself in the heat of the tent, and Ga Eul stared back at him for a long moment before finally digging around in her purse for the cheap souvenir and planting it on his table.

It was still one of her most prized possessions, even after all that time. But what had it done for her but given her foolish hope?

"Here, take it." She forced the words out. "I don't want a talisman, but I don't want that either." She stood, eager to leave, and bowed politely. "Thank you for your time. I'll be leaving now."

"It's an exchange." The fortune teller straightened up and leaned forward. "You give me an item, and I give you an item back."

"I don't want anything." Ga Eul shook her head. "Yu Ri, you should get your fortune read. I'll wait for you outside. Excuse me." She stepped outside the tent and walked a short distance away before she felt like she could breathe again. Perhaps she was being rude; Yu Ri had paid for her fortune, and she hadn't even completed her reading. But she couldn't have stayed in there a moment longer without crying. Her chest constricted, and she took a few deep breaths to calm herself. She blinked the tears out of her eyes.

Ga Eul hated being bitter.

"Are you all right?" Yu Ri called out behind her, and, after taking one last deep breath, Ga Eul turned to face the woman approaching her. She mustered a smile.

"Yes, I'm fine. Sorry, I just...don't like fortune tellers much. And I know what I said before, but I don't know if I believe in soulmates anymore. I was kind of silly when I was younger."

Ga Eul attempted a laugh, but Yu Ri's expression remained serious.

"I went through a hard time once," she said, "and I thought my life couldn't get better, but then someone unexpectedly came and helped me. Maybe you don't know what could still happen in your life." Yu Ri reached into her brown designer purse and produced a talisman like the ones Ga Eul had noticed in the fortune teller's tent. She held the slip of yellow paper with red writing out to Ga Eul. "You should keep this. You shouldn't give up. The fortune teller said this talisman will take you right to your soulmate. He wouldn't even let me take one of the talismans he had lying around. He looked at your bracelet through the magnifying glass, and then he said it was special, so he pulled this charm out of a bag where he keeps the strongest talismans."

"That's probably the bag all the other talismans came from. Do you really believe in these things?"

"Of course," Yu Ri said, with an air of naivete that reminded Ga Eul of her former self. "Just carry it around for a while," Yu Ri urged, "and see if anything happens." She shook the talisman at Ga Eul. "If the old man turns out to be a fraud and nothing happens, there's no harm in having it anyway."

"What if my soulmate turns out to be a selfish jerk?"

"How could your soulmate be like that? You're the nicest human I've met," Yu Ri assured her. She blushed then and corrected herself. "I-I mean, you're the nicest person I've met."

Ga Eul laughed. Sometimes Yu Ri said strange things, but her language slips were endearing.

"It's okay. I'm flattered to be the nicest human as well," she said good-naturedly.

"Whose bracelet was that, if you don't mind my asking? Someone special to you?"

"It was supposed to belong to the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, but I wasn't able to give it to him after all. It's funny. I got it when I was in high school. The person who sold it to me also thought I would meet my soulmate."

"Well, maybe you will meet your soulmate. Maybe he's just not the person you thought he was."

Ga Eul considered this. Had she been so set on her soulmate being So Yi Jeong that she'd completely missed her real soulmate? Had she, perhaps, met him without knowing it? She had been asked out a few times in college, but she'd turned all of the guys down. Not that she thought she'd be interested in any of them now, but...she should probably have more of an open mind, or she'd continue to be alone.

"All right," she conceded, accepting the talisman and slipping into her purse. "Let's try it. Who knows what might happen?"


When Ga Eul emerged from Maehwa Elementary School, she spotted Rang waiting for her in his white Mercedes near the front of the building. He'd been dropping her off at school and picking her up every day that week, and today he would be driving them to Ha Eun's birthday party. She'd decided to spend the whole week at his apartment, so he'd driven her to her apartment on Sunday to retrieve more of her wardrobe. It was fortunate that she had so many turtlenecks, but she only had two scarves. Today, she'd paired her black-and-white patterned scarf with a black turtleneck and a black dress skirt.

