Living Dangerously with a 999-Year-Old Gumiho – Chapter 118

Hyun cautiously followed Sohee, while Nomi joyfully looked around with wide, curious eyes.

Sometimes, she excitedly threw questions about the objects around them.

Hyun, Sohee, and Nomi matched their steps as they headed toward the mart.

Nomi’s steps were light and cheerful, while Sohee walked confidently toward their destination.

Hyun found it a bit challenging to keep up with their energetic pace.

After finally arriving at the mart, passing through the warm, sunny street, Hyun took a moment to catch his breath before opening the door.

Inside the mart, it was warm and quiet.

The three headed to the household goods section with a single shopping basket.

Hyun selected fruit juice for Nomi, while Sohee picked up a few essential household items and placed them in the basket.

After finishing their shopping, they headed to the checkout counter.

During the payment process, Sohee cautiously glanced toward the cigarette display behind the counter.

Hyun felt a weight in his heart as he saw Sohee looking at the cigarette display.

Sohee approached Hyun carefully at the counter and whispered the name of a cigarette to him.

“—Buy me one of those!”

Her voice was low and cautious, and Hyun looked around, hoping this situation wouldn’t look too awkward.

He requested a pack of cigarettes from the counter staff as casually as possible.

“Excuse me, could I get a pack of those cigarettes?”

His voice trembled a bit, but he tried hard to handle the situation as normally as he could.

Even though he was actually purchasing cigarettes, Hyun’s heart was still filled with discomfort.

Meanwhile, Nomi had discovered the snack aisle while exploring inside the mart, and her eyes sparkled.

While Sohee and Hyun were busy buying cigarettes, she came back holding several bags of snacks.

Nomi proudly showed the snacks she had chosen and said,

“Can’t you buy me these snacks too?”

Her face was full of anticipation, and her voice was brimming with joy.

Seeing the snacks Nomi brought, Hyun felt a little lighter in heart.

He felt that Nomi’s innocence and happiness helped him get through this awkward moment a bit easier.

With a smile, Hyun decided to buy Nomi the snacks.

“Of course!”

While Hyun was processing the payment, the cashier requested his ID.

“Could you show me your ID, please?”

Hyun was briefly taken aback by the request but quickly pulled out his ID from his wallet.

The cashier checked Hyun’s age and rang up the cigarettes.

At that moment, Sohee looked at Hyun playfully and said,

“You’re paying for it, right?”

Her voice was filled with laughter, and Hyun awkwardly chuckled at her comment.

“Yeah…”

Hyun responded begrudgingly, and after checking the prices of the cigarettes, Nomi’s snacks, and other items, he took out money from his wallet and handed it to the cashier.

Sohee watched Hyun buy the cigarettes, feeling somewhat satisfied, but her gaze remained playful.

Though he felt a bit burdened by it all, Hyun found it hard to resist Nomi’s happy demeanor and Sohee’s playful attitude.

After finishing the payment, Hyun left the mart carrying the bag of items.

Outside, Hyun, Sohee, and Nomi paused briefly in front of the mart.

Sohee’s face was clearly filled with excitement.

Without hesitation, she opened the bag Hyun was holding and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

Her movements were quick and determined.

As Hyun watched, a wave of concern surged from deep within him.

His gaze was filled with worry, but expressing it was not easy.

“Hey, Sohee, um… that’s really not a good choice…”

Hyun said carefully.

Sohee ignored Hyun’s cautious warning.

Instead, she playfully shot back with a grin,

“You sound just like Grandpa, always nagging!”

“Let me see your lighter.”

Her voice was cheerful, and her gaze remained playful.

Hyun was taken aback by Sohee’s bold demand and didn’t know how to respond.

“I… I don’t have a lighter…”

His voice mixed embarrassment and confusion.

Hyun had bought her cigarettes but had no experience with them, nor any reason to carry a lighter.

Nomi watched the whole situation with wide eyes, fascinated.

