Midnight on the Han River

But Jeeon, as if he had fully expected her to try to run, kept his arm locked tight around her waist and looked her in the eye. Even now, the peculiar crease at the corners of his eyes was enough to catch and hold a gaze.

"If I were the real Kim Jeeon, would you have treated me more gently than this?"

"What?"

"As if you would."

He had struck a nerve, and they both knew it. Even if he really were Kim Jeeon, she had never been the soft type to begin with — and she had no immunity whatsoever to a man this shamelessly slick.

But Heeseo quickly remembered the one thing that actually mattered.

"If you hadn't taken over that body in the first place, we never would have met like this. So stop talking nonsense."

"Never would have met..."

Heeseo shot the words back at him, triumphant. Jeeon's smile flickered — then deepened, richer than before. He drew her waist in even tighter.

The space between them closed as a matter of course. Heeseo startled and tried to shove at his shoulder, but contrary to every wish she had, they were suddenly close enough that their lips might brush at the slightest movement.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm glad you said that, Heeseo."

What kind of ghost-addled nonsense was that? Heeseo lost all will to argue. A ghost, of all things, happy to have met an exorcist? How was she even supposed to rebut that?

Jeeon smiled with a brilliance that lit his whole face as he turned her wrist in his grasp. Then, looking thoroughly, unreservedly pleased, he pressed his lips to the skin patch covering something there.

It was a smile that carried the sweet scent of flowers.

After that, Jeeon went on selecting clothes with painstaking care. Once the clothes were chosen, he picked out shoes and jewelry.

Only after Heeseo had eaten another round of refreshments and drunk two more cups of tea did the shopping finally end. By the time she was ready to collapse straight into bed, Jeeon called for the chauffeur.

"You may go home for the day."

I'll clock out too, then. Even if being an exorcist counted as one of those dirty, dangerous, backbreaking jobs, what kind of ghost worked you this hard?

A funeral wail threatened to claw its way out of her throat, so Heeseo clamped her mouth shut and climbed into the car. Judging by the fact that he had dismissed the chauffeur first, he clearly intended to drive them home himself.

"How was today? Fun, wasn't it? Ah, those sapphire earrings from earlier keep flashing through my mind."

"...Fun? What was? Playing lady of the house?"

"Playing lady of the house. Haha. Well, I suppose you could call it that. Though you don't quite suit being called 'madam' just yet, Heeseo."

Unlike the utterly spent Heeseo, Jeeon looked positively vigorous. It was only natural — midnight was drawing near, the hour when the power of ghosts ran strongest. But then again, had Jeeon ever seemed wilted even in broad daylight?

Struck by a sudden, unwelcome suspicion, Heeseo narrowed her eyes and glared at him.

"I just can't figure you out. You're not an earthbound spirit, you're not a vengeful ghost — how can you act so much like a person? I've never seen a spirit that behaves like you."

There were rumors that if a possession lasted long enough, and the bond of the soul grew deep enough, a spirit could become more human than a human — but those were nothing more than rumors, thick on talk and thin on proof. In principle, a soul that had lost its original body was supposed to fade with the passage of time.

At Heeseo's question, Jeeon smiled with his eyes. He clearly knew exactly how that smile looked on him.

It was the kind of eye-smile that could thaw a woman frozen solid. Heeseo whipped her head away. Jeeon, apparently finding this endlessly amusing, kept chuckling as he reached over and fastened her seatbelt for her.

"I'm the first you've ever seen, am I? That's a pleasant thing to hear."

"Stop saying things people could get the wrong idea about."

"We're the only two people listening, so do I really need to be careful? I even sent the chauffeur home early for your convenience."

"Yes. Thank you so much for the consideration."

Heeseo replied in a voice that contained not a shred of actual gratitude. Now that the hunger that had plagued her all day had finally receded, exhaustion came flooding in to take its place. Ever since she had moved into the mansion she had been neglecting her workouts, and she could feel her stamina dwindling by the day.