The mood between Ga Eul and Rang was comfortable and light, a welcome relief from the turmoil of the past few weeks, and even though she was nervous meeting his brother for the first time, she couldn't help but smile as she walked towards his car. After all, it was the first social function she'd be going to as his girlfriend, and she'd never been to a social event as anyone's girlfriend before. None of her relationships had gotten that far. So despite her nervousness over what Lee Yeon might think of her and her conspicuous fashion attempt at covering up the marks on her neck, Ga Eul felt joy at belonging to someone and having someone who belonged to her. It was that same feeling of childish glee that she'd gotten every day that week when she'd come out of the school building and saw Rang waiting in his car at the time she'd requested for him to pick her up. Each day, she'd drop off her schoolwork in the backseat, and he'd ask her how her day had gone as she settled into the front. He'd mess up her hair and say, 'Did my human have a good day with all the miniature humans?' And even if Ga Eul had been stressed before, she couldn't help but smile and feel relieved of her burdens. It was nice having someone to come home to.

When she reached the car, Rang grinned at her from the driver's seat, dressed in a solid black suit and a black-and-white patterned dress shirt that matched her outfit.

"I got it!" Ga Eul exclaimed as she opened the passenger door. Truly, she felt lighter than air, not least because she'd figured out who Rang had shapeshifted into that week.

"Got what?" he asked, arching his eyebrow curiously as Ga Eul slid into the car and placed her schoolwork in the back next to Ha Eun's presents—baby clothes and a stuffed fox suitable for Ha Eun's age.

"I know who you were this week," Ga Eul announced triumphantly, dropping back into her seat.

"Oh?"

"The janitor!"

"Nope," Rang replied, smiling and shaking his head.

"But it had to be you! You were staring…" Ga Eul broke off, then muttered. "Creepy old man."

"Try again next week."

Ga Eul frowned, her buoyant mood deflating a little. She had been so certain of her guess. She might have put money on it, even.

"Just tell me then. Have you been to my school this week?"

"That wasn't part of our deal. I'll only tell you who I was if you guess correctly."
"Then how am I supposed to know what to look for?" Ga Eul grumbled as she buckled her seatbelt and Rang pulled out into the traffic.

"How is it fair to me if I tell you what to look for?" Rang replied. "By the way, how many janitors does your school have?"

Ga Eul narrowed her eyes at him.

"You're not going to beat up the janitor. He didn't do anything."

"I'm not going to beat him up."

"No?"

Rang flashed her a wicked smile.

"I'm going to make him go blind."

Ga Eul blinked.

Inducing blindness. Ah, something else she could file away in her mental profile of her boyfriend's hidden talents. She could shove it in there between 'mind control' and 'runs really fast.' She wondered what sort of people Rang would attract on a dating app.

"Please don't," she answered.

"You're no fun," Rang complained, as if she'd told him he couldn't play outside after dark.

"If it's any consolation, he's quite old, and he wears glasses, so it's possible that he'll go blind relatively soon without your interference." Not that Ga Eul would wish that on the old man. But perhaps Rang would appreciate the thought.

Rang cast her a skeptical look. And if Rang would blind the janitor just for looking, she didn't know what he would do to the male parents and colleagues who hit on her on occasion, but that was a subject for another day. The navigation system in Rang's car told her they were nearing The Snail's Bride.

But as Rang had gone silent on the matter, Ga Eul decided to add, for emphasis, "Just so we're clear, you're not going to do anything to the janitor, right? I promise he's harmless."

Rang navigated his car onto a side street. He stayed quiet for a few moments, then sighed.

"If you want a creepy old man stalking you, I'll stay out of it. But don't blame me if he starts leaving love letters on your desk."

Ga Eul gave him a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry. I'm sure the situation won't spiral so out-of-control."

Another skeptical side-glance.

"Besides," she continued sweetly, "I doubt he can write me a better love letter than you."

Rang scoffed.

"Humans think flattery will get them anything," he remarked, but he smiled. Not at her. At the road ahead of them. But still. He smiled.

So she kissed his cheek. But instead of smiling down at her, he stuck his tongue out at her.

So, of course, she stuck her tongue out at him.

Of course, then, not to be outdone, Rang latched onto her left hand and gently bit the knuckle of her index finger. When he let her go, she tried to grab his right hand, the one not occupied with steering, but he snatched it away before she could get to it.

"No, no, I'm driving. Do you want to get into an accident?" He'd been lazily driving with one hand before, but now he moved his hands to exactly the ten and two o'clock positions.

"Oh, how convenient for you," Ga Eul answered, crossing her arms, but she leaned back in her seat and let it slide. She knew from playing card games with him that Rang liked to win at everything, even something so trivial. All right, mainly things that were trivial.

Sure enough, a pleased smile appeared on his face when he noticed her give up. She wondered if he was like that with his brother too.

Probably.

Probably he was worse with his brother since brothers were naturally competitive.

