Living Dangerously with a 999-Year-Old Gumiho – Chapter 104

Hyun quickly walked to the yard to hang the laundry.

His heart was still racing, and the brief moment with Yoonhwa echoed deep within him.

While folding the laundry, he couldn’t help but picture Yoonhwa’s face.

As his hands gently handled the clothes, something flew into his line of sight and landed nearby.

It was the Poltergeist he had seen yesterday.

Hyun stared at the Poltergeist with wide eyes.

—

Seojin opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of cold juice.

She had been absorbed in something just moments ago and realized her throat was parched.

As she twisted the lid off the juice bottle, she looked forward to the refreshing sensation it would bring.

Just as Seojin brought the juice bottle to her lips to take a deep sip, she lost her grip, and the juice started pouring out.

Surprised, she hurriedly tried to catch the bottle, but it was already too late. The cold juice flowed down the front of her clothes, leaving a stain.

“Ah, no…”

She tried to wipe away the spilled juice with her hands, but the stain had already left a clear mark on her outfit.

Annoyed yet amused by the absurdity of the situation, Seojin let out a chuckle.

“Ah— this is an expensive outfit~…”

Shaking her head at the juice stained on her clothes, Seojin grabbed a few tissues and started trying to dab the stain, but the juice had already seeped into the fabric.

With a sigh, Seojin set the juice bottle down in the sink.

She then looked at her stained clothes and decided she needed to change.

Seojin tossed aside her pajamas and picked out a new outfit from the closet.

After temporarily placing her stained clothes on the desk, she made a quick decision.

After pulling out a fresh set of pajamas, Seojin headed to the bathroom with her stained clothes.

“I don’t have enough clothes to run the washing machine…”

“I guess I’ll just wash it by hand~.”

Stepping into the bathroom, she started filling the sink with water.

She added some laundry detergent to the lukewarm water and submerged the juice-stained clothes.

With gentle hands, she tried to carefully remove the juice stains.

Watching the stains slowly fade, Seojin let out a sigh of relief inwardly.

After rinsing the clothes several times in the water, she finally rinsed them thoroughly in cold water.

“Thank goodness, it seems like the stains are all gone…”

Seojin squeezed as much water out of the wet clothes as she could.

Holding the slightly dripping clothes, she left the bathroom.

Her steps toward the yard were light and lively.

Standing in the warmly sunlit yard, Seojin began hanging her wet clothes on the line.

As she hung the clothes, she happened to glance over at the neighbor’s house and spotted Hyun.

“Hyun—! Hi!!”

Despite Seojin’s shout, Hyun remained still as if he hadn’t heard her.

Seojin was momentarily startled by Hyun’s lack of response but thought maybe he didn’t hear her or was lost in deep thought.

She hesitated for a moment but then decided to call out to Hyun again, this time louder.

“Hyun! Hyun~!”

This time, her voice carried more clearly across the yard.

Hyun’s movements seemed unstable and odd.

He was wrapping the laundry line around his neck while untangling it, looking almost entranced.

Seeing Hyun’s increasingly strange behavior, Seojin instinctively sensed that something was wrong, far beyond just him not hearing her.

Her heart filled with worry.

She quickly hung her wet clothes on the line and ran towards Hyun.

Hyun’s actions were sudden.

He was hanging the laundry line from one tree to another, draping it around his neck in the process.

His movements were erratic and anxious.

Seojin rushed over, her breath caught in her throat.

An unbelievable scene unfolded before her eyes.

Seeing Hyun wrap the laundry line around his neck sent her heart into a panic.

“Hyun, what are you doing!? Stop!”

Her voice was desperate. But Hyun did not react to her cries at all.

His face was vacant, his gaze fixed on something far away.

It was as if only his body was present there.

Seojin finally reached Hyun’s side.

She hurriedly started to untangle the laundry line from around his neck.

Her hands trembled, but with firm determination, she completely freed him from the laundry line.

“Hyun— are you okay?? Look at me!”

Seojin turned Hyun’s face towards her and grasped his shoulders.

Her gaze was genuinely filled with concern for him.

