Living Dangerously with a 999-Year-Old Gumiho – Chapter 1

The delicious smell of iron pierced through the air, and to Yoonhwa’s sensitive ears, the sound of her teeth tearing through flesh resonated like thunder in the village.

Warm red liquid dripped between her fingers, and she shuddered at its sticky texture.

Before Yoonhwa lay the torn corpse of him.

Once lively features were now twisted in fear, and the wide-open eyes stared blankly at the sky.

Yoonhwa couldn’t look directly into those eyes.

Her mouth still housed chewed remnants of flesh.

The taste was disgustingly sweet yet bitter.

Yoonhwa hated a part of herself that was enjoying that taste.

“Please… stop…”

Yoonhwa muttered, but her body moved as if possessing a will of its own.

Her trembling hand reached out towards the corpse, and her mouth opened like a starving beast.

Tears rolled down her cheeks.

Those tears flowed over her blood-stained face, leaving pink streaks behind.

“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry…”

Yoonhwa sobbed.

Her heart felt like it would tear apart from the pain.

Suddenly, Yoonhwa woke up gasping for breath.

Sticky cold sweat drenched her body.

It felt like that horrific taste still lingered in her mouth.

Yoonhwa touched her lips with trembling hands.

There was no blood. But that sensation, that smell, that taste was all too vivid.

“It’s a nightmare… I need to forget everything— I’m sorry…”

She told herself, but couldn’t be sure if those words were true.

Under the fiercely blowing wind and faint moonlight, there was a woman with nine tails and ears.

Her name was Yoonhwa.

Yoonhwa’s eyes sparkled brighter than starlight, and her skin was whiter than moonlight.

Yoonhwa was perfectly beautiful.

There is a legend that if a Fox Demon possesses a Fox Orb for 1,000 years, they can use the true power of the Fox Orb.

She was a 999-year-old Fox Demon who had yet to become a Nine-Tailed Fox.

Yoonhwa was on the brink of her final year before transforming into a Nine-Tailed Fox.

However, Yoonhwa had a lot of homework to complete before becoming a Nine-Tailed Fox.

Yoonhwa believed she had to master her magic perfectly.

Even before becoming a Nine-Tailed Fox, she became a powerful demon through her incredible magic.

After 1,000 years, being weak was the oddity.

She could not only charm a person but also transform into any animal she desired or inflict death with a single spell, providing a dangerous edge to her powers.

Handling such magic clumsily could harm other creatures.

Yoonhwa was truly fearful of this.

And, she had to protect her Fox Orb.

The Fox Orb held immense power after 999 years, capable of fulfilling its owner’s wishes.

However, the Fox Orb could only be used by a 1,000-year-old Nine-Tailed Fox.

So, Yoonhwa could not use the Fox Orb yet.

But if the Fox Orb fell into the hands of other evil creatures or demons, it could devour wicked hearts and lure its owner into inflicting tremendous disasters upon the world.

Thus, Yoonhwa treasured the Fox Orb more than anything, even though she couldn’t use it.

This Fox Orb was the size of a candy.

The Fox Orb had a special function, allowing it to be absorbed by sucking on it.

Once sucked, it could be given power and exhaled back out again.

Using this method, Yoonhwa was able to keep the Fox Orb safe.

She cast magic on a small abandoned hut beyond human dwellings, making it livable enough, and then trained her heart and body in that hut alone.

She learned to control her magic to some extent, hiding her tails and ears and taking on human form.

“Wow! Finally, I can become a perfect human!”

Yoonhwa’s heart raced with joy and excitement.

“I’m going to the village… to eat delicious food!”

Her pounding heart hastened her steps.

Yoonhwa had survived on herbs in the forest for seven years.

The only time she could nibble on human food was when careless humans dropped their snacks while strolling through the woods.

Yoonhwa loved fruits and small berries, but the various dishes brought by humans ignited her curiosity about what kind of place the village was.

And Yoonhwa loved music very much.

