Living Dangerously with a 999-Year-Old Gumiho – Chapter 10

Yoonhwa’s face started to redden more as she drank, and her speech began to slur a little.

“What… what is this? Why is my head…?”

“I feel so dizzy…?”

Seojin chuckled internally at Yoonhwa’s reaction but pretended to be indifferent on the outside.

“Maybe it’s because it’s too delicious, Yoonhwa. The food is just that good~”

As they continued to enjoy their meal, Yoonhwa’s behavior became even more peculiar.

Her face flared up, and her usual caution disappeared completely; she started throwing out bold and witty jokes.

“…Hyun-, when did you become this cool?”

“Was it just me who didn’t know?!”

Yoonhwa giggled at Hyun, her eyes sparkling.

Hyun felt flustered at Yoonhwa’s sudden change, but somehow he felt happy, wearing a surprised smile.

Seojin snickered at Yoonhwa’s state.

“Yoonhwa, you look so excited. It’s great~”

By the time the meal was coming to an end, Yoonhwa was increasingly under the influence of alcohol.

Her words became more scattered, and her laughter seemed endless.

Suddenly, she stood up and did a lap around the living room, exclaiming,

“This place is amazing!”

“Seojin’s house is like a magical castle!”

Hyun approached Seojin and Kangtae, his face serious as he quietly asked.

“Seojin, did something happen to Yoonhwa…?”

“Why is Yoonhwa acting strange?”

Seojin hesitated for a moment at Hyun’s question, exchanging glances with him.

Kangtae, trying to read the room, worked hard to hide his anxiety.

Hyun’s gaze sharpened.

He looked directly into Seojin’s eyes and asked again.

“…What’s wrong with Yoonhwa???”

“Yoonhwa smells like alcohol.”

“Wait, did I drink while I was asleep?!”

Seojin realized he couldn’t hide it any longer and lowered his head.

“Ah… sorry, Hyun…”

“It was me who made Yoonhwa drink—.”

Kangtae reluctantly added.

“Seojin mixed alcohol into Yoonhwa’s drink.”

“I tried to stop him, but… I’m really sorry.”

Hyun sighed, lost in thought for a moment, before accepting his friends’ apologies and calming himself down.

However, the unease he felt about what might happen with Yoonhwa didn’t easily dissipate.

‘Yoonhwa can’t be discovered as a nine-tailed fox…’

Under the influence of alcohol, Yoonhwa looked exuberant in the living room.

The cautious and shy demeanor of the nine-tailed fox was completely gone, replaced by a bold and carefree spirit.

“Hyun, I want to listen to some music!”

“Play the cello~”

Drunk Yoonhwa kept pestering Hyun to play the cello, wandering around the living room.

“Hyun~ Cello! Hurry~…”

Yoonhwa’s voice was filled with delight, making an adorable request.

Hyun could only worry about her state.

“Yoonhwa, there’s no cello here.”

“…You didn’t bring it.”

Hyun tried to gently calm her down, but Yoonhwa, lost in drunkenness, didn’t listen to his words.

In her intoxication, Yoonhwa held Hyun’s hand and insisted even more intensely.

“It’s okay, Hyun…”

“I can imagine the sound of your cello—.”

“Just a melody~ Or… just sing for me, Hyun!”

Seojin and Kangtae watched the situation with bewildered eyes.

Seeing Yoonhwa so fixated on Hyun, they didn’t know what to do.

Hyun tried to take Yoonhwa to the bedroom to soothe her.

“Yoonhwa, let’s calm down and rest for a bit.”

“You’re too excited, you’re drunk.”

But Yoonhwa, inebriated, rejected his suggestion and waved her hands.

At that moment, magic power erupted from Yoonhwa’s hand, creating a small spark on Hyun’s hand.

Hyun gripped his burned hand, enduring the pain, but Yoonhwa, unaware of her own actions, continued to demand a cello performance.

‘Ugh… I need to move Yoonhwa quickly…’

Seojin and Kangtae didn’t realize what Yoonhwa had done to Hyun’s hand; they simply thought Yoonhwa was too intoxicated to be in her right mind.

“Yoonhwa really seems weak with alcohol.”

“Just a little bit and she’s like this… ”

Hyun carefully tried to take Yoonhwa to the bedroom, making sure not to expose her fox identity.

“Yoonhwa, let’s head inside and rest.”

“Don’t get too excited…!”

Hyun tried to calm the drunken Yoonhwa while leading her to the bedroom, but she refused his suggestion.

Each time Hyun tried to support her, she retorted,

“I’m not going! I want to play more here!”

With that, she flailed her hands, pushing him away.

Kangtae looked at Hyun and Yoonhwa with a worried expression.

“Hyun, are you okay? Yoonhwa seems too worked up.”

Eventually, Yoonhwa accepted Hyun’s request, entering Seojin’s bedroom with him.

