Hotel del Luna

Chapter 11:Clemency

"So, why are we catching a dog spirit in a Porsche?"

The car they were using that day was green - the colour of the hunt, Nayeon had announced. She drove casually, as if trapping a mythological dog spirit was an everyday chore. "Haven't you ever done anything in style?"

"Only if I want to look really stupid." Y/N snapped, glancing at her side.

Y/N take a look at Nayeon's appearance, her denim belt is matching her jeans, with her lavender top that has been tucked.

It was the most relaxed that Y/N had ever seen the hotel owner, but even in such a casual state, Nayeon still managed to retain a certain elegance about her. Y/N badly wanted to smack her.

"What do you want for dinner?" Nayeon asked, jolting Y/N out of her reverie. "The sun will probably have set before we manage to kill this thing. I'm in the mood for crab..."

Y/N frowned at this claim. For the first time, her gaze drifted to Nayeon's sheathed katana, the pointed end stuck in the cup holder between them with the hilt leaning against her shoulder.

"Kill?" Y/N repeated.

Nayeon seemed to realise what she said, and her fingers tapped on the steering wheel.

Though her expression remained easy, her tone was a little more subdued as she said, "You wouldn't have come if I didn't say otherwise."

Y/N scowled, slouching into her chair. Of that, Nayeon was certainly right. Y/N would've much rather stayed back at the hotel for the express purpose of having Jeongyeon mix her a margarita, but she didn't say so either.

Sulkily, Y/N asked, "Why can't we just catch it?"

Nayeon shrugged. "Our customer claims this thing used to harass her while she was still alive. She's willing to pay a lot for the dog spirit's head and she won't pass on to the afterlife before we deal with it."

Y/N shot her a look. "So it is about money."

Nayeon lips pursed at the accusation, "My sake doesn't pay for itself."

Y/N, suddenly thinking of the woman from the train, snapped, "Maybe you should worry less about sake, and more about not offending another supernatural being?"

Nayeon blinked, looking at her for the first time, "What?"

Y/N blushed at her outburst and turned away. "Nothing."

Nayeon continued to give her a long searching gaze, but Y/N remained stubbornly staring out at the passing cityscape flashing by her window, and Nayeon's attention was soon forcefully diverted back onto the road.

They spent the rest of the car ride in a strange silence.

Eventually, Nayeon pulled over into a quiet street just off the main road. "We're here." she said, turning off the car.

Y/N took in the scenery with surprise. "This is Gangnam."

"I didn't ask you to come with me for the fun of it." said Nayeon, grabbing her katana before stepping out of the car.

Y/N followed her, slamming the car door, "You didn't ask me at all."

They walked along the road, passing by several glittering hostess clubs, many of them active even during the middle of the day. As they continued down the street, Y/N noticed how people looked at the katana hung over Nayeon's shoulder.

Nayeon either didn't notice the way people stared at her, or didn't care.

Curious, Y/N asked of her, "How come people can see you?"

She watched as Nayeon gave her a side eye, "I'm not dead, remember?" she replied dryly, "Just not alive. And before you say anything, there's a difference."

Y/N narrowed her eyes at this, and Nayeon sighed, "I exist between the boundary, so I can choose whether or not people can see me. God spirits like the dog spirits are the same. That's also why we can walk around during the day."

"What's so bad about the daytime?" Y/N pressed.

"Ghosts become weaker under the sun," Nayeon replied placidly, before stopping and looking around. "How do we get to Plaza from here?"

"Why?"

"What do you think?" Nayeon shot back.

Y/N scowled, but pushed her into a left side street and in the right direction, "Will it really be there?"

"We'll find out." said Nayeon calmly.

Y/N rolled her eyes. After a moment, she thought to ask, "What does this  dog spirit look like, anyway?"

Nayeon gave the question some thought. "Imagine a giant dog with fangs, about twenty times uglier than a normal dog," she described. "You must know what that feels like."

Y/N flicked Nayeon's ear causing her to hissed.

"For fucks sake," Nayeon complained, rubbing her ear that was now slightly red, "It was a joke, you damn idiot."

Y/N gave her a dirty look, "I hope it eats you."

"Like hell it will," scoffed Nayeon, tapping her Katana in her shoulder, "You think this thing is just for show?"

Y/N glanced at the blade, feeling strangely guilty at the sight of it, "Do we really have to kill it?"

Nayeon gave Y/N a sigh, "If it bothers you that much, just think of it as an act of mercy."

Y/N's nose scrunched, "What does that mean?"

"Do you know how this kind of dog spirit is born?"

Y/N frowned. "Mom said that they are the spirits of dogs that have died."

"Dogs that died with a grudge," Nayeon corrected. "And animals hold onto those for a long time." she paused briefly. "Just like humans.”

Y/N looked at her curiously, and Nayeon added, “We'd be putting this one out of its misery, which is more than a lot of people get."

Nayeon's tone struck Y/N as odd, but before Y/N could comment, a faint, rumbling roar sounded from the distance.

Y/N glanced at Nayeon, "How giant did you say this thing was?"

Nayeon's face was grim, "Giant."

And they walked faster.