I walk a full three blocks from the apothecary's shop before I stop and take out my phone. I pull off my gloves with my teeth and start typing a message to Sehun, Rosé, and Lisa.

Me: The apothecary will give us what we want . . . something to disorient and lightnin poison, but she's demanding a trade.

It only takes seconds before responses pop up on my screen.

Rosé: LIGHTNING POISON!!! Do whatever it takes to get it. I don't care if you have to seel your right eyeball.

Sehun: What kind of a trade?

Me: Yuri's necklace. Who's Yuri?

For a brief second the responses stop, like maybe they're talking among themselves.

Sehun: Jungkook's mother.

I almost drop my phone on the sidewalk. Eomma and Uncle Jin's baby sister. For a few moments I stand there frozen, and when I look back down at my screen there are more messages.

Rosé: Damn it. There's no time to track her down. Will the apothecary accept anything else?

Rosé: ???

Me: No, Yuri's here in Incheon. The apothecary told me where she's eating.

Rosé: Then why are you texting us instead of finding her??

Sehun: Restaurants are common fronts for Strategia properties. If the apothecary knows she's at one, then there are likely other Eagles there. It's not safe. Come back to the apartment. We'll figure out another way.

Rosé: Oh no we won't. We need that poison.

Sehun: She's not going to an Eagle property to steal from a head Eagle, Rosé. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Look at how Jungkook reacted to her.

Rosé: If you wanted to be safe Sehun then you should have stayed home. I'll do it if you're too scared. Give me the address.

I pressed my lips together and look around me. Two doors down is a convenient store, and before I even settle on a decision, I head toward it. I don't want to give Rosé my aunt's location so she can steal from her. I know it doesn't make sense to withhold it, since Rosé would likely be better at getting the necklace. Also, I've never met Yuri, and Sehun is probably right that it's not dafe. But Jungkook told me his mom loved her siblings and that matters to me; so if anyone stands a shot at getting the necklace, it's me, and it won't be by stealing. I push the door to the store open and walk up to the counter.

"Can I help you?" the old man says.

"Do you have a phone book by any chance?" I ask.

He looks at my phone and then back at me. "No."

"No Wi-Fi," I say, holding up my phone as explanation.

"What are you looking fo?" he asks. "Maybe I know."

I hesitate. I've gotten so used to everything being a secret that it takes me a moment to realize that asking where a restaurant is located is completely normal, especially for a tourist. I scrutinize his face for the telltale sharp look of a Strategia but find none.

"Sheraton Restaurant," I say, and realize my pronunciation isn't half bad as I thought.

"Ah," he says, and points. "Down the street about five blocks on the right-hand side." And then he adds, "Amazing cuisine. Have the best pasta."

I give him a big thanks, energized by how seamlessly that went, and walk out of the store. I look from side to side. Within ten blocks there are an Eagle apothecary and a restaurant where one of the head Eagles is eating. Am I in an Eagle neighborhood of sorts?

My phone buzzes and interrupts my thoughts.

Rosé: SUZY? Despite popular belief, patience isn't my strong suit.

Me: It's nearby. I'm just going to walk past.

Rosé: Address?

Sehun: Address?

Lisa: Good luck, Suzy.

Me: I'll text you what I find.

I walk down the street at a brisk pace, counting off the blocks as I go. I know going alone isn't the best idea I've ever had, especially after what just happened to me with the apothecary. But if eomma's sister is at that restaurant, I want to at least get a look at her.

When I'm four blocks down, I spot a sign for Sheraton and slow my pace. I'll just walk past slowly, I tell myself. I'll just peek in the window. But as I approach, my heart pounds furiously. Will she look like eomma and Uncle Jin? Will I be able to recognize her? What if she sees me? Will she recognize me?

I stop five feet from the restaurant window and take out my phone. I pull up Sehun's number in case I need to make a run for it and hover my thumb over the Call button. But before I can take a step forward, someone grabs my wrist, knocking my phone right out of my hand. I spin, pulling my wrist against the assailant's thumb to release his grip, and swing my other arm.

"Suzy," a familiar voice says just as a fist makes contact with his face.

Jungkook takes a quick step backward, holding his hands up.

"Jungkook?" I say, completely shocked.

He rub his jaw. "What the hell are you doing here?" he demands, clearly annoyed.

I stare at him, like I'm not sure if the apothecary's oil is making me hallucinate. "What am I doing here? What are you doing here?" I pick my phone up off the sidewalk, slipping it back in my pocket. I look at his jaw where I landed a punch. "Sorry I hit -"

He dismisses my apology and cuts me off. "I followed you from the apothecary," he says, like that's a reasonable explanation.

"You what?" I say, trying to make sense of his words.

"can we just get out of the street for a second?" he says.

I look at the restaurant window. "But -"

"Now, Suzy," Jungkook says. "You wait any longer and someone from my Family will see you."

My heart sinks. I want to tell him that it's my Family, too, but I know that answer won't land. Reluctantly I follow him across the street and down a block onto a residential street.

Jungkook stops on the sidewalk in front of a row of apartment buildings and turns to face me. "Now tell me: What were you doing at that restaurant?" he says like it's an accusation.