As Hyun felt Seojin’s help freeing him from the laundry line, he finally started to regain his senses.

He took a deep breath and erupted in a cough. After a few coughs, he looked at Seojin.

Fear and relief were mixed in his eyes.

“Se… Seojin,”

“What… what just happened to me?..”

“Cough! ..A poltergeist… flew down from the sky… flapping its wings…”

“It landed right in front of me… cough-!”

“And choked me… trying to kill me…”

Hyun’s voice trembled, and his eyes reflected the deep fear of how real that experience had felt.

“If it weren’t for you…”

“I could have really died. Thank you, Seojin…”

His words were drenched in sincerity.

Hyun held Seojin’s hand tightly, expressing his gratitude.

His gaze conveyed profound meaning to Seojin.

Seojin listened deeply to Hyun’s story, contemplating.

“A Poltergeist…?”

She frowned in thought, then her expression lit up as if something came back to her.

“Oh, right..! I’ve heard of it in a book. It’s called Geunseonai…!! It’s a demon…”

After a brief moment of thought, she continued.

“I think we need to inform Yoonhwa about this.”

“Should we go inside and talk…?”

As Seojin and Hyun tied the laundry line back in place, they finished quickly and cautiously hung the wet clothes.

After wrapping up, the two exchanged glances and nodded before heading inside.

Yoonhwa jumped up in surprise as she heard the front door creak open.

Her face quickly flushed red.

Seeing Seojin and Hyun enter together surprised her momentarily.

Her gaze was filled with anxiety and curiosity, and she struggled to hide her embarrassment.

“Hmm..? Is it Seojin..??”

“Seojin, hey…?”

Yoonhwa’s voice was awkward and cautious.

Seeing Seojin and Hyun enter with such serious expressions piqued Yoonhwa’s curiosity, making her wonder if they had brought significant news.

Seojin looked at Yoonhwa and began speaking with a serious expression.

“Yoonhwa, Hyun just went through something really scary…”

“A Poltergeist, said to be a Geunseonai, flew around in the sky, threatening Hyun.”

“Something really terrible almost happened…”

Unease was clearly written on Hyun’s face as well.

He nodded and began explaining his experience to Yoonhwa, recounting what had happened.

“The Poltergeist appeared and tried to attack me…”

“If it weren’t for Seojin…”

“I might have been in big trouble.”

Seojin stood before Yoonhwa and Hyun, cautiously explaining about the Geunseonai.

“The Geunseonai is a demon from stories passed down in Jeju Island. It’s an extraordinarily evil spirit…”

“This demon targets those who are alone.”

“Because if someone tries to talk to or intervene with a person who has been possessed, the Geunseonai’s magic could be broken, so it only attacks those who are alone.”

Hyun listened to Seojin’s explanation, tilting his head in disbelief.

“Why would a Geunseonai be here instead of Jeju Island…?”

Yoonhwa frowned nervously and spoke.

“Maybe… it could have shown up because of my Fox Orb…”

“Because… there seem to be more demons craving my orb…”

Yoonhwa’s expression darkened in an instant. She stared at her hands, deep in thought.

“Because of me, Hyun has been put in danger again…”

Her voice trembled, and tears nearly welled in her eyes.

Hyun and Seojin hurried to console Yoonhwa with urgency.

Hyun placed his hand on Yoonhwa’s shoulder and looked sincerely into her eyes.

“Yoonhwa, you have nothing to feel sorry for.”

“The bad demons are entirely to blame…”

Seojin nodded in agreement and approached Yoonhwa.

“That’s right, Yoonhwa. You did nothing wrong.”

“With you around, Hyun will be safe~…”

As Hyun and Seojin tried to comfort Yoonhwa and create a soothing atmosphere, Seojin suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

“Oh no, I was boiling soup…!!”

“I really have to get back quickly…!”

Her voice sounded urgent yet tinged with laughter.

She briefly smiled and waved at Hyun and Yoonhwa.

“Yoonhwa, take care of Hyun~.”

“Nothing else should happen!”

“Look at him— he can hardly control himself~!”

Yoonhwa chuckled a little at Seojin’s concerned words.

