Living Dangerously with a 999-Year-Old Gumiho – Chapter 115

As Yoonhwa stepped into the room, she was surprised by the warmth of the space.

The room was small, but it had everything she needed, and the warm-colored walls and floor created a cozy atmosphere.

There was a small window on one side, allowing her to peek at the natural scenery outside.

Beyond the window was the beautiful garden of the traditional Korean house, and sunlight poured in softly to illuminate the room.

Yoonhwa entered the room and looked around.

Her ears and tail twitched with curiosity and joy.

Everything in the room was new and fascinating to her.

The sunlight streaming through the small window, the soft ondol floor, and even the humble painting hung on the wall seemed to welcome her.

“You’ll be spending a lot of time here, fox. Does it feel comfortable?”

Grandfather asked warmly.

Yoonhwa smiled and nodded.

“Yes, I love it here. It’s warm and cozy. Thank you!”

Her voice was filled with gratitude and joy.

Seeing Yoonhwa’s happiness, Grandfather wore a satisfied smile.

He then walked over to the small fireplace located at one side of the house.

He raised his hand for a moment and waved his cane, and in an instant, warm flames began to rise from the fireplace.

This magical trick made the room even warmer and brighter.

Yoonhwa marveled at the warm flames springing from the fireplace.

“Wow, that’s really amazing! It makes the floor warm too!”

Her eyes sparkled with excitement and joy at the sight of the flames.

As Grandfather’s magic made the atmosphere cozier, Yoonhwa’s expression turned thoughtful for a moment.

She carefully asked Grandfather about Tori.

“Grandfather, can I go knock on Tori’s door and see him?”

“I think it might have been too much earlier…”

Hearing Yoonhwa’s sincere suggestion, Grandfather nodded and gave her an encouraging smile.

“Yes, fox. Give it another try.”

Taking Grandfather’s advice to heart, Yoonhwa cautiously approached Tori’s room.

She hesitated at the door for a moment, then softly knocked and asked.

“Tori… hey, can I come in?”

“It was just a joke—sorry~…”

But Tori’s voice from inside was still filled with fear.

“Don’t! Don’t come in, you—bad fox!”

Yoonhwa stood there briefly, halted by Tori’s terrified voice.

She realized that Tori was scared of her but tried to understand his feelings.

Just then, Grandfather approached Yoonhwa.

Still smiling, he comforted her.

“Don’t worry. He’ll feel better soon.”

Then Grandfather offered Yoonhwa some advice.

“Tori will come out for dinner later.”

“How about we talk again then?”

Yoonhwa felt a sense of relief at Grandfather’s warm words.

She nodded her head, expressing her gratitude.

“Yes, Grandfather. I will wait until then!”

Hoping that Tori would forgive her and open his heart, she quietly left the room.

Grandfather kindly gestured to Yoonhwa.

“Come, let’s go to the garden together.”

“How about we water the flowers?”

Yoonhwa nodded, intrigued, and followed Grandfather to the garden.

The garden was filled with flowers of various colors, with warm sunlight resting upon them.

Grandfather stood in the middle of the garden and cautiously said to Yoonhwa.

“Now it’s time to use your magic.”

“But be careful. The power you have is strong, so don’t give the flowers too much water.”

“Just create one droplet.”

Yoonhwa took Grandfather’s words seriously and began to focus her inner strength to use her magic.

She started to gently form a small water droplet, glowing at her fingertips.

But with her beginner’s control, a little too much water began to gather, and the droplet was about to fall on the flowers.

Grandfather, watching closely as Yoonhwa created the droplet, noticed it getting too large and acted quickly.

He waved his cane, dispersing the droplets Yoonhwa had created away.

With his swift action, the droplets scattered and disappeared far away, causing no harm to the flowers.

Surprised by Grandfather’s skillful handling, Yoonhwa felt relieved that her droplet hadn’t fallen on the flowers.

Grandfather, watching Yoonhwa’s attempts, continued to offer advice patiently.

“Fox, let’s focus a bit more.”

“You need to create just one droplet.”

Yoonhwa calmed her heart with Grandfather’s encouragement and tried again.

She closed her eyes, took deep breaths, and tried to feel the harmony between her inner power and nature.

Light began to gather at her fingertips again, and a droplet began to form within that light.

However, every time she tried to form a droplet, it either became a bit too big or formed irregularly.

Once, twice, and three times, but each time she couldn’t achieve the precision she desired.

On the fourth and fifth tries, the similar situation repeated, and Yoonhwa began to feel increasingly frustrated.

Even on the sixth and seventh attempts, still, the droplet couldn’t be controlled as she wished.

Seeing Yoonhwa continuously fail, Grandfather decided to encourage her in a new way. He led Yoonhwa to the middle of the lawn.

“Fox, let’s try this on the wide grass instead of the flowers.”

Grandfather suggested to Yoonhwa.

Looking into Yoonhwa’s eyes, he spoke in a more serious tone.

“If you don’t succeed today, there might not be any dinner.”

There was a sense of determination in Grandfather’s words, and his gaze seemed a bit stricter than usual.

Yoonhwa felt a jolt of tension at Grandfather’s words.

With previous failures, she felt slightly disappointed, but Grandfather’s words provided her with a greater motivation.

Without saying another word, Grandfather lightly tapped the ground with his cane.

Then, giving Yoonhwa one last look, he began to walk back toward the house.

