19 The Girls She Wants

Seung Ho walks out of the room with a white door decorated with gold on the edge of the door. The room he had just visited was the room of the Great God. Half an hour ago, he was summoned to meet the most powerful figure in the world. When he was told he was summoned by the god, he already knew what they were going to discuss, and his guess was true, they discussed the matter of fate between Ian and Yoon Hee.

It is not a matter of punishment that he will receive for trying to change the destiny of the two human children, but a matter of whether the destiny cannot be changed by anyone at all. They will follow him into the next life. That fate will stop when everything is done.

His footsteps stopped when he saw L who had already returned from the human world. His eyebrows were raised when he saw the wound at the corner of the angel's lips. "What's with that beautiful face of yours?"

"That girl did it," L replied with a forced smile. His smile disappears as he realizes the look on Seung Ho's face. "Does the Great God already know our plan?"

Seung Ho gives an answer with a nod of his head. He walked back, followed by L behind him.

"Then, what did the great God say? What hell of extinction will you come to?"

"We are both safe."

L was silent, with one eyebrow raised. "Safe? Does that mean we won't be punished, even if we change their destiny?"

"No. But, because our plan to change that destiny failed."

"Why can it fail?"

"Their fate seems so strong that no one can break the bonds of their fate," Seung Ho explains, but not everything he tells L.

"That's it," L replied, nodding his head.

"Thank you for helping me and sorry for making your face look like that," said Seung Ho.

"No problem. Then I'll take my leave." L bows briefly before departing from Seung Ho.

Seung Ho goes limp after L leaves. He is still surprised by what the Great God said about Ian and Yoon Hee's fate.

***

June 4, 2021

Emma's Home

Hwang Ian stared at the photo of a woman on the dining table with a cold look. She was Emma's target girl to be the next victim. The young man's attention shifted for a moment to Emma, who was sitting in front of him. He looked at the woman's gumiho with a look of confusion.

"You ... want that girl?"

As per the deal they struck sixteen years ago, Ian becomes a hunter for the mother, bringing the girls for his mother. Although Ian only really carried out the deal about three years after the incident occurred.

The two of them are now living separately due to Ian's desire to live alone. Plus, the distance from Ian's college to this place—Emma's house—is quite far. So to save time, Ian chose to live alone in the area near the campus.

"Why is your face like that? Is she someone you know? Your girlfriend?" asked Emma, noticing the child's confused look.

Ian sighed. He leaned his back on the back of the chair. "No, she's not my girlfriend. And I don't know her either," he replied.

"Otherwise, why are you putting on a puzzled face?" Emma looked into Ian's cold eyes. "What ... you're going to start a war between us?"

Ian immediately held his breath as he felt a sinister aura around the woman. His heart even beats very quickly. An old memory that he didn't want to remember again surfaced, making him even more frightened.

"I'll do it!" Ian replied with his head bowed. "I'll bring the girl to you."

Realizing the fear Ian felt at this moment, Emma walked over to her son. She briefly patted Ian's shoulder before leaving.

Ian exhaled after Emma left him. His slightly trembling hands grabbed the photo of Emma's target girl this time. He looks at the photo of the girl who is Lee Soo Young, the woman his best friend likes.

"What should I do now?"

***

June 5, 2021

Baekyeon University

With burning enthusiasm, Wang Su Bin recounts the incident he experienced with Soo Young. The young man Wang looks happy because he can interact with Soo Young for a long time because they are both in the same group in one of the elective courses they took.

Ian, the only person who listened to his friend's story, just listened to it without any intention to respond to the friend's story. Even since Su Bin started telling the story, Ian's brain kept thinking about Soo Young's fate and who would become Emma's next victim. He feels even more regretful for agreeing to the gumiho's request to bring Soo Young to him. How will Su Bin feel when he finds out that the woman he likes is one of the victims of a murder case?

"Hwang Ian!"

The call from Su Bin finally jolted Ian out of his trance. He looked at Su Bin, who was also looking at him.

"You didn't listen to my story?" asked Su Bin who got the answer shaking his head from Ian. "If you hear it, tell me what I told you."

Ian took his breath away. "You're with Soo Young of one group in one of the elective courses. Then Soo Young often invites you to talk during discussions. You have the same hobby." Even though his mind wasn't with his body at the time, Ian still listened to a little bit of Su Bin's story.

"You have a problem?" Su Bin asked suddenly, without responding to Ian's answer earlier.

"Nothing. What's the matter?"

"I see you as if you are carrying a large stone on your shoulders."

Su Bin was correct; Ian did feel as if he was carrying a large stone on his shoulders. The boulder is his role as the girl hunter of a gumiho; he is an accomplice of the perpetrator of the murder. And now the burden of the stone was added because the woman who liked his best friend became the target of the next victim.

"Brother, if you have a problem, tell me."

Ian pulled the corner of his lips back when he heard Su Bin's sincere words. It feels like he became a villain—ah, no—he was already a villain between Su Bin and Soo Young.

"Thank you for your offer. But I don't have a problem at the moment," Ian replied, lying.

"I see," Su Bin responded as he nodded his head.

There was no further conversation between the two young men. Su Bin also seems to have ended his story about Soo Young, he is now focusing his gaze on the phone screen in his hand. While Ian was enjoying the breeze with his eyes closed, he only noticed how lovely the atmosphere of the campus park was.