Living Dangerously with a 999-Year-Old Gumiho – Chapter 126

“Ugh… Get up quickly!”

A cute voice woke Yoonhwa from her sleep.

Her eyes slowly opened, and she surveyed her surroundings with a blurry gaze.

The room was filled with morning sunlight, and the warm light gently illuminated the space.

As Yoonhwa’s gaze swept around, she soon spotted the owner of that voice.

Little Tori was standing close to Yoonhwa’s bed.

Seeing Yoonhwa trying to get up slowly, Tori grew more impatient.

He lightly kicked Yoonhwa’s cheek with his tiny foot and shouted.

“Hurry up, Fox!! You totally overslept!”

Yoonhwa wanted to sleep a bit more.

As Tori’s small foot gently struck her cheek, she looked at him with half-open eyes.

Despite Tori’s angry expression, he was filled with cuteness.

His small physique and adorable expression made his anger incredibly endearing.

Feeling Tori’s kicks, Yoonhwa quickly grabbed his little body.

Her touch was soft yet determined, pushing Tori away from her cheek.

Taken aback by Yoonhwa’s unexpected reaction, Tori wobbled slightly, trying to regain his balance.

“Just a little… just a bit more…”

Yoonhwa whispered to Tori in a still groggy voice.

Her voice was filled with drowsiness, revealing her discontent at having her sweet sleep disturbed.

Before she could finish speaking, Yoonhwa pulled the thick blanket over herself completely.

In the blanket, she created a small fortress to isolate herself from the outside world.

The cozy blanket attempted to draw Yoonhwa back into the realm of dreams.

Meanwhile, Tori, seeing Yoonhwa hide under the blanket, grew angry.

His little face was a mix of displeasure and surprise, and his tiny gestures were filled with frustration.

“Hey! The Guardian is waiting, so we don’t have time for this?!”

He reached out to pull the blanket, but Yoonhwa had it wrapped so tightly that he had no way to budge it.

Tori hesitated for a moment, then started stamping his feet while shouting.

“Seriously! You’re so lazy like a fox!”

“The Guardian is preparing breakfast! What are you going to do if you’re late?!”

His voice echoed with worry and exasperation, and his tiny footsteps thudded on the floor as he expressed his anger.

But Yoonhwa sank deeper into the comfort of the blanket, simply letting out a small groan.

“Ugh…”

Tori’s words reached her ears, but the warmth of the blanket and the temptation of sleep held her captive.

Tori, seemingly weary of Yoonhwa’s relentless sleep, took a step back, and suddenly, his body glowed.

Boom!

Having completed his transformation, Tori now looked like a cute little boy wearing overalls.

However, even after transforming, a large squirrel tail remained behind him, enhancing his cuteness.

The tail was just about touching the ground and swayed gently with his movements.

With a determined expression, Tori grabbed a corner of the blanket that Yoonhwa had clutched.

And with all his might, he started pulling.

“Now really get up…!!”

He planted his feet on the ground, pouring all his strength into pulling the blanket.

Yet, with Yoonhwa’s weight combined with the blanket’s weight, it didn’t budge an inch against the strength of a child.

Tori was sweating profusely and struggling, but the blanket was as immovable as a rock.

Despite his efforts, the blanket showed no signs of moving, like a tree with deep roots.

Tori took a deep breath and once again yanked at the blanket.

But again, it didn’t budge.

Tori’s face flushed red, and his little hands trembled as he held onto the blanket.

As Tori stood there, red-faced and trembling while gripping the blanket, he suddenly froze.

His face bore a look of surrender, and with a deep sigh, he let go of the blanket.

His big squirrel tail drooped, reflecting his mood.

“Ugh… This isn’t working… -”

Tori murmured.

He seemed to make a decision and dashed out of the room, heading to where Grandfather was.

His tiny footsteps were hurried, but his heart felt heavy and somewhat sad.

As Tori entered the room where Grandfather awaited, his eyes welled up with tears at the sight of him.

Grandfather was preparing breakfast at the table, smiling and looking up at Tori as he entered.

“Tori, breakfast is ready.”

“Has the fox still not woken up?”

Grandfather asked gently.

Standing before the Guardian, Tori spoke with a quivering voice.

“Guardian… the fox… she won’t wake up…”

“I… I really tried hard to wake her up…”

“She just… she just keeps sleeping!!”

His voice grew smaller and tears rolled down his cheeks.

In an instant, Tori transformed back into a squirrel.

With quick little squirrel feet, he rushed to Grandfather and sat in front of the Guardian, looking up while wagging his tail.

His eyes sparkled with a mix of sadness and plea as he earnestly said to Grandfather.

“Guardian, please… the fox keeps sleeping and won’t get up…!”

“I… I’ve tried really hard, but it’s no use…”

“She’s a totally lazy fox!… Please wake her up, Guardian…”

At Tori’s heartfelt plea, Grandfather smiled and nodded.

His eyes sparkled with warmth, full of affection as he looked at Tori.

“Haha, why are you crying so much…?”

“I’ll go wake the fox myself.”

