“I wasn’t totally clear on the phone. They were upset about me breaking into the museum, but they’re 100 percent supportive of me helping you out.”
I open my mouth. Shut it. Stare at the train. Then back at him. “Why? Why would they want you to help me?”
“I take it you’re not excited to have your own personal bodyguard.”
“I hate to break it to you, but you’re not exactly bodyguard material.”
“Looks can be deceptive.” He grins. “Come on, let’s get on the train. I’ll explain everything.”
“You’re not coming.”
“I already have my ticket.” He waves it in the air, smirking.
“You are insane.” I snatch my hat back. “Besides, this doesn’t exactly agree with the terms of our suspension. You might not get into Harvard.”
“I wasn’t planning on going there anyway.”
He’s so close I could reach up and push his hair out of his eyes.
I check my watch. One minute left to board. I frown at Marc as he gestures for me to board first, but I clamber onto the train. Once inside, I begin searching the compartments for my seat, trying to ignore the fact that Marc is behind me. I’m conflicted over being relieved that he’s here because I don’t want to make this trip alone and feeling selfish and wrong for putting him in danger again.
The train lurches forward as I find my seat, and I let out a long breath, relieved that I’m at least one step ahead of Dad. Marc jams his backpack into the overhead compartment before settling down next to me with a stack of cards. “Want to play?” he asks.
I cross my arms and glare at him. How is it that in the most insane moments he’s able to stay so calm? “Coincidence that you get the seat next to mine?”
He slides the cards through his hands, shuffling. “I don’t believe in coincidences. Especially when your grandfather bought both tickets.”
Outside, the gray concrete buildings of the city flash by as we flee to the southern tip of Korea. I’m trying to figure out why Grandfather and Marc’s parents want him to help me. Somebody isn’t telling me the whole story.
“Spill it,” I say. “I want to know what’s really going on.”
“I guess it doesn’t matter now if you know or not.” Marc deals out the cards while I narrow my eyes at him. “Remember how I told you that my dad and your grandfather are friends?” I nod. “Well, they are friends because they are both part of the same organization.”
“Right. I knew that already. Guardians of Shinshi or something. I can see how my grandfather has a part in all this, but your dad isn’t Korean; and if it’s all so secret, then why do you know all this?”
“My dad is an expert in religious studies, and he’s an archaeologist.” Marc’s voice turns to a whisper. “Because of his expertise, he gained the trust of the Guardians. From his research, he was able to discover the location of something they wanted.”
“Which was?”
He peeks over our seats, glancing at the other passengers in our car before continuing. “The legend of Korea’s origin says the immortals dropped six Orbs of Life on Earth to form Korea. For centuries those orbs were kept hidden, guarded by the Hwarang warriors within Korea’s great mountains. But over time the orbs slowly disappeared. My dad discovered the location of two of those orbs and returned them to the Guardians. That is why my dad is a member.”
He twirls his ring, staring at it. There’s something familiar about that ring. It’s a simple gold ring without the tiger like Grandfather and Komo wear, but it’s still a ring. My eyes widen. “You’re one of them,” I say.
He looks up in surprise and then runs his hands through his hair. “I’m kind of in training.”
“Oh my God.”
He looks away. “There’s more. My dad has been working with your grandfather for a long time trying to stop Haemosu.” He swallows hard. “I was assigned to keep you safe.”
“Are you saying you knew about this the whole time? From the very beginning?”
“Just that I needed to protect you. I had no idea about anything else until you told me. And then after what happened at your locker, the Guardians filled me in. They also took my new sight as a sign. A sign that I was supposed to watch out for you. That I was meant to be a Guardian.”
“I don’t need protecting,” I remind him.
“After the incident at the museum, my dad filled me in on their side of things. Since I can, you know, see the Others, the council thinks I’m even more valuable.”
I draw my knees to my chest and wrap my arms around my legs. It all makes sense now. How Marc was always there when Haemosu turned up. How he always seemed right in step with me.
I’d thought we had a connection, but I was really just a special assignment. “So that’s all this was between the two of us,” I say. “An assignment?”
His eyes grow wide, and I almost believe him when he says, “No! That’s not what I meant.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry about protecting me anymore,” I say. “I can take care of myself.”
“You have to believe me, Jae. And yeah, you’re right. You don’t need protecting. You can take care of yourself. I guess I want to help somehow, that’s all.” He tries to take my hand, but I pull away. “This has always been more than an assignment. From the first moment I saw you. Remember that night when you came to my house, and you asked me what I wanted in life? Yesterday when we were talking in the coffee shop, it all became clear. This is it. I want to be a Guardian. More than anything. I have all the skills, and now that I can see the creatures I only want it more.”
“I’m glad you’ve found your thing.” I know I sound bitter, but I can’t help myself.
Marc says, “Being a Guardian is like studying archaeology and myths. But instead of digging through dust and crumbling worlds, I’m digging up something real, alive. My work could make a difference in people’s lives. I could help save your life.”
I look into his eyes. I want to trust him because of everything he’s done for me. All those moments together. Every touch. It’s all meant more to me than I should’ve allowed myself to feel. I let my guard down, and now I’m paying the price.
But this isn’t the time to get emotional. “So what does all this orb stuff have to do with Haemosu?” I say, and look him hard in the eyes.
“Haemosu’s power has grown. The Guardians suspect Haemosu might have gotten an orb, which would grant him this additional power to materialize in our world so often. Or maybe he’s in league with another immortal. Or worse: both.”
We sit in silence, and I listen to the hum of the train flying over the tracks. Marc picks up the stack of cards and flips them through his hands. “Dad is away a lot for late-night meetings at the university. He says the spirit forces have divided Korea in half, and until things are made right, the country will only continue to fall apart.”
“He thinks North and South Korea are divided because of things in the Spirit World?”
“I don’t know what to think,” he says. “But I get the feeling that Haemosu is one part of it. If we can solve this, maybe we can deal with the bigger picture later.”
I close my eyes. I can’t deal with the big picture right now. Everything seems out of place, and here I am making every bad decision in the book. Maybe there aren’t any good decisions.
I decide to check my phone, and see that Dad called. So he’s discovered I’m gone. Good. I turn off my phone and lean my head against the green vinyl seat, wishing I could shut out all my problems just like turning off my phone.
“What if leaving Korea is a bad idea?” I say. “How can I stop Haemosu if I just run away? What if there was a good choice, and I never saw it? Or what if there isn’t a good choice, and I can only choose the bad?”