She wondered what his brother was like.

She would soon find out, as Rang parked near a building with a white sign hanging out front, which declared in curving black script: Traditional Korean Cuisine: The Snail Bride. Trees and shrubbery lined the entrance, along with clusters of white and pink flowers. Fake adornments, surely, as it was still winter, and a dusting of snow coated the sidewalk.

"Do you know The Snail Bride? The folk tale?" Rang asked.

Ga Eul nodded.

"A fairy was banished from Heaven and lived in a snail shell," she recalled. "A poor man married her, but then she was taken away from him by a magistrate."

"The lady who owns that restaurant"—he pointed to the building in question—"is the Snail Bride."

Ga Eul turned to Rang, astonished. Perhaps that explained the blossoming vegetation.

"Really? The one from the tale?"

Rang nodded, seeming amused by her shocked reaction.

"Did her husband ever find her?"

"They found each other quite recently. You'll meet both of them. Her husband is still a human, just reincarnated."

"Oh, I see. Any other mythical beings I should know about?" Ga Eul asked. She'd assumed that nine-tailed foxes were the only such beings she'd encounter at the party, but perhaps that was a foolish assumption. Of course, ancient beings would know one another, would perhaps be friends.

Rang took a moment to think.

"The gatekeeper of the Samdo River might come," he casually informed her, getting out of the car before Ga Eul could form a proper reply.

The what?

Who?

Rang opened Ga Eul's passenger door, and she stammered, "S-sorry, do you mean the person who guides souls into the afterlife?"

Rang laughed.

"Don't worry. He won't be here in any official capacity."

"Ah," Ga Eul said faintly.

"Let's go. I'm hungry." Rang gently tugged her arm, and Ga Eul gathered her purse and climbed out of the car, shaking off her disbelief. She'd have to watch herself so she didn't start rudely gaping at everyone she met, wondering what mythical being they might be.

Rang unloaded the gifts from the car, and they walked down the street side-by-side until they reached the verdant display at the front of the restaurant. Rang held the door open for Ga Eul as she went inside, cradling their gift boxes. Immediately, she took in the spacious design of the building, then the wood columns and furniture that offered a warm, earthy glow in the abundant natural light filtering through the tall, expansive windows. The décor of the restaurant was cozy in a way that made the space feel more intimate than the size of the building would suggest.

"Hyung!" Rang exclaimed as soon as he'd entered behind her, and Ga Eul noticed a tall, reddish-haired man gazing interestedly in their direction from across the room, where he stood next to an older couple at a long table. He had an imposing figure and looked as if he'd stepped out of a painting or a bust of marble, beauty incarnate. Even if Rang hadn't said anything, Ga Eul would have known that the man was his brother. He looked like a divine being. Not that Rang wasn't handsome, but...he didn't carry himself with the commanding presence this gentleman did, as though he'd been born a prince.

It struck Ga Eul that she was meeting a god—a former god, but still, a god—in the flesh. Rang always spoke of his brother so flippantly that she hadn't felt the weight of this meeting before, but seeing Lee Yeon in person was unnerving, though he gave them both a kind smile as he approached.

Rang introduced her excitedly.

"Hyung, this is my girlfriend, Miss Chu Ga Eul. She's the best teacher at Maehwa Elementary School. All the students want to be in her class. You should send Ha Eun to school there."

Ga Eul blushed at the compliments that weren't the least bit true, and before Rang's comments got too out-of-hand, she bowed and said, "Sanshin, I am most honored to meet you. Please accept my humble gift for your daughter, and Mister Lee Rang's as well." Holding out the gift boxes, she was grateful when Lee Yeon quickly accepted them. But then he laughed.

"Sanshin?" he replied. "What century is this? Please, speak comfortably. Call me 'hyeongnim.' I haven't been a mountain god in many centuries, and now I am as human as you."

"O-oh," Ga Eul stammered, her cheeks coloring darker. "Then...thank you for inviting me, hyeongnim. I'm very grateful to be here. I promise to eat well."

"You are most welcome," Lee Yeon replied warmly, then scolded Rang, "Hey, you should take lessons in manners from her." The older fox inclined his head toward Ga Eul. "Come. Let me introduce you to my in-laws. My wife, Nam Ji Ah, is with the baby, but they should be back in a moment."

"Oh, thank you," Ga Eul answered, and Lee Yeon led her and Rang over to the older man and woman she'd noticed earlier; they sat at the head of the long table next to a baby carrier that was currently empty.