Hyun sat her on the bed and discreetly concealed his burn while trying to soothe her.

Seojin and Kangtae exchanged glances as they watched the two disappear into the room.

“Looks like Hyun is taking good care of Yoonhwa.”

“A nap should calm her down…”

Inside the bedroom, Hyun carefully laid Yoonhwa down on the bed.

Yoonhwa, still intoxicated, stared at Hyun, mumbling something.

“Hyun, you… are a good human…”

“I had so much fun today…”

Before Yoonhwa could finish her sentence, she slowly closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Hyun sat quietly next to her, listening to her peaceful breathing while worrying about his burn.

But the bigger concern was that Yoonhwa had carelessly used magic while drunk.

Hyun was anxious about whether Yoonhwa would accidentally reveal her true identity or harm others while using her magic.

“Yoonhwa, you might not know, but…”

“You can’t be showing this side of yourself…”

Hyun murmured softly.

Meanwhile, in the living room, Seojin and Kangtae exchanged looks with a hint of guilt.

“Did we go too far??”

“I didn’t realize Yoonhwa couldn’t handle alcohol like this…”

Seojin said cautiously.

Kangtae nodded.

“I should apologize too. To Hyun as well…”

The two waited for Hyun and Yoonhwa to come out, contemplating how to apologize.

As Yoonhwa slipped into slumber, her magic began to unravel.

In the quiet room, a soft light shimmered from Yoonhwa’s body, slowly revealing her ears and tail.

Her tail was fluffy and long, covered in soft fur, and it playfully swayed, resting on Hyun’s legs as he sat on the bed.

Her ears popped out cutely from the top of her head, still moving drunkenly even in her sleep.

Hyun found himself momentarily speechless, eyes glued to Yoonhwa’s tail and ears, his heart racing.

The moment the soft, warm tail brushed against his leg, he couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

He suddenly realized Yoonhwa’s tail was resting right on him and didn’t know how to react.

Hyun’s face began to blush, and he cautiously studied Yoonhwa’s tail.

His hands felt slightly shaky, but he tried to handle her tail quietly so as not to wake her.

Hyun gently caressed Yoonhwa’s tail, battling the awkwardness and embarrassment of the moment.

“I really didn’t expect to be in such a situation.”

Hyun thought to himself.

‘We’ve gotten this close already…’

Without even realizing it, he grazed Yoonhwa’s tail a few more times, only to feel embarrassed by his actions.

Hyun’s cheeks flushed as he wrestled between wanting to avoid waking Yoonhwa and the need to move her tail.

“This feels a bit… not right.”

Hyun silently muttered, carefully attempting to shift Yoonhwa’s tail off his lap.

He tried to return Yoonhwa’s tail to its original position without waking her, but the intoxicated Yoonhwa unknowingly moved her tail further toward him.

Carefully handling Yoonhwa’s tail, Hyun did his best to keep her from waking.

His touch was subtle and shaky, unsure of how to proceed in this situation.

Hyun caressed Yoonhwa’s tail gently, trying to ensure she could sleep peacefully.

In the end, Hyun carefully moved Yoonhwa’s tail beside her.

After shifting the tail, he quietly stepped back, trying to leave Yoonhwa’s side.

‘Friends can’t come in here…’

He thought, glancing at Yoonhwa’s tail and ears.

Realizing Seojin and Kangtae could enter the room at any moment made him anxious.

Hyun had to take action to ensure Yoonhwa’s tail and ears wouldn’t be discovered.

After a moment of contemplation, he decided to pull the blanket over Yoonhwa’s tail.

Gently drawing the blanket over her body, he made sure to keep the nine-tailed fox’s secret hidden.

Hyun took another look at Yoonhwa, wishing for her to remain safe and peacefully asleep.

Carefully, he opened the bedroom door and returned to the living room to face his friends.

Hyun’s face was filled with worry, and Seojin and Kangtae could guess something was off just from looking at him.

“Is Yoonhwa okay, Hyun…?”

Kangtae cautiously asked.

“Um, Yoonhwa is asleep. She seems tired from drinking.”

Hyun simply explained the situation, trying to reassure his friends not to worry about Yoonhwa.

Seojin and Kangtae exchanged glances, letting out sighs of relief.

They knew Hyun was taking care of Yoonhwa, so they felt relief at Hyun’s words.

Seojin spoke up with a calm expression.

“That’s good to hear. I’m really sorry, though…”

Hyun replied with a forced smile.

“Let’s apologize when Yoonhwa wakes up.”

“Now that she’s asleep…”

“It’s better not to go into the room to avoid waking her.”

Seojin noticed Hyun’s burned hand and gasped.

“Wait— Hyun, what happened to your hand?! When did this happen?!”

Kangtae also expressed concern.

“If you don’t treat it, it’ll leave a scar…”

Hyun panicked and lied.

