Living Dangerously with a 999-Year-Old Gumiho – Chapter 12

Yoonhwa’s tail thrashed violently, bringing a tense energy into the air.

Yoonhwa’s eyes grew increasingly bloodshot, turning a soft pink.

In the gaze of the Nine-Tailed Fox, threats and a hint of menace were clearly evident; the Yoonhwa standing there was no longer the Yoonhwa people knew.

Yoonhwa’s ears twitched irritably.

“How can such humans understand me, I wonder?”

“They’re just frozen in fear, trembling like fools.”

Yoonhwa approached Hyun, continuing with a mocking tone.

“How can beings like you stand in the same space as one like me?”

“Even after seeing my true nature, you would still say you’d stay by my side?”

“How ridiculous.”

Seojin and Kangtae were astonished by Yoonhwa’s explosive transformation, backing away in shock.

The two could only watch, speechless, waiting for her next move.

Hyun couldn’t even intervene with Yoonhwa like this.

Within Yoonhwa, chaos and confusion intertwined.

She couldn’t comprehend what was happening, why she was acting this way.

“What the hell am I doing?!”

“Why am I acting like this?!”

“This isn’t really me…”

But Yoonhwa’s behavior grew more aggressive, and her voice rang out colder and more menacing.

Before Seojin and Kangtae, her nine tails revealed themselves.

Her ears popped out, threatening the humans.

Yoonhwa’s tail swung violently, whipping tension through the air.

In the gaze of the Nine-Tailed Fox, threats and a hint of menace were clearly evident; the Yoonhwa standing there was no longer the Yoonhwa people knew.

Yoonhwa’s ears twitched irritably.

“How can such humans understand me, I wonder?”

“They’re just frozen in fear, trembling like fools.”

Yoonhwa approached Hyun, continuing with a mocking tone.

Her voice grew colder and more threatening.

As Yoonhwa’s irritation peaked, her magic began to activate unconsciously.

Suddenly, the dishes on the table floated into the air, scattering chaotically as they flew around.

Seojin, Kangtae, and Hyun felt even more fear at the sight, frozen in place, unable to speak.

Yoonhwa’s voice was almost mockingly cruel.

“You’re just pathetic humans.”

“In my presence, you’re nothing.”

“G… Nine-Tailed Fox…?”

Seojin whispered, her voice trembling with anxiety and fear.

Kangtae couldn’t utter a word.

His eyes were locked on Yoonhwa’s tail and ears, his heart a whirlwind of confusion.

“What in the world…”

When Yoonhwa’s hunger reached its peak, she could no longer hold back and shouted.

“I’m hungry… there’s nothing to eat here!”

Yoonhwa’s voice reverberated with hunger and rage.

Her gaze flickered unsteadily, an intense craving taking over her.

“If there’s no food, one of you pathetic humans will have to become my meal..!!”

Yoonhwa leaped toward Hyun, shouting threateningly.

As Yoonhwa’s hands grabbed Hyun’s neck, his face contorted in terror.

Fear poured heavily from Hyun’s eyes.

His voice trembled as he barely whispered.

“Yoonhwa… please… stop…”

His voice was weak and shaky, but Yoonhwa didn’t catch a word of it.

Yet, with a smirk of derision, Yoonhwa responded mockingly.

“Stop, you say? Your life is already in my hands.”

“Just a little harder and you’d collapse, right?”

Inside Yoonhwa, an unbearable pain and confusion crashed like waves.

“What is this?! Why am I doing this?!”

“Hyun… I’m sorry…!”

“This monster isn’t me…!!”

Yoonhwa clenched Hyun’s neck tighter.

“Please stop!!!”

As Yoonhwa’s grip tightened around Hyun’s neck, Seojin and Kangtae could hardly contain their horror. Their faces mirrored disbelief, and Kangtae cried out in a trembling voice.

“What the hell… Yoonhwa, what are you doing?!”

Seojin and Kangtae realized the seriousness of the situation and exchanged glances.