"Jangmonim, jangin, I believe you both remember my brother, Lee Rang?" Lee Yeon said, and Rang didn't greet them immediately, but after a moment he gave an extravagant bow and a wide smile that Ga Eul could tell wasn't necessarily friendly. There was a wicked gleam in his eyes, and she knew it could be teasing or taunting, depending on how he meant it at the moment.

"Always a pleasure to join your family gatherings," he said.

Lee Yeon's father-in-law harrumphed but gave a short, terse greeting in return; his mother-in-law also greeted Rang, but she seemed hesitant. Wary. Lee Yeon gave Rang a look that conveyed something Ga Eul couldn't read. A warning, maybe.

"And this is my brother's girlfriend, Miss Chu Ga Eul," Lee Yeon continued after a pause. "Miss Chu Ga Eul, this is my mother-in-law and father-in-law."

"It's very nice to meet you both," Ga Eul said, bowing politely and offering her meekest expression. She wasn't sure what had gone on between Rang and the two elders, but she surmised it wasn't anything pleasant. They returned her greeting but looked wary of her as well. She supposed she should get used to that; she doubted Rang had made friends with any other humans who would be at the party. Sometimes he was so sweet to her that she forgot how antagonistic he could be.

"Miss Chu Ga Eul is a teacher at Maehwa Elementary School," Lee Yeon informed them, filling the awkward silence that had settled over the group. "She is Kim Soo-oh's teacher. Third grade, I believe?"

"Yes, I teach third grade," Ga Eul answered.

"Oh, I see," the mother-in-law said, faintly nodding. "And what do your parents do?"

"My mother is a retired schoolteacher, and my father is an architect."

"I see," she replied, and Ga Eul gave her a courteous smile.

Another silence set in, thankfully broken by the appearance of Nam Ji Ah carrying Ha Eun in her arms. A sleepy baby dressed in pink, Ha Eun had the cutest chubby cheeks, and Ga Eul couldn't help but gush over her adorableness when Nam Ji Ah brought the baby around to show Ga Eul. Lee Yeon wasted no time introducing Ga Eul to his wife. Then Nam Ji Ah exchanged a cordial, if peculiar, greeting with Rang, and Ga Eul was relieved that she didn't seem to share her parents' animosity. She even let Rang hold the baby for a minute, at his insistence, and Ga Eul's heart warmed a little as he rocked his niece in his arms—he knew exactly how to hold her—and joked that for her first birthday she would pick the bow and arrow at her doljanchi and become a warrior.

"I'll teach her martial arts," he declared, as the baby serenely peered up at him.

"If she picks a bow and arrow, then I'll teach her archery. You know, I was a very skilled archer in my past life," Nam Ji Ah asserted, and Ga Eul wondered who she had been in her past life. She knew only bits and pieces of people's stories from what Shin-joo and Yu Ri had told her and what little information she'd gathered from Rang, who wasn't forthcoming at all. It was hard keeping track of everyone's histories, especially when half of the people involved weren't human. A whole new world had opened up to her in the past two months—a world that had always existed but that stayed mostly hidden from human eyes. She felt privileged to learn about it firsthand.

After some coaxing from Nam Ji Ah—and a few concerned looks from the in-laws—Rang returned the baby to its mother. Lee Yeon went to check on something in the kitchen; Nam Ji Ah began speaking with her parents; and Rang and Ga Eul each took a seat at the long table, where Ga Eul remarked quietly on the restaurant decorations until the other invitees began arriving: Yu Ri and Shin-joo with Soo-oh in tow, followed by two of Nam Ji Ah's coworkers, then an older gentleman who was introduced to her as the godfather of Ha Eun. This last person, Rang whispered to her, was the gatekeeper he'd mentioned. He seemed to be a normal, grumpy ahjussi, but Ga Eul tried not to look in his direction too often. He kept grumbling about his wife, and Rang further whispered to her that his wife was the sister of King Yeomra, the supreme god of the underworld. None of this information helped her nerves, so Ga Eul occupied herself by talking to Soo-oh, who had insisted on sitting between her and Rang.

Unfortunately, her ploy to remain unnoticed failed quite spectacularly, for soon the gatekeeper sat down directly across from Rang and made it clear that they knew each other well.

"Still defying death, I see," he groused.

"What can I say?" Rang remarked smugly. "I'm quite good at it. You haven't managed to catch me after all these years."

Defying death? Was he referring to Rang's scar?

Rang had never told her how he'd managed to escape the wound that was supposed to kill him, but surely the gatekeeper would know the story.

