As soon as I opened the door, I was greeted by a grinning Gumiho.

“Daehyun’s here!”

He yelled into the house immediately after, almost blowing my eardrums with the sound. What is he? A screaming banshee? He ran into the living room right after, his feet dragging against the floor like he was waddling penguin as he apparently discovered a new way to walk that was much more interesting than walking like, I don’t know, a normal Gumiho? Even though he’s the only one I’ve met, I’m pretty sure he’s far from the norm.

I stepped aside, letting in the sullen Daehyun, the Tokebi, who moped into the living room, following the path Kim Himchan had taken. I closed the door behind me and locked it before going in after him, finding him now slumped over onto the couch face down like a sack of potatoes.

Yoo Youngjae, his centuries long friend, was standing over him. His arms were across his chest as he held his foot to the Tokebi’s back, pushing him over and over again. What a friend he is. Only true friends would ever chose such a way to make you get up.

I would know. Oh Sehun spares no strength in his methods. Imagine if Sehun and I lived to be friends for over a hundred years. No, you know what? Let’s not imagine that. Sehun’s  methods would probably kill me before that happened as he is getting bolder and bolder as time goes by. I may want to die in my sleep but not via Sehun’s on my back. If I weren’t his friend, where else would he pop a squat every morning?

Which reminds me, I have to call that guy. I haven’t seen him in what, over two days? It must be a new record. Just as I was pulling out my cellphone however, it was snatched from my hands. You could say I had the eyes of Medusa when I looked up to see who had the audacity to do such a thing. I’d like to think I did. And I’d also like to think I knew exactly whom it was who so bravely pulled my phone from my grasp. Turns out, my thinking was spot on.

There was Bang Yongguk, my phone in his hands. He dangled it back and forth, simply asking for it, “No technology during lunch.” He scolded me as though he were my mother before slipping my phone into the back pocket of his jeans.

When he turned, receding back into the kitchen, he didn’t forget to taunt me. Who would Bang Yongguk be if he didn’t mock me at least five times every day? How did he do it? Well, my phone was there, peaking out of the pocket in the back of his jeans. And, right before he disappeared into the kitchen, he bent over and wiggled said posterior.

He’ll get his retribution later. Not heavenly retribution. Park Sora retribution. The worst kind. For now, I’m letting him off.

Instead, I turned my attention to the two tricksters, the Dokkaebi Yoo Youngjae and the Tokebi Jung Daehyun, who were in the living room. Unsurprisingly, Youngjae who wanted a place to sit whilst I assumed Himchan and Yongguk were in the kitchen cooking lunch, the reason my phone was unjustly taken from me, had dragged Daehyun onto the floor. The Dokkaebi was presently sitting on the couch, his legs crossed as he read the morning newspaper. 

Something my grandmother always gets for my grandfather to read. Something she insisted on getting for the Shakespearean Dokkaebi this morning as well. She really is catering to them a bit too much. He flipped the page, unconcerned for the fact that Jung Daehyun was now beneath his foot, lying on the ground like an unneeded throw pillow.

So then, was Jung Daehyun happy when I signed his contract in front of him? Not at all. I actually respected the fact that he didn’t try to run away and instead lived up to his side of the bargain.

His contract was modest. A piece of notebook paper folded up. He asked me not to open it, to leave it as it was and sign the top of it instead. I listened to him, seeing no reason not to. I have to say though, I’m quite curious as to what it is that’s written inside.

Unlike other people in this house, I am able to control myself, much unlike the Gumiho and the demon who were in the kitchen at the current point in time. Why do I say this? Because just then, Himchan’s voice rang through the air again, threatening to make me lose my hearing.

“Sora, baby!”

Oh no. This doesn’t sound good. He sounds regretful. And regretful isn’t good.

“Your phone.”

He paused. Another horrible sign.

“Your phone’s been disabled for a few minutes!”

I was seething, fuming with anger that I could feel boiling inside of me. Youngjae looked up from the newspaper in his hands, locking eyes with me before he shook his head disapprovingly, “What do you expect?”

“Oh, and lunch is ready!” Himchan finished yelling from the kitchen and Youngjae stood up at his statement, receding into the kitchen whilst leaving his friend there on the floor without a second thought.

“Daehyun.” I called, pushing down my anger towards the Gumiho and the demon who no doubt tried to guess my password and failed miserably. “Earth to Daehyun.” I called upon realizing he was still lying there, as though he had long since left the building. “Earth is calling Daehyun and if he doesn’t answer then I’ll just pretend he’s not there and decide to go jogging around the coffee table.” With that, the Tokebi was up in an instant. He narrowed his eyes at me, not at all pleased with the threat.