Her innocent gaze was full of curiosity about the world of adults.

Despite the tense conversation between Hyun and Sohee, Nomi seemed to enjoy this new experience.

Sohee expressed her dissatisfaction that Hyun didn’t have a lighter.

“What kind of adult doesn’t have a lighter??”

Her tone sounded a bit annoyed.

Sohee was determined to smoke, feeling frustrated that Hyun was ruining her plans.

Eventually, she snatched the bag of items from Hyun’s hands, declaring that she’d carry it.

“I’ll hold this. You go get a lighter.”

Her voice had a commanding tone, causing Hyun to reluctantly walk back into the mart to buy one.

Hyun re-entered the mart and grabbed a lighter.

His heart felt heavy and complicated.

He felt a deep responsibility, thinking that buying cigarettes and a lighter could negatively affect the underage Sohee.

But caught between Sohee’s determined attitude and Nomi’s innocent expectations, Hyun struggled with what decision to make.

Choosing a lighter, he approached the cashier to purchase it.

Afterward, he walked out to where Sohee and Nomi were waiting.

As soon as Sohee saw him return, she snatched the lighter and handed the bag back to Hyun.

Sohee excitedly pulled out a cigarette from the pack and tried to light it with the lighter.

At that moment, Hyun quickly stopped her, mindful of the people around them.

“Y-You can’t here—there are a lot of people around… Let’s wait until we get home.”

Hyun’s voice carried a hint of urgency.

He worried about the stares they would get if a minor smoked in public.

Finally, convinced by Hyun’s reasoning, Sohee reluctantly took the cigarette out of her mouth and they started heading home again.

—

After getting back home, Hyun, exhausted and feeling weighed down, flopped onto the sofa.

Meanwhile, Sohee and Nomi walked into the house still in a lively mood.

Sohee couldn’t hide her excited expression as she looked at the pack of cigarettes in her hand.

Nomi looked around with curious eyes, watching Sohee.

Hyun lay back on the sofa, closing his eyes briefly to rest.

The series of events from earlier swirled around in his mind.

Checking the clock, it was 2 PM.

Sohee felt a bit guilty seeing Hyun like that.

She walked over and spoke to him.

“You don’t have to worry too much about me…”

“I think I have better stamina than you?”

Sohee’s playful comment made Hyun chuckle a bit.

As she watched him, she carefully picked up a cigarette and tried to light it with the lighter.

Her movements were cautious, and there was a spark of challenge in her gaze.

But once again, Hyun stopped Sohee.

“You can’t do that here, Sohee!”

“If you smoke inside, the smell will cling to your clothes and the room.”

Hyun’s voice mixed concern and pleading.

Sohee hesitated, listening to Hyun’s words.

Her gaze showed signs of contemplation, but she soon regained her playful smile.

“I see, Grandpa probably said something like that too!”

“Can I smoke outside? In the yard—!”

Thinking about smoking in the yard seemed better to Hyun, so he nodded at Sohee’s request.

“If it’s in the yard… it should be okay. But still, be careful.”

With Hyun’s permission, Sohee dashed out of the house, looking as joyful as if she had won a victory.

Her face was brimming with excitement.

Meanwhile, Nomi briefly watched the conversation between Sohee and Hyun before turning on the TV and searching for cartoon channels.

Her eyes sparkled at the cool characters and exciting storylines on the screen.

She completely immersed herself in the cartoon, escaping into its world.

Hyun rose from the sofa for a moment, glancing out the window to the yard.

He saw Sohee carefully putting a cigarette in her mouth and lighting it.

Sohee stood outside in the yard, taking her first deep puff.

Her movements suggested this was not her first time.

As she slowly exhaled the smoke, she savored the taste for a moment.

But just as she was about to throw the cigarette butt on the ground, she hesitated.

Glancing around, Sohee felt that throwing the cigarette butt on the ground would be disrespectful to Hyun’s home and yard.