"My wife's been expecting to hear from you," he continued.

"Why? Is she tired of hearing from you?"

"Why, you...Have you no shame?"

"People keep asking me that for some reason. Given the last six hundred years, obviously not. Should I make it more obvious for you?"

"Wow." The word expanded in his mouth, then fell away. "I could take you with me right now," he threatened, and though Ga Eul hardly knew the man or the situation, she felt she had to interrupt before Rang dug himself into a hole he couldn't get out of. He had a knack for doing that.

She wouldn't like to see him drowned in the Samdo River before the day was out.

"I'm so sorry your wife couldn't join us. I would have liked to meet her as well," Ga Eul addressed the gatekeeper. Perhaps it wasn't the best thing to say—he seemed to be irritated with his wife—but she'd just met him, and she couldn't think of anything else.

The gatekeeper blinked, taking in her presence next to Rang.

She gave him a disarming smile, and he didn't react for a moment, but slowly, he nodded.

"Yes, well"—he cleared his throat—"she's quite busy with work."

"Oh, I see."

"Does she know who I am?" The gatekeeper glanced between her and Rang.

"He told me," Ga Eul informed him.

"Oh. Well, then, you should know who my wife is then," the man said, drawing himself up. She could tell he was proud of his wife even if the woman drove him crazy.

"Yes," she replied meekly.

"She doesn't socialize with mortals," he informed Ga Eul, then further grumbled to himself, "In fact, I don't think she likes socializing with anyone."

"I see," Ga Eul answered. She could tell he was about to start another bout of complaining. Then something occurred to her. Rang didn't like socializing with mortals either, but he did like food. Sometimes she bribed him into dates by promising him food before, after, or during said date. She smiled. "Maybe your wife would like it if you took back some food for her."

"Food is the only thing my wife likes," the gatekeeper grumbled, but he glanced around the restaurant, appearing to mull over the suggestion. "You're right," he said after a moment, though he didn't look at Ga Eul. "I should take her a big plate. That ought to calm her down."

To Ga Eul's relief, this idea distracted the gatekeeper enough that he left Rang alone in favor of requesting that extra food be set aside for his wife. Soon, the owner of the restaurant—or, rather, the Snail Bride—and her husband, whom Ga Eul learned was Nam Ji Ah's former team leader at work, came around and greeted everyone, and the food was served. Rice, of course, and pancakes seasoned with chili paste and filled with chives. The side dishes consisted of kimchi, cucumber salad, spicy soybean sprouts, spicy dried squid, and chilled jellyfish salad. The main courses were braised short ribs and glass noodles stir fried with vegetables, served along with seaweed soup. Lee Yeon's in-laws began eating first; then everyone dug into the feast set before them.

It did seem, or perhaps this was her impression, that the table was literally divided between those who regarded Rang uneasily and those who accepted him as family. On one side of the table sat Shin-joo, Yu Ri, herself, Rang, Soo-oh, Lee Yeon, and Nam Ji Ah. On the other side sat Nam Ji Ah's co-workers and the other mythical beings along with Nam Ji Ah's parents. And while she wouldn't describe the opposite side of the table as cold to her, they weren't the most cordial either, speaking to her only when it was absolutely necessary, as dictated by necessity or politeness. Nam Ji Ah's two young coworkers, for example, who were near Ga Eul's age, were sitting diagonally from her, and she attempted to speak with them, but they were hesitant to engage with her; after a while, she stopped trying to initiate small talk. As for Rang, he partook little in the various conversations that sprung up, choosing instead to focus on his food and Ga Eul and the little boy seated next to him. Occasionally, his brother would speak to him, or Ga Eul would place food in his bowl, and he would smile contentedly. He didn't seem to notice, or perhaps care, that people were giving him odd glances now and then. She supposed he did look ominous in his black suit, with his smile that sometimes looked like a smirk and sometimes looked like a sneer, but she was used to him by now. He was simply Rang to her.

Though it wouldn't have been appropriate, she would have liked to hold his hand for the entire dinner. And though the other attendees' reasons for disliking Rang may have been completely justified, she felt protective of him, like if she had claws she might use them on his behalf.

"So what have you two been up to?" Yu Ri asked, dragging Ga Eul from her observations. The female fox was seated in between Ga Eul and Shin-joo.

Immediately, Ga Eul thought of the lengthy make-out sessions she and Rang had been having before bed every night that week—she still wasn't getting enough sleep—and she nearly choked on her noodles. She took her time chewing, then sipped on her water.

