Before I can force myself to squirm out of her embrace, she drops her arms and steps back from us. “Oh my. What am I thinking? You girls must be hungry.”
Again, we don’t get a chance to object as she bustles away and disappears into what I assume is the kitchen. In the brief lull, I study the small restaurant with round eyes—to scope out a potential escape route, of course. I don’t actually care about any of it.
The walls are covered with rustichanji, and a menu, handwritten on a wood plank, hangs on one side. The simple wooden tables and chairs crowding the front hall add a perfectly haphazard and cozy feel to the quintessential mom-and-pop restaurant. It’s sohuman. I can’t believe two shinbiins run this place.
“Come sit down. Please.” Minju’s father beckons us to a table close to the kitchen. He grabs three paper cups from a neat stack at the corner of the table and pours cold roasted-barley tea into them. “You, too, daughter. Rest your feet while I go help your mother.”
“It seems like they were expecting us.” Captain Seo sits down with her gaze trailing after Mr. Ha’s retreating back. “How did they know?”
“They were expectingme.” Minju tugs me down next to her and faces the captain. “I visit my parents every year on Hangawi.”
“Wow, what a coincidence.” I bite my lip, because it can’t be a happy one.
Minju must be exhausted from tracking me down. Not to mention everything that happened before I ran away to Las Vegas. And now, we’re on the run from the Jaenanpa because of me.
“I’m sorry I ruined your visit,” I whisper.
“You did nothing of the sort. If it weren’t for you, I would still be in the Realm of Four Kingdoms.” She squeezes my hand over my lap. “Besides, I’m glad my parents finally get to meet some of my friends.”
“It’s an honor to meet them.” Captain Seo tilts her head to the side. “Did your parents come to the Mortal Realm so they could be together?”
Her loaded question is characteristically efficient. With one sentence, she conveys that she recognized Mr. Ha as a seonnam and Mrs. Ha as adokkaebiand she understands their union is forbidden under the Code of the Realm—beings of two different life sources cannot marry. And with her lack of censure, she reassures Minju that she’s not passing judgment in any way.
That’s impressive, even for the captain.
“My mother was a suhoshin stationed in the Kingdom of Sky when she met my father. They fell in love and married in secret.” Minju stares down at her hands. “They kept their secret safe for over two centuries ... then I came along. They couldn’t risk anyone finding out that I’m of both Sky and Underworld, because they wanted me to have a normal life in the Realm of Four Kingdoms.” She sighs heavily. “My parents came to the Mortal Realm to protect me.”
“They just left you behind? All by yourself?” I accuse. Being together matters so much more thannormal. It could never be worth the cost of being alone. “Why couldn’t they bring you with them?”
“Living in the Realm of Four Kingdoms is her birthright.” Mrs. Ha steps out of the kitchen with a tray laden with a feast, but her expression is grim. “We couldn’t take that away from her.”
“What’s so great about the Realm of Four Kingdoms?” I persist. “What’s more important than family?”
“Life,” Mr. Ha says, coming to stand next to his wife. “If shinbiins leave the Realm of Four Kingdoms, they become mortal.”
Chapter Eight
Sunny
My mouth drops open. “What?”
“It’s true.” Minju’s mother walks the rest of the way over to our table. “When shinbiins live in the Mortal Realm for long enough, they begin to age at the same rate as humans.”
I want to ask why that happens but hold my tongue because it’s starting to feel too much like caring about shit.
“We fall to illness, and it takes time for us to heal from our injuries.” Mr. Ha transfers the plates from the tray until food covers every inch of the tabletop. “We couldn’t force such a fragile, fleeting life on our daughter.”
“But it would be worth it to be with you,” Minju whispers, making her parents gasp.
“What are you saying?” Her father shakes his head.
“Once all this is over, I’m coming here to live with you.” She juts her chin. “This is Minju’s Place, after all.”
Her mother opens and closes her mouth several times, twin grooves forming between her brows. “Let me start with this question. What do you mean,all this? Once what’s over?”
The historian pales, her bravado draining out of her, and her panicked gaze jumps to meet mine.
“You should tell them.” I take her hand under the table. “Your parents chose mortality for you. They have a right to know.”
