Chapter 40
On Friday, school opened again. But all extracurriculars and sporting events were on hold. It seemed neighboring towns didn’t want to come to Winter Lake for a basketball game. And Grace didn’t blame them, not with the outbreak rumors running rampant on social media.
Grace tried to ignore the fact that half the student body didn’t come to school.
Tried to ignore the guilt that stewed deep inside her.
Tried to focus on actually living her life, like Hae insisted she keep doing.
Because today was the day. The day Grace had highlighted in her calendar when she’d gotten the email that her application had been chosen in the preliminary round for the BU summer intensive program. Today was interview day.
The junior lot was half empty after class. She hadn’t had an issue searching for a parking space today. She’d gotten one right at the very front.
Zoe was leaning against their own car talking to Teens, the lead guitarist in their band.
“Hey, Zo,” Grace said. “Hey, Teens.”
“Hey, Gracie,” Zoe said. “You’re coming to our show tonight, right? Teens is worried no one will come.”
“Yeah, since everyone’s staying home because the news says we’re in the Middle Ages again and the plague has returned.”
“Smallpox,” Grace corrected quietly. “You sure it’s smart to have a show right now?”
That made Teens’s smile drop. But Zoe slapped a reassuring hand on Grace’s shoulder. “It’s not that bad,” they insisted, giving Grace a gentle squeeze. They clearly picked up on her flush of guilt. “I bet half of them are faking it to get out of school.”
“Yeah, well, why not trade the pox for hep B at the Scratching Post?” Teens joked.
She wasn’t actually teeny. She was taller than Zoe and looked like she’d stepped right out of the Ramones era of punk with her faux-hawk and septum ring.
Her real name was Tina, but the name had never matched, so Teens it was.
“Oh, sounds absolutely delightful, but I’m going to have to pass on the invite and the hepatitis. I’ve got my BU interview today. But break a leg tonight.”
“Oh, right.” Zoe trotted along beside Grace as she walked to her car. “How are you feeling about it?”
“Honestly, I’m freaking out a little. I’ve been so distracted by everything going on with Hae.”
“Yuhwa says she thinks she has a lead on the sonnimne. They must be holing up somewhere secluded during the day. But if she can get the jump on them, she’ll have an advantage.”
“Tell her to be careful,” Grace said. She couldn’t deal with anyone else getting hurt.
“I think she can handle herself. She’s literally perfect.”
Grace side-eyed her friend. “Hey, you know I don’t get involved in your love life, but are you sure it’s a good idea to so openly crush like this? She might not be here long.”
“Well, if what we have must be short, then at least it will have been passionate.”
“Wait, you two haven’t…” Grace trailed off, unable to finish the thought.
“I don’t kiss and tell.” Zoe winked and Grace groaned in reply. “I have to say, I admired your art before. But I have a whole new appreciation for it now.”
Grace winced as she clicked the key fob to unlock her car. “You’re giving me too much credit.”
“Hae’s right.” Zoe perched on her hood. “You need to accept your talent. You literally drew gods back to life. Gave them actual form and faces. That’s impressive.”
“Yeah, two complete gods and one ominous, incorporeal one,” Grace grumbled as she tossed her bag in the back seat.
“Too bad you can’t draw him a weak, useless body. Make him a toad or a goat. Wait, no, goats can be vicious. Make him a slug!”
“Wait, say that again,” Grace said, an idea slowly forming.
“Goats can be savage.” Zoe nodded knowingly. “Have you ever seen the video of the goat headbutting a guy right in his ba—”
“No, not about goats,” Grace interrupted. “About drawing him a weak body.”
“Oh, yeah, it would be so great if you could just trap Habaek as a slug or something and then all Hae has to do is step on him. Boom, defeated.”
“Zoe, you’re a genius.” Grace jumped into her car.
“Um, I’m not disagreeing or anything, but what am I a genius about?”
“I’ll tell you later!”
Back home, Grace raced through the house and found Hae in the backyard, throwing a stick for Haechi.
“I have a plan,” she shouted as she burst out on the pool deck.
Haechi abandoned the game of fetch and changed course for Grace. Her excitement infected the dog and he jumped up to pounce. Grace stumbled under his weight, but grinned, scratching him behind the ears affectionately.
“What are you shouting about?” Hae asked, sauntering over.
“We trap him in a mortal body.”
“Trap who? In a what?”
“Habaek,” Grace said, impatiently grabbing his arm to pull him into the pool house where she’d left her tablet. “I can draw him into a mortal body like yours. Then he’ll be weakened, like yo—” She broke off, turning to see Hae’s indignant expression.
“Well, you know,” she finished quickly.
“So, the idea is that you just draw Habaek into a human body so I can fight him with my ‘weak human body’?” He sarcastically used air quotes, something Zoe must have taught him.
“You said that when you got back, you couldn’t control your powers. But you’ve gotten more of a handle on it over time. Which means you have a head start. So, if we can just find Habaek the moment he materializes again, we’ll have a leg up. Right?”
Hae seemed to consider that. “Okay, it does make some sense,” he conceded slowly.
“And I am a very skilled fighter. So, if I can immediately challenge him as soon as he reappears, this could have a chance of working.” He nodded, clearly warming to the idea.
“Then I will have saved humanity thanks to my amazing abilities, and humans will love me so much that it will enhance my powers and I can return to the celestial realm. Yeah, that actually could work.”