When she'd recovered, she answered, "He's been picking me up from school every day." She didn't mention that Rang had also been driving her there in the morning or that she'd basically been living in his apartment since Saturday.

"I can pick you up one day!" Yu Ri exclaimed. "We can go out to eat together. We haven't eaten together in a long time." She pouted, then leaned behind Ga Eul and poked Rang with the ends of her chopsticks. "Hey!" she addressed Rang. "Don't you think you've stolen my friend enough? I knew her first." With this declaration, Yu Ri turned back to her food.

"You have Shin-joo and Soo-oh. Don't be greedy," Rang scolded.

"We have to talk about human stuff. Ga Eul was teaching me lots of human things until you interrupted."

"And you were bragging so much about your one human friend. Can't you make another one?"

"Are you suggesting Ga Eul can be replaced by some random human?"

"I'm saying there's only one Ga Eul. She's my soulmate, and she's—"

"Sitting right here." Ga Eul raised her hand and gave Rang an incredulous stare. "You do know I can have friends, right?" Turning to Yu Ri, she said with a smile, "Of course we should eat together sometime. What about next week?"

Yu Ri nodded frantically.

"Let's eat barbecue!" she volunteered.

"Okay. On next Friday?"

"Friday sounds good!" Yu Ri made a fist and shook it at Rang. "Take that!"

Rang scowled and returned to his food, but Soo-oh tugged on Rang's shirt sleeve.

"I want to eat barbecue too! Let's eat barbecue, Ahjussi!"

Rang peered down at Soo-oh, then back up at Ga Eul and Yu Ri.

He smiled.

"Of course, we should eat barbecue. We're going to eat the best barbecue in Seoul," he assured Soo-oh. "The best one." He gave Ga Eul and Yu Ri one final challenging look, and Ga Eul nearly rolled her eyes at his attempt at one-upping them.

"I'd like to eat barbecue too," Shin-joo added from further down the table. "Can I come?"

A resounding "no" came from both Rang and Yu Ri, and Shin-joo appeared quite put out. Rang was unsympathetic; he didn't glance up from his short ribs. Yu Ri, however, quickly assured Shin-joo that she only meant that she wanted to have a girls' night with Ga Eul and tried to pacify him by filling his bowl with more meat.

Ga Eul smiled, thinking they were cute, and returned to her meal. Despite the lukewarm reception from some of the others, she felt happy being among friends, and Rang's brother had been warm and welcoming.

After the meal ended, a baekseolgi was served—that steamed white rice cake traditional for one hundred day birthday celebrations. Dense and chewy, the lightly sweet cake clung to her teeth and her fingers as Ga Eul ate it; she didn't have room in her stomach, but she'd always loved rice cakes of any variety, so she polished off her cake quickly. Rang seemed to like it too, as he eagerly wrapped a huge portion of the cake to take home once everyone had finished eating. By that point, people were saying their goodbyes, and only Rang, Lee Yeon, and Ga Eul remained by the table.

"Did I tell you we're soulmates?" Rang asked Lee Yeon, who was looking on amusedly at the size of Rang's take-home dessert. "She had a charm that led her right to me."

Don't you mean the charm led you to me? Ga Eul thought, but she kept silent.

"A charm?" Lee Yeon echoed, his expression shifting. "Oh, I didn't realize you meant 'soulmates' literally."

"Well, how else would I mean it?" Rang scoffed.

"Is he like this with you?" Lee Yeon asked Ga Eul.

"Uh...like what?" Ga Eul asked, unsure what answer Lee Yeon was looking for. She could tell him plenty of her opinions about his brother, but she didn't want to be rude in doing so.

"Six hundred years old, with the two zeros missing." Lee Yeon smiled like he was sharing an inside joke with Ga Eul, and the gesture made Ga Eul feel more at ease.

"Oh…" Ga Eul trailed off, then laughed. She decided to be truthful. "Sometimes, but it's okay. I work with kids for a living. I can handle him."

Yeon laughed.

"I like her," he informed Rang.

"I don't like either of you," Rang grumbled, cradling the cake to his chest as though they might steal it from him.

"Jal meogeotseumnida," Ga Eul said to Lee Yeon. "Thank you again for inviting me. It was a pleasure to meet you and your family."

"It was a pleasure to meet you as well," Lee Yeon replied warmly. "My wife said you'll have to come over for dinner sometime with Rang. She wanted to talk with you more when there's less people."

"Oh, thank you very much. We would be glad to."