The fruits she adored continued to grow in the forest, but every time humans came, the thought of her form scaring them made Yoonhwa hide in her hut, using magic, and remain silent.

Finally, thinking about all the tasty fruits, berries, and curious foods she could eat made Yoonhwa suddenly feel hungry.

Right now, she wanted to go to the village.

“But… there’s so much left to do…”

Yoonhwa was still unfamiliar with her abilities and carried a fear regarding them.

The incident from 300 years ago haunted her.

But with her hunger and curiosity igniting, she resolved to sneak into the village tonight under the cover of darkness.

“If it’s at night, it should be okay… I’ve been training hard, right?”

So, Yoonhwa waited eagerly for nightfall, gradually adapting to her human form until the time came.

.

As the sun disappeared and the moon arose on that dark night, Yoonhwa released the magic that had protected her lovely hut for about three years.

The hut changed back to the same miserable state as when she first saw it.

“You’ve had a tough time too… Thank you!”

“I’ll come back later!”

Yoonhwa left the hut behind and entered the forest.

She walked and walked, but saw no sign of the village.

Lost in thought, Yoonhwa suddenly wondered.

“Which direction do I go to reach the village?!”

That’s right. Yoonhwa had no idea which way the village was.

She just trained her heart and body and wasn’t really bright.

So inevitably, Yoonhwa tried to retrace her steps back to the hut.

“Which way did I come from…???”

Yoonhwa had lost track of the path she had taken.

The silent forest grew darker, filled only with the sounds of animals and the whispering wind.

Just then, in the distance, she heard the sound of a cello playing.

Suddenly, the secluded forest was enveloped by the music.

“Music…?”

Yoonhwa still wasn’t prepared to meet humans, but being alone in this dark forest at night created even more anxiety.

She searched for the source of the beautiful sounds before the music halted.


Yoonhwa concealed herself behind the thicket, gathering her thoughts.

‘I should ask for directions after the performance…’

The performance was truly enchanting.

It seemed to awaken the stillness of the forest, like it was telling a tale to the beings within it.

The lovely performance concluded, accompanied by the forest’s rustling wind.

Yoonhwa checked her magic.

‘My tails are hidden well. And my ears too.’

’My clothes…!‘

Yoonhwa’s clothes were dirty with dust from her earlier ordeal.

‘Ugh… I need to clean them quickly…’

Yoonhwa used her magic to wash her clothes nicely.

As her clothes sparkled and transformed into new ones, the cellist spoke from the forest.

“Who is it…?”

Yoonhwa’s mind became complicated.

‘Oh no! I’m here…-‘


‘Ah— Hah, but I hid quickly and silently with my magic…??’

Yoonhwa calmed herself and prepared to greet whoever was there.

‘What should I say…?’

‘If they don’t like me, they might try to kill me…’

Yoonhwa stepped out cautiously. Under the moonlight, her silhouette shone with beauty like no other.

Hyun, who was looking at her, dropped the cello from his hands.

“Ah, ah— hello? I’m Yoonhwa…!”

This greeting was the result of Yoonhwa painstakingly organizing her thoughts in her head.

‘A greeting… an introduction…’

“I spoke kindly… Perfect!”

Hyun responded with a bewildered voice.

“Uh… hi? I’m Hyun, I guess?”

Yoonhwa felt something was off.

‘Huh…? Why is he so flustered?’

Yoonhwa wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.

“Hyun… is what you said?”

“Sorry for the abrupt request, but… can you play me another song…??”

Yoonhwa wanted to hear Hyun’s music once more.

“Y-y sure, why not?”

“I’ll play you my favorite song…”

Hyun picked up the cello he had dropped.

He closed his eyes and began playing beautiful notes.

‘How long has it been since I heard music!’

Yoonhwa felt overwhelmed with emotion.

As Hyun’s cello began, the music flowed through the trees.

The trees swaying in the forest felt like they were dancing along with the rhythm.

Yoonhwa listened to Hyun’s captivating and beautiful performance and thought.

