The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim (ebook reader with highlighter .txt) 📕

He turns to me and shakes his head. “I made a decision yesterday that I’d find justice for my mom. If this is how I have to do it, then so be it.” He exhales loudly and squeezes Boris to his chest.

“Are you sure?” I ask quietly. What if you don’t like what you hear?

He nods. “We’re doing this.”

Taeyo adjusts his bow tie. “Great news!”

A thought pops into my mind. “Have you ever tried finding your parents?” I ask Taeyo.

“Yes,” he says, then shakes his head sadly. “But you can’t find a gwisin who doesn’t want to be found. I like to think they both made it to the Spiritrealm. That way, maybe one day I’ll meet them again. Even if they wouldn’t technically be my parents anymore.”

I nod. The gifted believe that once you die and go to the Spiritrealm, you have the chance to be reborn into a new life. Some request to be reborn near their living loved ones, and they can even come back as a family member or close friend. They don’t remember anything from their past life, but at times a bond can be so strong that even without the memories the love is still there.

I wonder if my biological parents are somewhere in the Spiritrealm waiting to be reborn. Or perhaps they’re still here on Earth, waiting for someone to help them finish their unfinished business.

It’s like Taeyo’s read my mind. “We can try finding yours, too, Riley, if you like.”

I don’t nod, but I don’t disagree, either. I just swallow the lump in my throat. I’m not sure I could be as brave as Emmett. I couldn’t handle that kind of reunion right now.

“So how do we do this?” Emmett asks. “Please don’t tell me we have to go somewhere haunted and creepy.”

“No creepy haunted places,” Taeyo assures him. “We just have to find the best restaurant in town.”

“Huh?” I scowl. Is he wanting to grab a bite right now? This is not the time to be thinking about food.

“They’re called hungry ghosts for a reason. When you die and get stuck on Earth, you get confused. Your physical self is gone, but you stay hungry, as if you were still alive. That’s why they hang out at the best restaurants. Which must suck, to be honest, since they can’t actually eat anything. Anyhoo, that’s how you know where the food is the best. It’s way more accurate than Yelp or Foursquare.”

I’m impressed by Taeyo’s knowledge. He obviously did his research for the app.

“Well, that’s easy,” Emmett says. “Seoulful Tacos.”

I nod eagerly. “It’s a Korean-Mexican place run by a Tokki family. It’s our fave.” In fact, everyone in LA knows David Kim’s family restaurant is the best in town. Just the thought of their gimchi guacamole and bulgogi tacos makes me salivate.

Taeyo points to the new-and-improved Boris. “Great. Who wants to drive?”

I shake my head. “He’s too small for us all to…” I stop in mid-sentence. “Well, actually, I guess he is big enough for the three of us now, thanks to you.”

Emmett quickly jumps on Boris before either Taeyo or me. “I’m driving,” he says. He leans into the scooter’s ear and whispers, “Sorry for leaving you behind before. Nothing personal, but hey—you’re looking pretty good for an old dude.” The dragon’s tail wags happily.

I jump on behind Emmett, and Taeyo takes out his phone and raises it above us at a high angle.

“What are you doing, weirdo?” Emmett asks, looking sideways at him.

“I’m taking a selfie of us. I’ve never gone on a mission with friends before, and I don’t want to forget it.”

He’s so sincere it makes me laugh, and I’ll admit—it feels good. I lean in next to Taeyo and smile hard for the camera. “Gimcheese!”

Emmett glares at me. “Are you serious? You guys are losers.”

Taeyo and I pull him into the shot and Emmett groans. “Okay, fiiine,” he relents. “But make sure you don’t get my bad side, or else I’ll hurt you. My nails are sharp. Just saying.”

WHEN WE WALK IN THE DOOR of Seoulful Tacos, the waft of smoky barbecued jackfruit and fresh gimchi salsa has me drooling. It smells so good in here, and I can’t believe how famished I am.

Taeyo grins as he looks around the restaurant. “Whoa, there’s loads of people in here. It’s going to be a hotbed for gwisin!”

“If you say so,” Emmett mumbles.

I’ve been here a million times before, but today I look around nervously as if I’m entering the place for the first time. Thankfully, I only see tables of live humans eating and ordering food. Phew.

We grab a booth by the window, and David Kim scurries over to give us menus. “Hey, Riley, nice to see you,” he says.

His cheeks are a little ruddy, as per usual, and when he smiles, his eyes disappear into his plump face. He’s wearing his Gi around his wrist, so his initiation ceremony must have been successful. I’m genuinely happy for him. He deserves it.

“Can I get some gimchi guac and corn chips to start, please?” I don’t even need to look at the menu.

“And a bulgogi taco for me, thanks, with extra gochujang hot sauce,” Emmett says. He looks over at Taeyo, who’s going cross-eyed at the size of the menu. “Actually, make that two.”

Taeyo looks up, grateful for the intervention, and Emmett takes his menu from him. “Trust me. You won’t be disappointed.”

David hurries off into the kitchen, and Emmett turns to Taeyo.

“So how do we do this, Bow Tie? We just open the app and put out a message?” He glances around our booth and shivers. “Are the gwisin all around us right now? I’m not, like, sitting on one, am I?”

Taeyo takes out his phone and opens an app called Ghostr. “First, you need to create a profile.”

He hands the phone to Emmett, who starts typing.

“Name? Emmett Harrison. What I’m looking for? My mom, Sookhee Harrison,