Kangtae shouted,

“Hurry… we have to do something!”

“Yoonhwa’s completely lost her mind!”

Seojin, flustered, looked around.

“What… what can we even do?”

“How can we calm her down??”

Yoonhwa cried out in despair.

“Please…!! Stop it—!!”

At that moment, something intense stirred within Yoonhwa.

Her true nature struggled to tame her violent actions.

Finally, Yoonhwa began to lose her grip, pulling away from Hyun’s neck.

Hyun gasped for breath as he looked at Yoonhwa, finally regaining some composure.

“Yoonhwa… you’re… this isn’t you.”

“You’re not… please, stop…”

Suddenly, Yoonhwa realized what she was about to do, and tears mixed with fear and guilt streamed down her face.

“Why am I crying?…”

Her voice trembled, growing weak.

Yoonhwa’s bloodshot eyes gradually returned to normal.

Her excited tails and ears settled peacefully.

Yoonhwa’s consciousness dimmed little by little.

As her vision darkened, the last thing she saw was Hyun’s worried face and Seojin and Kangtae’s shocked expressions.

“Cough—! Yoonhwa, are you okay? Yoonhwa!”

Hyun’s voice grew distant as Yoonhwa lost consciousness completely.

“I’m sorry…”

Her body lay helplessly on the floor, filled with tension around her.

Seojin and Kangtae were struck dumb in shock, and Hyun approached Yoonhwa, confirming she was breathing softly.

“She just fainted…”

Hyun looked down at the unconscious Yoonhwa, trying to support her carefully, but he lacked strength and could only shift her into a comfortable position.

The area was chaotic with spilled food and broken dishes.

Seojin and Kangtae sat dazed, too shocked to utter a word.

Hyun approached Seojin and Kangtae cautiously.

His expression was serious yet anxious.

Seojin cautiously asked Hyun.

“Yoonhwa… is a Nine-Tailed Fox…??? ”

Hyun began to narrate his first encounter with Yoonhwa cautiously to Seojin and Kangtae.

“I’ll tell you Yoonhwa’s story from now on…”

“The first time I met Yoonhwa was that day in the teahouse, the night before in the forest…”

“I was practicing my cello then.”

“The forest was a quiet and peaceful place to play.”

“Suddenly, Yoonhwa appeared from the grass.”

“At first, I thought she was just a person walking in the forest.”

Hyun’s face turned slightly red as he reminisced.

“…She was really beautiful…”

Seojin and Kangtae perked up, all ears, focused on Hyun’s story.

“Yoonhwa seemed to like my playing, asking me for one more song.”

“At that time, I had no clue she was a Nine-Tailed Fox.”

“I just thought she was a person who loved music.”

Hyun took a moment to collect himself before continuing.

“I found out Yoonhwa was a Nine-Tailed Fox when I saw her trying to fix the mess in our house.”

After a moment of contemplation, he continued.

“That night, when I came back with a blanket, Yoonhwa was sitting on the floor using magic.”

“Her tails and ears were exposed, and light was flashing all over the house.”

Seojin and Kangtae focused intently, listening to Hyun’s words.

“I was really surprised at first.”

“The Nine-Tailed Fox I knew harmed people… a bad monster.”

“But seeing Yoonhwa struggling to fix my house, I realized she had no ill intentions.”

“Yoonhwa just wanted to tidy things up.”

Hyun paused for a moment, taking a breath before continuing.

“I don’t quite remember what happened then…”

“The next day, I had a serious talk with Yoonhwa.”

“About why she came to the human world, why she wanted to be friends with me.”

“Yoonhwa wanted to hide her true nature, but I told her I wanted to remain friends with her despite knowing who she really was.”

Seojin appeared touched by Hyun’s words.

Kangtae listened with fascination as the story continued.

“So I decided to accept Yoonhwa.”

“Even if Yoonhwa is a Nine-Tailed Fox, the fact that she is our friend doesn’t change.”

