“It would be my honor to escort you to the Kingdom of Underworld’s Suhoshin headquarters.” Jun executes a gallant bow.
“Is there anywhereyouneed to be, Sunny?” Gyun asks dryly.
“As a matter of fact, there is.” My heart pounds in my chest with half nerves and half determination. I know how to help Ethan. “I need an audience with the King of Underworld.”
Chapter Eighteen
Sunny
The foggy, gray place outside hell’s door is not the Kingdom of Underworld. I, in fact, do not know where this place is, and the Judges of Ten Hells insist on keeping it that way.
“You want us to puttheseon?” I stare down at the black-on-black sunglasses in my hands, while Minju and Captain Seo do the same. “Wouldn’t blindfolds be more secure?”
Judge Number Eight mutters about the flimsiness of cloth blindfolds, and Judge Number Three clucks his tongue and nudges the other judge with his shoulder.
“Trust us.” Jun, the judge of the nicest hell, grins encouragingly at us. “These work much better.”
Flexing her nerves of steel, the captain puts hers on first. “Whoa.”
“What? What is it?” Minju’s curiosity gets the best of her, and she rushes to put hers on. “Goodness. It’s like someone snuffed out all the stars and the moon. I can’t seeanything.”
“No.” Captain Seo brings her palm up to her nose. “Not even a vague outline.”
“If you please.” Gyun, the Judge of Tenth Hell, gestures for me to put on my sunglasses. “We cannot let anyone discover the location of the Ten Hells.”
I shrug and put mine on, then sigh ponderously. I consider not telling them for a brief second, but trust matters between friends. “I can see through these.”
“No, you cannot,” Mun, the Judge of Fourth Hell, states with absolute certainty. “No one other than the Judges of Ten Hells can see through these sunglasses.”
I roll my eyes behind my sunglasses, then wonder if I look cool in them. They’re a lot like classic Ray-Bans.
“I thought I couldn’t lie to you guys.” I cross my arms over my chest and wait patiently for him to realize he’s wrong.
“No, you cannot,” Mun concedes. “Then I do not understand.”
I fully understand his confusion. My best guess is that I can see through these because of my magicgigoggles. But that’s going to be a long explanation.
“Please don’t ask us to explain.” Minju clasps her hands together. “It is a rather long story, and time is of the essence. One of your ties will work nicely as a blindfold, and Sunny will promise not to peek. Won’t you?”
“I pinky promise.” I smirk and hold up my pinky, thinking no one will take me up on it. But Jun bounds up to me like a golden retriever and links his pinky through mine. I can’t help but smile. “Do you want me to stamp it too?”
“Do I ever.” He presses his thumb against mine. “There.”
“Please allow me.” Gyun tugs on the knot of his tie.
Holy mother of Dangun.
I watch mesmerized as the Judge of Tenth Hell takes off his tie. I’m hopelessly in love with Ethan. The Realm of Four Kingdoms faces imminent annihilation. Yet ... I cannot look away from the smoking-hot judge.
He tilts his head this way and that, exposing the strong column of his neck. And his sleeve slips down to expose a strip of his wrist. It is positivelyindecent, even with his shirt buttoned up to the top.
Gyun finally tugs his tie free and holds it out to me. It couldn’t have taken more than seven seconds, but I swipe a hand across my mouth in case I drooled.
“Thanks,” I warble, taking the tie from him. I quickly wrap it over my eyes to hide my fluster. “Who’s taking me to the Jeoseung Palace again?”
“That would be me,” Gyun murmurs at my side, and I squeak a little.
Oh for fuck’s sake.