"It depends. What are we having for dinner?" Rang asked in a petulant tone, and Ga Eul couldn't help but shoot him a horrified look. She would have liked to kick his ankle, if not for his brother standing right next to her.

At least, Lee Yeon didn't seem put off by Rang's lack of manners. Well, she supposed he wouldn't be, having known him for so many years.

"Don't worry," he said calmly. "We will have something appropriate for your childish appetite."

Rang made a face at his brother, then put on a bored expression.

"We'll consider it," he announced, then turned to Ga Eul. "Shall we go?"

Ga Eul raised an eyebrow at him but acquiesced.

"It was nice meeting you again," she said, bowing politely to Lee Yeon.

"Likewise." He smiled, then gestured to Rang. "You, be good to her. She looks too good for you." He turned back to Ga Eul. "Please keep him out of trouble for me," he beseeched her.

"I'll try," she promised with a nervous laugh, and Rang pulled her towards the door as he said a short goodbye to his brother. Soon, they were outside the restaurant again, walking hand-in-hand to Rang's car.

"Hey. Don't you know how to properly thank the host for the meal?" Ga Eul asked as he tugged her along, though she was sure she knew the answer. Rang knew. He didn't do things because he didn't want to do them, plain and simple.

"My brother owes me lots of food. We were separated for a long time. Hosting me? It's more like he's repaying a debt," Rang assured her, and Ga Eul supposed he was referring to their separation when he was a child and their forest caught fire. Back when he'd assumed his brother had abandoned him.

But Ga Eul wasn't supposed to know any of that. Rang hadn't told her, and he probably didn't want her to know.

So she replied, "Ah, I see."

When they reached the car, Rang opened the passenger door for her—indeed, not all manners had escaped him—and gave her the cake to hold until they got back to his apartment. But before he pulled out onto the street, he looked straight at her and said, "Thank you for coming." He'd adopted a completely serious expression, the one she saw least often, and suddenly she realized how much he had wanted her to come with him. Now that she thought about it, 'thank you' was probably a very vulnerable thing for him to say. Maybe that was why he hadn't said it to his brother. That he would say that to her made her heart melt a little. It would have been a small, expected thing for most people, but not for him. For him to tell her 'thank you' was special.

"Of course," she said, smiling softly. She mussed up his hair, which had begun rebelling against his careful styling. "You're my boyfriend. I have to come to these things."

"Pet fox," he corrected, looking offended, and Ga Eul laughed.

"Okay, pet fox. Drive us home, my pet fox," she commanded, pointing at the steering wheel.

He stared at her for a long moment, then pecked her on the cheek.

"Okay," he said, obediently putting the car in drive.


Later that night, after Rang had said 'thank you' again in a less verbal, less socially appropriate way, Ga Eul decided to ask him something she'd been thinking about since the party. Something he'd mentioned to Nam Ji Ah had set the wheels in her brain spinning, and she knew she couldn't stay at Rang's apartment indefinitely.

Well, she could. He would certainly allow her to. But she wanted to be able to stand on her own two feet. She'd been staying with Rang mostly because she'd missed him but partly because she hadn't wanted to walk to and from the bus stop in the dark, but she didn't want to never ride the bus again or never go out alone after dark. That simply wasn't feasible in the long term, and when he'd been fussing over her, Rang had insisted that she take better care of herself. Maybe if she learned to take care of herself, she'd be less afraid. Maybe if she'd taken better care of herself when she was younger, she could have spin-kicked Gu Su Pyo herself instead of helplessly watching Jan Di defend her.

Plus, she could tell that Rang hated getting up so early in the morning, though he'd admirably pushed through his discomfort and driven her to school anyway.

Plus, Ga Eul was a bit jealous—just the tiniest bit—that Yu Ri had gotten to do this with Rang and she hadn't.

Right now, Rang was in an indulgent mood where he kept telling her to say what she wanted him to do, so this seemed like a good time to make her request. A few minutes ago, she'd wanted to cuddle, and then she'd wanted him to stroke her head, which he was doing, his left hand buried in the hair at her scalp while his right hand idled on her hip, tracing similar circles there.

"Can I ask for one more thing?" she began, tilting her head up from where it reclined on his bare chest. She fiddled with the purple butterfly pendant around her neck, the one Rang had given her for Christmas.

"What is it, jagiya?" Rang asked, giving her a teasing smile.

She nearly laughed over her next words, as they were probably not at all what he was expecting to hear.

"Will you teach me martial arts?"