“Oh… I think I might have burned it a bit while preparing for the performance!”

Seojin quickly got first aid supplies from the drawer.

Kangtae followed Seojin with a worried look.

“Hyun, sit down. I’ll take care of it.”

Seojin softly said, guiding Hyun to a chair at the dining table and carefully examining his hand.

First, Seojin gently took Hyun’s hand and cooled the burn with clean water.

“You need to cool the burn well with cold water.”

“Be careful not to let the burning area get worse.”

“Kangtae~ bring a towel—”

Kangtae fetched a towel from the kitchen and handed it to Seojin.

Seojin wrapped the wet towel around Hyun’s hand and said,

“This should help reduce the swelling.”

Once the swelling went down, Seojin dried off the water with the towel.

He gently applied antiseptic and said to Hyun,

“It might sting a bit, but bear with it. It’ll help prevent infection.”

After that, Seojin took out pain-relief and burn ointment, applying it to the burn carefully.

After applying the ointment, Seojin covered the burn with gauze and lightly wrapped it with a bandage.

Hyun was grateful for Seojin’s meticulous care, saying,

“Thanks, Seojin.. I don’t know what I would have done without you…”

The three of them spent time playing card games, just like before, to pass the time until Yoonhwa woke up.

Kangtae shuffled the cards and quietly called out.

“I’m going to win this time; are you all ready?”

Seojin crossed his arms in reply.

“Oh? I won’t go easy on you, Kangtae.”

Hyun pretended to ponder as he peered at his cards.

“It feels like my luck isn’t with me today.”

Kangtae laid down the first card, starting the game.

“Alright, the first card is this. Let’s see who wins.”

Seojin looked at the cards and teasingly said.

“This was too easy, Kangtae~ I have a higher card.”

Kangtae glanced at Hyun, challenging him.

“Hyun, what about you? Do you think you can win?”

Hyun couldn’t contain his smile as he showed his hand.

“I think this hand should be good enough?”

Seojin gasped as he looked at Hyun’s hand.

“Wow, Hyun, you’re really good. Kangtae, you’re in last place again~”

Kangtae wore a slightly disappointed face, alternating his gaze between Hyun and Seojin.

“Why is my luck so bad today?”

Seojin scoffed, saying, “It’s not just today; you’ve never beaten us!”

Hyun wished for Yoonhwa to recover quickly so they could all hang out together.

“I hope Yoonhwa gets better soon so she can join us.”

Seojin agreed.

“Yeah, it would have been more fun if Yoonhwa were here…”

Kangtae shuffled the cards again, resolutely declaring,

“I’m definitely going to win the next round. Get ready!”

And so, they immersed themselves in the card game until Yoonhwa returned.

Regardless of the outcome, the friends enjoyed the time spent together, each finding hope in their hearts for Yoonhwa to wake up soon.

As time passed and it neared six o’clock that evening, Yoonhwa finally woke up.

“What happened…?”

“I remember asking Hyun to play the cello, but…”

“What happened after that…?”

‘Wait..! My tail and ears are… out?!’

Yoonhwa panicked and quickly tucked them away with magic.

She emerged from the bedroom into the living room, still feeling the effects of her hangover.

‘Did Kangtae and Seojin see my tail and ears…?’

When Yoonhwa opened the bedroom door, her friends stopped their card game and turned to look at her.

Yoonhwa’s face was weary, as if the hangover was still weighing her down.

“Oh, Yoonhwa, are you okay?”

Hyun asked with a worried tone.

Yoonhwa replied in a fatigued voice.

“Um… I can’t really remember what happened…”

“But I feel fine now.”

Seojin stepped forward.

“Yoonhwa, I’m so sorry. We were really wrong…”

“I was the one who snuck alcohol into your drink, ….that’s why you got drunk.”

Kangtae also bowed his head in apology.

“I’m really sorry, Yoonhwa. It’s our fault…”

Yoonhwa couldn’t fully grasp what they were saying but nodded along.

“Mm-mm, it’s all okay~…”

“But… I’m hungry again.”

“I want… fruit! I’m craving it…”

Yoonhwa said with a smile.

Seojin scanned the area, saying,

“Oh, there’s not much to eat here… Sorry, Yoonhwa.”

“I’ll give you some money so you can buy what you want.”

Seojin pulled out some bills from his wallet and handed them to Yoonhwa.

Yoonhwa looked at her in surprise and reached out to thank her.

Kangtae smiled at Yoonhwa’s response.

“You really love fruit, huh?”

“Then I’ll bring some fresh fruit from my store next time.”

Yoonhwa brightened up, thanking Kangtae.

“Really? Thank you, Kangtae!”

Hyun was slightly worried about Yoonhwa going out alone, but he thought it was essential to give her the time she needed.

“…Yoonhwa, take care out there!”