Appa gasps and buries his face in Eomma’s hair. “Oh, my love, my poor, poor darling.”

“I couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t,” Eomma sobs and pulls me close to her. “How could I choose between my girls? How?!”

My heart shrivels to the size of Hattie’s. Even with everything on the line, Eomma couldn’t save Hattie, because she wasn’t willing to lose me. The dokkaebi knew exactly what my eomma’s deepest fear was.

I know what I have to do.

“Psst.” I turn my head slightly and whisper to Areum. “I need you to knock me out.”

She blinks once. “Explain yourself, Riley Oh.”

“Just do as I say,” I urge. “Please. Just do it. And do it fast.”

She pauses briefly, as if wondering if she’s understood me correctly. But I guess the good thing about having a bird-woman yield to you is that your word is the final word.

The last thing I remember before my legs give out is Areum leaping off my shoulder and gaining size before slamming into the side of my head.

Ouch.

26: The Dokkaebi Takes His Bite

WHEN I NEXT OPEN MY EYES, I’m lying on the houndstooth carpet and Eomma and Appa have disappeared. I’m in the same room I was a second ago, but now the two lamps are emitting an eerie blue light. Areum must have succeeded in knocking me unconscious.

Getting onto my knees, I take some deep, calming breaths. My heart is beating so hard, it feels like the walls are pounding to the rhythm. Surely, the dokkaebi won’t be as bad as I’ve been led to believe. Maybe he’ll take pity on me and be nice?

I glance gingerly around the room. Aside from the details in the scary song everyone knows, I have no idea what to expect. I’ve never even seen a photo of a dokkaebi, so I don’t know how big they are. Could it be small enough to hide under the bed…?

Holding my breath, I quickly lift the dust ruffle and take a peek. Dust balls and a spider are all I see, and I let out a laugh. Of course he’s not hiding under the mattress—he’s a dokkaebi, not the boogeyman! But then I look closer. There’s a pair of feet on the other side of the bed.

What the—?! No one was there a second ago.

I close my eyes for a moment and then open them again. The feet are still there. And they’re in gold open-toed sandals—just like the ones my sister had on for her initiation ceremony.

“Hattie?” I scramble to stand. Her back is to me, but she’s wearing her golden hanbok, too. “Hattie!” I cry again as I lunge across the bed to get to her. I don’t understand how she’s here, but she’s here. That’s all that matters.