I found Jung Daehyun to match Yoo Youngjae’s description to a T once more. He was undeniably gullible in believing I would actually go through with my threat. That kind of punishment was reserved for Kim Himchan and Bang Yongguk if they ever pulled such a thing with me. Youngjae and Daehyun were safe from such treatment.

So what if I treat the two tricksters better than the Gumiho and the demon? Who says the afterlife is fair?

“I knew it. You’re giving them all your attention.” Himchan whined as he clawed the frame of the doorway into the kitchen like a depressed cat.

“So how is watching a historical movie going to help me with the next spirit?” I asked, throwing Bang Yongguk a glance as his eyes were glued to the television screen. He was much more engrossed in it than I had expected.

“It’s not as good as a war movie, but it’ll do.” He voiced out loud to no one in particular, completely ignoring my question. I snarled at him when I felt someone nudge my shoulder. When I turned, I found Youngjae sitting there, his expression that charming neutral stare. I without a doubt preferred this over a cocky smirk and an overexcited grin.

He didn’t bother lowering his voice as he spoke, “The next two spirits are a Haechi and a Xiezhi. The Haechi’s way of talking is not as modern as ours.” I blinked in response, waiting for him to elaborate himself on exactly what a Haechi was. I knew what it was in a nutshell because it was the symbol of Seoul but as Youngjae is the spirit here, I waited for him to explain the specifics.

He eventually caught on, “A Haechi is a lion with a body covered in scales. This particular Haechi is instinctively polite. He talks like he’s from a historical drama. That’s the reason we’re watching this now. If we’re not around him all the time, we forget how to speak with him.”

“And it’s been a long,” Himchan drew out his last word for a good five seconds before ending it, “time since we last saw him.”

My jaw went slack as I processed this new information. It looked like this Haechi would be normal. Right? He would be normal, right? Okay, I’m just trying to convince myself at this point but a girl can only hope. And pray. And wish. And beg that he’s nothing like Yongguk or Himchan. Two is enough. Two is more than enough.

“What are you doing?”

I came out of my daze to find Daehyun looking up at me from his seat on the floor in front of the couch of the living room. “What am I doing?” I asked right back, not sure what he was referring to. Youngjae’s sigh was audible from next to me on the couch, meaning he knew what Daehyun was referring to. That he didn’t answer my questioning stare didn’t help.

Daehyun frowned and his eyes fell downward, landing on something in his hand: a few pieces of popcorn. And I was holding a bowl of the snack in my lap as I sat crossed legged on the couch. “You’re feeding me.” He scowled as he looked back up at me, showing me the popcorn in his hand. “Stop it. It’s weird.” He murmured before looking down at it again and giving up, eating it anyway.

Again. Again I had unknowingly been feeding them. Himchan on the other side of me on the couch was munching down on his own small pile of popcorn he had undoubtedly acquired from me. Youngjae to my right popped a single piece into his mouth, finishing off the stack I had given him. Even Yongguk who sat down next to Daehyun in front of me was chewing down as naturally as could be. When had I given them any? I don’t even remember doing it.

Damn it, Oh Sehun. Where are you?

Which reminds me, Mr. Demon still has my phone. I placed the bowl of popcorn in Himchan’s lap instead, which he accepted without a single complaint, before sending my foot knocking into Yongguk’s shoulder. He went falling sideways and I bent down, reaching into his back pocket and pulling from it my phone. At least, I would have.

But I was stopped before I could. His hand went grabbing onto mine as soon as I had the top of my phone in my fingers’ grip. He looked up from his pathetic position on the floor with a smirk, his eyebrows raising upwards.

“You shouldn’t make the first move and expect me to not reciprocate the action.” His upper lip went rising, along with the sides of his mouth, producing that gum-showing, characteristic grin. I rolled my eyes and kicked him again, this time on his red tail that was probably by now cursing its owner for having to be subjected to my stomping foot so often.

His grip on my hand loosened and I pulled my phone free from his pocket. He groaned in pain as he writhed on the ground, breathing out through clenched teeth.

“What’s that? You’re sorry for taking my phone? Well, you’re not forgiven.” I couldn’t help the smile that came onto my face as I unlocked my phone, hiding my password from the sneaky fox beside me, and sent a text message to my crybaby best friend for the first time in what felt like forever.