There was a sense of resolution in his step, as if he were going to prepare the meal.

Realizing she was left alone, Yoonhwa stood in the middle of the lawn.

She felt a bit anxious at the thought that Grandfather might really not feed her.

But at the same time, she wanted to prove that she could accomplish something through her magic.

Remembering Grandfather’s words, Yoonhwa steeled her resolve and began to use her magic once more in the center of the lawn.

She raised her hands high and began to concentrate her inner power.

Light began to gather at her fingertips, and soon a small droplet began to form.

This time, she tried to focus even harder, but anxiety and tension hindered her control over the droplet.

At one point, the droplet she formed suddenly burst in the air, turning everything around her into a sea of water.

Yoonhwa gasped and stepped back, but it was already too late. Her clothes were completely soaked.

Taking a deep breath, Yoonhwa tried again.

This time she aimed to create a droplet smaller and more carefully.

However, despite her cautious attempts, she lost control again, resulting in a small flood that soaked part of the lawn.

Yoonhwa struggled to master her abilities while not giving up, continuing to try over and over.

She attempted to form the water slowly, but every time she faced various outcomes.

Sometimes her droplet was too small and disappeared, and other times it became too large, once again soaking her clothes.

As time passed, Yoonhwa grew more and more exhausted.

Her clothes were already completely drenched, and beads of water clung to her face.

But recalling Grandfather’s words, she knew she had to overcome this challenge for dinner.

Focusing at the center of the lawn, Yoonhwa poured all her energy into using her magic.

She desperately worked to succeed in creating a droplet but continued to face hardships.

Her clothes were completely wet, and water droplets had formed on her face.

Filled with confidence that she could do it, she also felt a bit of frustration creeping in.

Meanwhile, Tori, aware that it was time to water the flowers, cautiously stepped out of the room.

He had transformed back into his small, cute squirrel form.

His tiny eyes scanned the surroundings cautiously, and he moved carefully toward the garden.

Yoonhwa stood in the center of the lawn concentrating on creating her droplet.

Only the goal of achieving success lay before her, so she didn’t notice Tori coming out.

At the same time, Tori carefully emerged from the room.

He was again in squirrel form, making his way to water the flowers in the garden.

He held a watering can in his small hands.

Noticing that Yoonhwa was completely focused, Tori acted as quietly as possible to avoid drawing her attention.

He gently passed between the flowers, sprinkling water.

However, while Tori was watering the flowers, he suddenly caught Yoonhwa’s eye.

“..!!!”

Tori felt Yoonhwa’s gaze and was startled at that moment.

In surprise, he dropped the watering can he was holding.

The sudden attention from Yoonhwa made Tori freeze in shock.

His small body trembled, and his surprised eyes stared at Yoonhwa.

Then, instinctively, with a quivering voice, he called out to Grandfather.

“Grandfather…-!!!”

However, Grandfather was already busy preparing food in front of the house, so Tori’s small shout didn’t reach him.

Realizing he was left alone, Tori was overwhelmed with fear.

Seeing Tori’s frightened reaction, Yoonhwa felt a pang of guilt, thinking her actions might have scared him.

She carefully approached Tori.

Yoonhwa’s steps were soft and gentle, and she spoke in the softest tone to avoid startling him.

“T-Tori, it’s okay…! Don’t be afraid.”

Yoonhwa gently picked Tori up.

Her warm touch settled Tori, and he slowly realized he was safe.

Yoonhwa placed Tori in her wet palm and softly patted his little head.

Tori still felt uneasy despite Yoonhwa’s damp touch.

Tears began to well up in his little eyes, and he pleaded with her in a quivering voice.

“Don’t eat me… Please, I-I’m sorry…!”

His words were filled with deep fear and misunderstanding.

The fox was the squirrel’s predator, and to him, Yoonhwa was a threatening presence.

But Yoonhwa’s heart ached at Tori’s plea.

She had no desire to harm Tori; she actually wanted to be friends.

She tried to soothe Tori gently.

Feeling Tori’s little body tremble, Yoonhwa felt heavy-hearted.

She did her best to calm his fears.

“I’m really sorry, Tori…”

“I wasn’t trying to eat you.”

“I want to be your friend. I’m sorry for playing around…”

Touched by Yoonhwa’s warm voice and sincere apology, Tori began to lower the wall around his heart bit by bit.

His trembling gradually subsided, and the tears stopped.

On Yoonhwa’s palm, he was starting to find a sense of security.

After a moment, Tori began to feel safe.

Calming down while on her palm, his heart began to sway at her heartfelt apology.

In his small eyes, curiosity and interest began to shine. Responding to Yoonhwa’s gentle strokes, he relaxed a bit and took deep breaths.

Suddenly, Tori perked up and said to Yoonhwa in what sounded like a slightly annoyed voice.

“Hey, fox demon! Stop playing! You scared me!”

His voice mixed more with a hint of scolding than fear.

It was clear that Yoonhwa had caused quite a stir in his little heart.

At that moment, Tori hopped excitedly off Yoonhwa’s palm.

His little footsteps were quick and light, heading toward the flowers in the garden as if nothing had happened.

With a watering can back in hand, he shot Yoonhwa one last glance.

Yoonhwa was momentarily taken aback by Tori’s reaction but soon realized that his little eyes held more mischief than genuine anger.

In Tori’s playful glare, Yoonhwa felt warmth and relief, knowing that the little squirrel was beginning to open his heart.