Rang's face went blank, and he stared at her in silence for so long that she had to prompt him to reply.

"Rang?"

"Now?" he asked.

Ga Eul snorted, then burst out laughing, unable to suppress her giggles.

"No, not right now," she managed. "I was thinking...you could give me lessons. Like you offered to do for Ha Eun."

"Oh…" Rang frowned. "Why? Is someone bothering you?"

"No, no. I just thought...I mean, I was thinking...about what you said, you know, that I should learn to take care of myself. And, um...remember that guy? The one you saved me from that night?"

Rang nodded.

"Do you think I could have fought him off myself if I had known what to do?" she asked.

"That old drunk?" Rang replied. "You could have killed him if you wanted to."

"Really? But he was so much stronger than me."

Rang shrugged.

"Doesn't matter. He wasn't very skilled in fighting."

"Oh...Then...could you teach me...to do that?"

Rang smiled amusedly.

"You want to learn how to kill?"

"No!" Ga Eul slapped his shoulder. "I just want to get away if someone's trying to hurt me. You know, defend myself."

"But no killing?"

Rang looked mildly disappointed.

"It could be a couple's activity, like a date," he added enthusiastically, and an image flashed in Ga Eul's head of them being featured in a true crime documentary. The title would be something like: The Fox and His Lady: Murder After Dark.

"We're not going to go on a murder spree together," Ga Eul stated preemptively.

"It could be fun. I can teach you the best way to eat hearts and livers." Rang winked. "Raw."

Ga Eul wrinkled her nose.

"Gross."

"Human food is gross," he retorted.

"No, it's not. You eat it all the time."

"Why must I eat human food, but you won't try fox food?" Rang pointed his finger accusingly. "How is that fair?"

Ga Eul rolled over and groaned, placing a hand on her forehead.

"I can't believe I'm convincing my boyfriend not to eat people." She glanced at the clock; it was midnight and way past her bedtime, though since tomorrow was Friday, she didn't much care. Still, it was too late to be discussing murder. And cannibalism. While she was naked save for her underwear, no less.

"Have you ever eaten a human heart? Of course not. You have no idea what you're missing," a half-naked Rang insisted.

"Do they really taste that delicious?" she asked, vaguely remembering asking him that before. "Do you miss them that much?"

"I miss them whenever I'm in the mood for a tasty snack. Something warm and metallic." Rang sighed, as if recalling a fond memory. "Especially if I've been drinking. Human blood tastes good with alcohol."

Human blood tastes good with alcohol.

Ga Eul remembered offering her own blood to him once, in a moment of daring. He'd seemed to enjoy it. Her skin prickled, but not from fear. She kind of wanted to offer him her blood again, just to remember the hungry look he'd given her once he'd tasted it. She thought there must be something wrong with her.

Nevertheless, she persisted, "Do you prefer hearts over livers? Or do they taste about the same?"

"I prefer hearts, but livers are also good. Depends on my mood, I guess. But why choose when you can get both off the same person? Honestly, the taste depends on the overall condition of the human. The younger and healthier the human is, the fresher the taste and the more tender the organ."

"I see. So you're saying I would taste good?" Ga Eul craned her neck to look up at Rang's face.

Rang had sat up, leaning against his headboard, and he grinned down at her.

"You would taste very good," he said, rolling the words around sensuously, and Ga Eul thought there must be something seriously wrong with her. He was talking about eating her organs, and it was turning her on.

She blushed and looked away.

Clearing her throat, she stammered, "W-what were we talking about before? That's right. Self-defense. You can teach me, right? I mean, if you want to. It's just...kind of scary being out after dark by myself now," she admitted.

There was a pause, and Ga Eul almost repeated the question when Rang reached over and started tracing and retracing an outline of her heart on the bare skin of her chest.

"Of course, I'll teach you. You know I'm not the only evil fox in this world, right? You should be able to fight off the other ones. The only fox allowed to eat your heart is me."

He withdrew his hand, and Ga Eul looked back at him.

A smile played at his lips. He appeared to be laughing internally at something.

"I'm joking," he said after a moment. "Why would I eat your heart? Don't look so concerned." Rang patted her head reassuringly.

"I wasn't concerned."

"You're human. Of course, you were concerned."

"I may be human, but I can handle a big bad fox teasing me."

Rang's smile broadened.

"Ah, but can you handle a big bad fox kicking your ass?"

He raised his eyebrows, and his lips twisted into a smirk. So Ga Eul smiled wickedly in return.

"I guess you'll find out."