It hurt a bit that he was still talking about going home. She’d started to believe that he might actually want to stick around. But, of course, she should have known better. This was never going to be a long-term situation. Hae didn’t belong here. Not in this world and not with her.
“Okay, so, we’re doing this.” She glanced at the time.
It would be cutting it close, but she could spare ten minutes to do this.
And she didn’t want to wait. The more they delayed, the more people could get hurt.
“I actually started drawing him already. He was supposed to appear in the newest episode.”
She pulled up the draft. She’d abandoned working on it after Hae appeared, afraid of what it could do if she posted more.
Hae scowled down at the first panel. “But he’s so handsome.”
Grace laughed. “Yeah, well, sexy villains are in these days.”
“Aren’t villains evil? How is evil sexy?”
“Explaining that will take too much time,” Grace said as she reworked the panels.
She’d first intended Habaek to be so powerful, Hae and Yuhwa would be overwhelmed.
But now she wanted to give them every advantage she could.
“Maybe I should rewrite it completely,” she wondered aloud.
“Make him forgive you?” Could it really be that easy?
But Hae shook his head. “No, it’s all about belief. Will your readers believe something like that?”
Grace silently cursed her past self. “No, they wouldn’t. It doesn’t make sense for him to suddenly stop hating you.”
“Plus, just because he’d have the memories, it doesn’t change who he is,” Hae reminded her. “Just draw him as you would before, but maybe make him less imposing? And shorter.”
Grace laughed. “What?”
Hae shrugged. “It’ll hurt his vanity.”
She shook her head but adjusted the figure to be shorter than Hae. She did soften his anger, making it less all-consuming. Letting webtoon Haemosu get in a few good blows before Habaek retreated.
“Okay, good,” Hae said. “This looks good. Publish.”
Grace rolled her eyes, but obeyed and hit the publish button. Then pushed back from the table. “Great, now we wait.”
“How long?” Hae asked.
“I don’t know. A few hours? A few days.”
“A few days? That’s too long.”
Grace stared down at the tablet. Already the view count was going up, but nowhere near as high as they probably needed to test her theory. “I could pay to promote the episode. I’ve never done it before, but it’ll push it out way faster.”
“Yeah, do that,” Hae said, pushing the tablet toward her.
Grace realized he probably wouldn’t ease off until she did. So she plucked up the tablet and clicked on the feature. “All right, I’ll do this, but then I need two hours without being bothered. I have my BU interview in less than an hour.”
She clicked to promote the episode, eating the cost of ten bucks. She figured it was worth it for saving the world. Then she set the tablet down and held up a hand before Hae could ask his next question.
“Two hours,” she said. “Don’t bother me.”
Grace hurried out to the main house before Hae could object again.
She had to focus. Now wasn’t the time to worry about gods and monsters. Now was the time to get her life back on track. She grabbed the ironing board from the hall closet and dragged it into her room.
Hearing Hae talk about returning home had reminded her of the natural order of things. He would eventually go back to his life, and when he did, she’d need to go back to hers. And to do that, she had to follow through with her carefully structured plans. She couldn’t afford to fail this.
She grabbed her interview outfit from her closet.
A blazer Halmeoni had bought her for her last birthday and a classic white button-down that reminded her of the school uniform Hae and Yuhwa wore.
She plugged the iron in to heat and checked the time. She now only had forty minutes to get ready. That had to be enough time.
She turned on the shower in her attached bathroom and began to iron the collar of her shirt. Pressed neatly just like her halmeoni had taught her.
Her phone alarm went off, letting her know she now only had thirty minutes. Crap, so much for that shower. She’d just have to use dry shampoo and hope it would be enough to rescue her flat hair.
She changed her shirt, glancing in the mirror as she buttoned it.
“Wish me luck, Halmeoni,” she whispered.
Good luck, her halmeoni’s voice said in her head.
“You’re going to need it.”
She spun around, watching in horror as a figure emerged from the bathroom.
Steam and condensation slowly solidifying into the shape of a man.
He was absolutely average in every way, height, build, looks.
Just as she’d drawn him. His round face sported a beard like the actors in historical K-dramas.
And his wrinkled brow was furrowed in rage.
“Habaek,” she whispered.
“What have you done?” His voice was garbled, like someone speaking through water, but she clearly heard his anger.
“I didn’t do anything.”
“You’re trying to trap me!” A hard hammer of water slammed into her. Grace went flying across her room, crashing into her bookshelf so hard, she heard the wood crack.
“I warned you not to help the sun god. Mortals never know their place.” Habaek stepped toward her, a damp path soaking her carpet as he moved.
Grace picked up the closest heavy object she could find—a spelling bee trophy she’d won in third grade—and held it out like a weapon.
Habaek’s face kept shifting, the shape twisting like putty being pulled and compressed. Like his form resisted its new configuration.
He growled as he descended on her. Water enveloped her, entering her mouth, her nose, her lungs. She choked as she tried to swipe at Habaek, but her hands just moved through his watery figure.
“Grace!” She heard the muffled call of her name.
The door burst open, and Hae strode inside.
A bright flash of light burned through the room.
Grace felt the water around her begin to boil and evaporate.
Habaek let out a guttural scream.
Hae charged at the water god.
Before the mist could dissipate, it gathered into a mass that slammed into Hae. Habaek dispersed into a billion vapor particles, but Hae was sent crashing through the window. Glass shattering and wood splintering as he fell.