“What matters is how we treat each other, not what we are…”

After hearing Hyun’s story, Seojin couldn’t contain her curiosity and began to pepper him with questions.

Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“Hyun, so are monsters really real?”

“Are there others like Yoonhwa?”

Seojin asked.

“I think there are other monsters too, including Yoonhwa. Yoonhwa will probably tell us more later.”

Kangtae said with interest.

“Hmm… That’s why Yoonhwa is said to be powerful.”

Seojin looked at Hyun with wide curious eyes and asked fearfully.

“But why did Yoonhwa suddenly become violent…?”

Hyun made a pondering face for a moment before slowly responding.

“Honestly, I’m not sure why Yoonhwa suddenly changed…”

Kangtae seemed to have a thought.

“They say the Nine-Tailed Fox eats people’s livers.”

“Isn’t Yoonhwa doing the same?”—

Hyun was startled by Kangtae’s words and quickly rebutted.

“No, that’s a misconception that spread among people. Yoonhwa said so herself.”

“Yoonhwa would never do something like that.”

Seojin spoke thoughtfully.

“Then why did she suddenly try to kill…?”

Kangtae tilted his head.

“Well… we can just ask Yoonhwa later.”

“I hope that when she wakes up, she goes back to being the original Yoonhwa.”

Kangtae was a bit anxious, waiting for Yoonhwa to wake up.

The three decided to wait for Yoonhwa to recover, determined to resolve all their doubts.

Soon, Yoonhwa’s eyelids began to flutter.

At first, it was a slight movement, but gradually it grew stronger, and her consciousness slowly returned.

With a thin groan, her eyes finally opened.

At first, her vision was blurry, but it gradually cleared up, revealing the shapes around her.

The floor was scattered with dishes, and broken plates created a mess.

Yoonhwa slowly lifted her head, glancing around.

When her gaze fell on Seojin, Kangtae, and Hyun, confusion and shock filled her eyes.

Yoonhwa attempted to rise but felt heavy and lethargic, leaning back against the floor.

Hyun approached Yoonhwa gently, speaking softly.

“Yoonhwa, you’re awake. Are you okay now?”

Like she realized something, tears welled in Yoonhwa’s eyes.

“What just happened… I remember everything…”

“Why… why did I do that?!…”

Yoonhwa’s voice trembled. At her words, the atmosphere in the room thickened with tension again. Hyun approached Yoonhwa, trying to reassure her.

“Yoonhwa, it’s okay. We’re here to understand whatever happened to you.”

“Calm down…”

But Yoonhwa couldn’t hear Hyun’s words, bursting into tears suddenly.

“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry for surprising you all.”

“I don’t even know why I acted like that.”

“I was… I was going to hurt Hyun…!”

Seojin and Kangtae exchanged worried glances, startled. Seojin cautiously asked.

“Yoonhwa, what exactly happened? How can we help…?”

Yoonhwa cried, seeming frightened as she spoke.

“I… I might go crazy if I eat a liver…”

“I couldn’t control my appetite…”

“I couldn’t control my body…”

“If it had been a fresher liver…”

“If it had been an uncooked liver…”

“You guys… might have really been in danger…!”

Her friends felt heartsick at Yoonhwa’s painful confession.

Yoonhwa was engulfed by sorrow and fear, reminiscent of how she felt 200 years ago.

Yoonhwa continued crying, speaking to the humans.

“I’m sorry… really… I’m sorry!!…”

Seojin urged her gently.

“Calm down… no one was hurt.”

“Hyun is okay now too.”

Kangtae added, his expression filled with concern.

“Just tell us what we can do to help. We’re your friends.”

Hyun comforted Yoonhwa, his voice soft.

“Yoonhwa, we all understand what you’ve been through.”

“You didn’t intend to do any of that.”

“We can only imagine how terrifying and confusing it must have been for you.”

Seojin chimed in.

“The important thing is that you’ve come back to your senses.”

“You’re not alone; we’re here for you.”