She nodded in agreement next to Hyun.

“Okay, Seojin.”

“I’ll get along fine with Hyun. So don’t worry too much…”

Seeing Yoonhwa and Hyun, Seojin felt relief wash over her.

She smiled brightly at them one last time and waved.

“Well then, I’ll go first!”

“You two… be careful~”

After saying her final goodbye, she hurriedly headed home.

Hyun and Yoonhwa stood facing each other, pausing for a moment. After Seojin left, a sudden silence enveloped them.

The atmosphere in the house lost its tension, leaving only awkward stillness behind.

Hyun scratched the back of his neck and awkwardly smiled.

“I— I’m okay. Don’t worry~…”

Yoonhwa nodded but didn’t say anything.

Her cheeks were still flushed, and her gaze wandered across the patterns on the floor.

“…”

Silence filled the space.

Hyun glanced at Yoonhwa’s rosy cheeks, pondering something to himself.

Yoonhwa’s face remained etched in his mind.

Yoonhwa also stole a glimpse at Hyun, but as soon as their eyes met, she quickly looked away.

Her heart could not suppress its rapid beating.

“Yoonhwa…”

Hyun cautiously opened his mouth.

“D- Do you want something to drink…?”

Yoonhwa hesitated for a moment but nodded softly.

“Yeah, th- thanks for asking…”

Hyun headed to the kitchen, and even after he disappeared, Yoonhwa remained sitting in her spot.

Her heart continued to race.

Hyun suggested something for Yoonhwa to drink and made his way to the kitchen.

Without a blender, he decided to make tomato juice.

He took the tomatoes out and carefully washed them. As he chopped the tomatoes, he found a bit of focus.

He filled a bowl with the finely chopped tomatoes, adding salt and a little sugar to adjust the flavor.

Then, with his clean hands, he carefully mashed the tomatoes to create the juice.

This process took some time for him, but his desire to offer Yoonhwa something drove him.

Waiting in the living room, Yoonhwa felt a rush of tension listening to the sounds from the kitchen.

Her heart was pounding like a drum, and it felt like the sound echoed throughout the quiet room.

As Hyun prepared something in the kitchen, Yoonhwa sensed her fingertips growing cold with anxiety.

Every sound coming from the kitchen heightened her tension.

Worried that her racing heart might be noticed by Hyun, Yoonhwa took a few deep breaths to calm herself.

‘Why is it racing so much…!’

She pressed her palm against her chest lightly and glanced out the window, but the flutter in her heart wouldn’t settle.

Once the tomato juice was ready, Hyun felt a sense of pride but also a hint of worry.

‘Is this… going to taste good…?’

He poured the tomato juice into two cups, carried one of them, and returned to the living room.

Seeing Hyun enter with the cup made Yoonhwa loosen up a bit from her previously tense stance.

Hyun extended the cup towards Yoonhwa, wearing a sheepish smile, and said,

“This, uh… this is tomato juice.”

“I can’t guarantee the taste..!”

“If it’s weird, let me know…”

Yoonhwa, feeling Hyun’s effort, smiled as she took the cup with her slightly trembling hand.

While her hand trembled a bit, she was touched by Hyun’s effort and brought the tomato juice to her lips.

At first, she took a careful sip, but her eyes widened in surprise at the refreshingly sweet flavor, causing her to instinctively shout.

“It’s delicious!!”

Hyun was startled by Yoonhwa’s sudden exclamation.

His surprise shifted into laughter moments later as an awkward smile broke out.

“Really? I’m glad… I wasn’t confident about it..!”

Hyun’s voice was filled with relief and joy.

Blushing from her own big reaction, Yoonhwa became flustered.

“Oh uh… yeah— it’s tasty…!”

Her hands still firmly gripped the cup, and only after shouting did she realize her behavior.

Embarrassed, she lowered her head, but a satisfied smile danced on her lips.

Hyun found her flustered reaction to be adorable.

He tried to suppress his laughter, but her honest reaction made it difficult to stop smiling.

The previous awkwardness faded away, replaced by a comfortable and warm atmosphere.