‘I want to befriend this boy…’

Listening to the music, Yoonhwa felt certain that Hyun wasn’t a bad person.

Yoonhwa’s heart began to move with the music, bringing her comfort and confidence.

‘…I’m truly sorry…’

Thus, Yoonhwa relished the music while losing herself in memories.

When the performance ended, Hyun called out to Yoonhwa in a worried voice.

“Yoonhwa, are you okay…?!”

A tear slowly fell from one of Yoonhwa’s eyes, trickling down her cheek.

“Uh… oh? Did the performance end…?”

Hyun asked anxiously.

“W-was it something I did wrong…?”

Yoonhwa could recall brief moments of happiness while listening to Hyun’s music.

“Oh… no! I just blanked out for a bit…”

“This song is really nice…”

Yoonhwa praised Hyun while looking at him.

Hyun began to passionately explain about the song.

“Uh… thanks! You might already know, but this song is Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1! This piece gives off such joyful feelings both while playing and listening, it’s my favorite piece…”

Hyun was blabbering about the cello when he suddenly stopped.

“Ah… I’m sorry! I get so excited talking about the cello…”

“I tend to ramble. Annoying, right??”

Yoonhwa was attentively listening to Hyun.

“No! I enjoyed it! Haha—”

“I’m really thankful for getting to hear such a good song after a long time!”

Hyun smiled brightly as he spoke.

“Would you… if it’s alright— would you like to be friends…?”

Upon hearing those words, Yoonhwa answered without a hint of hesitation.

“Sure!”

Yoonhwa was overjoyed.

It was her first friend in 300 years.

“How old are you?”

Hyun asked Yoonhwa.

‘Ah— I shouldn’t say I’m 999 years old.’

‘How old should I say?’

‘Let’s just change the subject…’

Yoonhwa thought quickly.

“Ah! Right! Hyun, where is the village?”

Yoonhwa swiftly redirected the conversation faster than the wind.

Hyun asked in a bewildered tone.

“Aren’t you from the village?”

“Oh… now that you mention it, what are you doing in this dark forest at this hour?”

Yoonhwa’s heart raced.

She feared being discovered as not human but worked hard to think of an excuse.

“Uh… I got lost in the forest…!”

“Which direction should I go?”

Yoonhwa felt nervous she might get caught in a lie.

“I’m glad I met you! Let’s hurry back to the village!”

Fortunately, Hyun believed Yoonhwa’s words.

They walked in brief silence as Yoonhwa felt her nervousness mounting the closer they got to the village.

‘Can I really blend in among humans…?’

Suddenly, Hyun spoke.

“Ah! By the way, how old are you, Yoonhwa?”

Yoonhwa froze for a moment.

‘Oh no, not this question again…’

She quickly responded.

“Me? Hmm… I’m… 25 years old.”

Hyun’s eyes widened.

“Oh really? I’m 27.”

“We’re just two years apart!”

Yoonhwa let out a sigh of relief without realizing it.

‘Thank goodness… I think I said my age just right.’

Hyun suddenly brightened up.

“Wow, what a strange coincidence!”

“We’re both the same age and love music…”

“…I think we’re really suited for each other! – Am I being nosy?”

Yoonhwa smiled, but a sense of guilt began to grow in the corner of her heart.

‘There’s a 900-year age gap…’

“Indeed… it’s a truly strange coincidence.”

Yoonhwa answered as naturally as she could.

Hyun continued with the conversation.

“Since we’re the same age- we can be friends— right?!”

Yoonhwa was momentarily flustered.

“Oh, yeah… let’s do that.”

They kept walking while chatting.

Hyun passionately spoke about his music, and Yoonhwa listened intently.

Yoonhwa found herself increasingly drawn to Hyun.

His innocence and passion awoke feelings she had long forgotten.

But at the same time, her internal fears grew.

‘Is it right to keep deceiving such a good person…?’

As they got closer to the village, Yoonhwa’s heart became even more conflicted.

Unable to restrain her curiosity any longer, she asked.

“Hyun… why are you helping me…?”