Tomorrow I have to get some weights in before that ghost wakes up — and find something. Anything.

Heeseo forced her flickering eyes to stay open. Meanwhile, the car Jeeon was driving sped along the road.

Contrary to her assumption that they were heading back to the mansion, the car sailed unimpeded down the road and came to a stop somewhere Heeseo knew all too well.

"What? Why are we here?"

"I still have some company work left from playing with you all day, Heeseo. Come with me for a bit. It won't take long."

"What? Come with you where?"

"I don't want to leave you alone in the car at this hour. Come on."

If that's the case, just drop me off at home. Heeseo stared at him, incredulous.

Exhaustion aside, there was another reason she really did not want to get out of the car.

"What work do you have left to do at the Han River? What, are you going to sell ramyeon by the water?"

"Han River ramyeon — not a bad idea. Once things quiet down, shall we open a ramyeon shop together? We can take our time planning the future. Get out of the car. The longer you spend with me, the more you stand to gain, Heeseo. Isn't that right?"

"You're insufferable..."

Heeseo muttered it under her breath as she climbed out of the car.

He was right, of course. The longer she spent with him, the better her chances of uncovering the identity of the spirit possessing Kim Jeeon. A little fatigue and a creepy location were prices she would have to pay.

But the situation changed the moment Jeeon headed along the riverside toward the dock. With practiced ease he found a luxurious boat, hopped aboard with a light, easy spring, and held out his hand to her.

"Come aboard. The night wind isn't cold yet — it'll be a lovely drive."

"What are you doing right now? You said you had work to finish."

"If we're going to work, you have to get on. A drive with you is part of the objective, of course."

"Stop joking around. What are you actually doing?"

"Why do you assume I'm joking? Is this your first time on a boat?"

"The boat isn't the problem..."

Heeseo parted her lips, then scanned their surroundings.

Even this late, the Han River bustled with joggers and a steady stream of cars crossing the bridges. But that was only true by ordinary people's standards.

Does he know what this place is — and he's still trying to take me out on it?

Suspicion flared all at once, and Heeseo's eyes turned sharp. The Han River was one of the most lethal places for anyone whose spiritual senses were open. And it only grew more dangerous as midnight approached.

It's not that I can feel anything particularly bad right now — but there's no telling what might show up.

Where water gathers, yin energy gathers with it. That was why ghosts appeared so often at man-made dams and wetlands. Fortunately the Han River was not stagnant water, and the energy of its current was so robust that the yin ran milder here — but that was not the problem.

Still, seeing the puzzled look on Jeeon's face, Heeseo pressed her lips shut and boarded the yacht. She did not want to show him any weakness.

And it was not long before she had no choice but to regret that decision.

Jeeon seemed quite at home at the yacht's helm. Rather than gunning the engine or driving wildly, he cut a quiet path against the current — and he did not forget to hand Heeseo a thin blanket as he did.

Utterly bewitching, this one.

The deeper the night grew, the more dangerously alluring Jeeon became at the wheel. Every movement of his arms pulled his shirt taut across his shoulders, and the sleeves folded to a precise angle bared his forearms, putting his masculinity on full display.

Even the way his hair — always so neatly fixed in place — had begun to come slightly undone was excessively, almost indecently sensual. Like a mermaid that bewitched people to their deaths.

"How far are we going?"

The yacht was not moving fast enough that she needed to raise her voice.

When Heeseo asked, Jeeon answered with a smile instead of words. Before long, he brought the yacht to a stop near one of the great bridges spanning the Han River.

"We're here."

"...And what work are we doing here?"

He's not planning to throw me overboard and be rid of me, is he? Heeseo eyed him with naked suspicion.

The doubt in her gaze was so blatant that Jeeon let out a short laugh.

"Are you worried I might do something to you out here, Heeseo?"

"Worried? Please. Go ahead and try, if you can."

"When you act that bold, it tends to stir up a childish competitive streak in lesser men."