"What were you doing following me?" I reply with just as much frustration.

"I'm not playing this game with you, Suzy," Jungkook says with a huff. "Answer my question and I will answer yours."

I stare at him, looking for any sign of deception, but he seems to be telling the truth. "The apothecary . . .," I say, trying to figure out how to phrase what I need to say.

"What about the apothecary?" Jungkook says with a frustrated insistence.

"She wants your mom's bear necklace in exchange for the products I need," I say, opting to just use a straightforward approach even though I know it sounds bad.

Jungkook frowns. "Are you telling me you were going to steal my eomma's necklace?"

"No, no . . .," I say quickly. "I was going to ask her for it."

Jungkook glares at me like I've lost all my good sense. "You were . . . No, Suzy. No. How did you even know she was there?"

"The apothecary told me," I say.

Jungkook's frown deepens. "You're definitely not asking my eomma for her necklace."

I stare at him, matching his displeasure. "That's not something you get to decide, Jungkook. And if someone's going to tell me no, it's going to be your mom, not you. I need to fulfill my bargain with the apothecary. It's important."

"Well, you're not fulfilling it by going to that restuarant," he says forcefully.

For a second we just stare at each other and I wonder if I could outrun him. There are probably a million reasons why that's a bad idea, but all I can think is that eomma's sister-my aunt-is only a couple blocks away from me, holding something that will help me find appa.

Before I can respond, Jungkook s the top of his coat and pulls a necklace out from under his sweater. It has a delicately carved golden eagle head hanging from it.

"You have the -"

"We all do," Jungkook says. "Me, my eomma, my grandfather, your mom, Uncle Jin."

And for a second I remain silent. I never saw those necklaces on eomma's and uncle's. Did they hide them from me? And why does Jungkook know things about the people closest to me that I don't even know?

"This is what I'll do-I'll give you this necklace if you give me your word that you'll stay away from that restuarant," he says.

I gain an asset needed to find appa, but I have to give up meeting my aunt. I momentarily break eye contact with him.

"It's an exceptionally good deal," Jungkook says, like maybe I didn't hear his offer.

When I don't answer right away, his look turns to confusion. "Am I missing something?"

"No, you're right. It's a good deal," I say, having a hard time meeting his eyes. So I change the subject. "Why does the apothecary want it, anyway?"

Jungkook shakes his head. "Maybe because they're impossible to get. Maybe she knows they have a secret compartment for poison. Or maybe she just figured out who you were and decided to meddle. It's hard to know with apothecaries. They're all secrets and deception, but they're so deadly and invaluable that no one interferes with them."

I grunt. "You got the deadly part right," I say, and Jungkook gives me a questioning look, but he doesn't ask me what I mean. "Okay, so why were you following me?"

"Sejeong," he says, before he can get out another word I react.

"What?" I say in shock, looking around the street like maybe she's hiding in an alley somewhere. "Sejeong? That's not . . . What?"

"Not here," he says. "But in Incheon, yes."

"But I don't under-" I start.

"I know," he says, cutting me off. "And I can't explain right now; if I don't get to that dinner with my Family, my mom is going to have my head. I was supposed to be there an hour ago."

"How is Sejeong here?" I say more insistently. "And why didn't I know? Does Sehun know?"

"No, and that's the thing," Jungkook says, and his voice sounds like a warning. "You can't tell Sehun."

I look at him sideways. "What do you mean, I can't tell Sehun? I can't not tell Sehun."

Jungkook holds up his hands, as if to say it's not his fight. "This is all Sejeong. It certainly wasn't my idea," he says, as though he's reaffirming that he wants nothing to do with me.

"So where am I supposed to tell Sehun I got the necklace if I can't tell him about you and Sejeong?" I say.

He exhales and pinches his nose. "Tell me you didn't tell Sehun where the restaurant was located."

"I didn't," I say. "I figured it was an Eagle Family secret."

For a moment he looks surprised that I would actually care about something like that, and his annoyance dissipates. "Right, well, tell him what happened-that you ran into me on your way to the restaurant and that I gave you the necklace. Nothing more."

I grumble.

He slips his necklace over his head and holds it out to me. "Do I have your word?"

I sigh. "You have my word."

He drops the necklace in my hand.

"But tell me this, why would Sejeong not want Sehun to know she's here?" I say, making a last-ditch effort to get some information.

"Sorry. Can't," he says, and looks behind him in the direction of the restaurant. "You can ask Sejeong yourself. Meet us at Yangying Road in Bucheon at four a.m." He takes a step backward.

"Wait," I say, but he just shrugs as he walks backward.

"See you in the morning," he says, and turns away from me.

For a few seconds I stand there, baffled. What the hell is going on here? First Rosé and Lisa, now Jungkook and Sejeong? Why would Sejeong do this-say goodbye to us at the Academy and then follow us in secret? I can't imagine that she doesn't have a good reason, I just don't know what it could be.

I stare at the little golden necklace in my hand, wishing I didn't have to give it to the apothecary. Did eomma really have one of these?

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and it jerks me out of my thoughts. I open the screen and there are seventeen new messages. But instead of reading them, I just text back: Got the necklace. Going to make the trade. Will be home soon.