Instead, she held onto the cigarette butt and went back inside.

Hyun watched through the window, surprised by Sohee’s unexpected thoughtfulness.

Sohee entered the house and showed Hyun the extinguished cigarette butt, looking for the trash can.

Cautiously, she placed the butt into the trash, and Hyun smiled at her gesture, seemingly touched.

Hyun’s heart warmed by her unexpected consideration, he felt a new admiration for her maturity.

To create a more comfortable atmosphere, Sohee pulled out her pajamas from her bag and began to change.

In a playful voice, she said,

“Let’s have a great time for the next week!”

Hyun was momentarily taken aback by Sohee’s active demeanor but quickly accepted it and decided to respect her choice.

He hoped that Sohee would feel at home in this house and resolved to do his best to ensure she had a good time.

Sohee stood near the sofa where Hyun was sitting.

She held her pajamas in her hand.

With a light laugh, she stood in the middle of the living room and slowly took off her long, heavy outer coat.

As her coat fell to the floor, she continued without stopping, grabbing the hem of her long-sleeve T-shirt and lifting it up.

Hyun felt flustered by her sudden action.

His eyes widened, and he found himself speechless.

It wasn’t that changing clothes in itself was problematic, but as she tried to change right there in front of him, Hyun’s mind was a jumble of caution and embarrassment.

“Uh, uh… Sohee! Here—??…”

Hyun’s hesitant voice and startled expression made Sohee look at him, confused.

Her face was full of innocent curiosity, and she stared at him for a moment before nonchalantly saying,

“Huh? What’s the big deal? I’m in my underwear.”

Her tone was completely unbothered, as if her actions were entirely acceptable.

She pushed her long-sleeve T-shirt further up, starting to change casually.

Hyun froze momentarily at Sohee’s attitude and words.

His face turned beet red, and he scrambled for words, unsure of how to react.

Eventually, without thinking, he covered his face with both hands.

Sohee, seeing Hyun bowing his head with his face covered, teasingly said in a playful tone,

“Whoa, why are you overreacting??”

It seemed like she was enjoying Hyun’s embarrassment even more.

Sohee, not caring about Hyun’s reaction, quickly changed not only her top but also her bottoms for comfort.

Her demeanor radiated freedom and indifference.

Hyun remained flustered, still hiding his face and bowing his head.

He felt utterly confused about how to interpret her behavior.

After finishing changing, Sohee admired herself with a satisfied smile.

It looked like her chosen pajamas were comfortable and pleasing to her.

“Much better. Now I feel comfy!”

“Okay—I—I’m all dressed now… You can open your eyes!”

Only after confirming that Sohee had completely changed did Hyun slowly lower his hands.

He cautiously pulled his hands away and looked at Sohee.

Seeing her fully dressed in pajamas, he let out a sigh of relief.

Yet, Hyun felt a lingering heaviness in his heart.

He felt a sense of wariness towards Sohee’s active and carefree behavior.

“Sohee, you’re still underage…”

“If you keep this up, I might seriously get in trouble…”

Hyun’s voice was serious. His gaze was earnest as he tried to convey his feelings to Sohee.

He was deeply contemplating the various issues that could arise from Sohee being in the same space as him.

Sohee smiled mischievously upon seeing Hyun’s startled expression.

She donned her selected comfortable pajamas. The design was simple, yet the vibrant colors seemed to reflect her lively personality.

“Hey, was it that embarrassing?”

Sohee walked closer to Hyun, turning back and forth to show off her pajamas.

“How do you like my pajamas? Aren’t they pretty?”

She looked at him with a confident expression.

Hyun, feeling infected by Sohee’s cheerful energy, managed a brief smile.

But as his eyes caught something strange on the back of Sohee’s neck, he grew serious again.

Hyun cautiously pointed to the back of Sohee’s neck.

“Sohee, what’s that on the back of your neck?”