“You just eat your breakfast.”

Grandfather placed a small bowl filled with acorns in front of Tori.

The fragrant aroma of acorns wafted from the bowl, and Tori’s eyes sparkled with delight.

“Thank you, Guardian!”

Tori’s voice had stopped sobbing, replaced with a beaming smile.

As he picked up the acorns with his little hands and popped them into his mouth, his heart melted with Grandfather’s warm gesture.

Grandfather walked slowly toward Yoonhwa’s room with a gentle smile.

Arriving at the door, he paused for a moment, carefully grasped the handle, and gently opened the door.

The room was quiet, with the soft morning sunlight streaming in to brighten the space.

When Grandfather’s gaze fell to the floor, he spotted the bulging blanket.

It seemed Yoonhwa was deeply asleep under the blanket.

The blanket moved slightly with Yoonhwa’s breath, hinting at her presence.

At that moment, the tranquil room was filled with Yoonhwa’s steady breathing and the deep sound of her snoring.

Grandfather smiled at the sight of her peacefully sleeping.

He approached the blanket and quietly spoke.

“Fox, it’s breakfast time.”

“Now—wake up…”

Grandfather’s voice rang out softly and friendly, but Yoonhwa showed no response.

Only the sound of snoring echoed in the room.

Grandfather carefully pulled back the blanket.

Yoonhwa was peacefully asleep, her attire slightly disheveled during the night, so Grandfather gently adjusted her clothes as best as he could.

His movements were very delicate.

Grandfather softly shook Yoonhwa’s shoulder and tried to wake her again.

“Fox, it’s time to get up. Let’s eat breakfast.”

This time, his voice was a bit clearer and more assertive but still retained warmth and kindness.

As Grandfather looked at Yoonhwa’s peaceful face, he pondered for a moment with a troubled expression.

He reluctantly decided to try a different method.

He brought his hand to Yoonhwa’s ear and very carefully brushed her fox ears with the back of his hand.

While doing this, Grandfather was extremely cautious, minimizing any sensation Yoonhwa would feel.

For a fox demon, ears are a very sensitive area, so usually, it’s best to avoid touching them.

However, to wake Yoonhwa, Grandfather had no choice but to use her ears, and his touch was light and delicate enough that she could barely feel it.

Yoonhwa’s ears reacted to Grandfather’s gentle touches, subtly moving like leaves softly swaying in the wind.

Even just that slight sensation began to gradually awaken Yoonhwa from her deep slumber.

Her eyes slowly began to open, and she started to hazily recognize her surroundings.

When Yoonhwa fully opened her eyes and looked at Grandfather, he smiled apologetically and spoke.

“I’m sorry for touching your ears.”

“I just couldn’t wake you any other way.”

His voice remained warm and kind, filled with consideration for Yoonhwa.

Yoonhwa shook off her drowsiness and smiled lazily at Grandfather.

“Did I sleep well…?, Grandfather…?”

Her voice still seemed a bit sleepy, but there was a small smile at the corners of her mouth.

With Grandfather’s gentle manner and his kind words welcoming the morning, she felt the warmth she needed to start her day.

Grandfather gently told Yoonhwa to tidy up the room and come for breakfast, then exited the room.

His steps were light and leisurely, seeming to enjoy the peacefulness of the quiet morning.

Despite the small challenge he faced in waking Yoonhwa, a satisfied smile lingered on his face.

Upon returning to the table where breakfast was prepared, Grandfather noticed Tori finishing up his meal of acorns.

Tori’s small hands were still moving acorns to his mouth, his gaze filled with satisfaction and happiness.

As Grandfather approached, Tori beamed and exclaimed.

“Guardian, did you wake the fox?!”

His voice carried joy over breakfast and deep respect for Grandfather.

Grandfather smiled, saying that he just woke Yoonhwa.

“Yeah, she’ll be here soon.”

“Let’s eat breakfast together.”

He took a seat beside Tori and began preparing the meal.

After finishing up the meal preparations, Grandfather smiled wide as Yoonhwa walked in.

The table was laid out just like the day before.

Beautifully grilled fish and a variety of colorful vegetable side dishes decorated the table, while the fragrant steamed rice added to the freshness of the morning air.

Yoonhwa emerged from her room, roughly fixing her tousled hair with her hands as she sat down.

“Wow, that looks delicious…”

She marveled at the food spread out before her.

Grandfather smiled warmly at Yoonhwa and said.

“Enjoy your meal.”

Yoonhwa began her pleasant breakfast.

Tori had already nearly finished his meal.

He left only a few acorns remaining on his plate.

“Thank you for the meal!”

He clutched the few precious acorns tightly in both hands and made his way back to his room.

His little footsteps were lively and cheerful.

Watching Tori head back to his room, Yoonhwa felt curious.

“What’s he taking those acorns for?”

She mumbled to herself.

Grandfather looked fondly at Tori’s retreating figure and smiled.

In response to Yoonhwa’s curiosity, Grandfather continued explaining.

“Squirrels have a habit of storing food. Tori is the same.”

“That little buddy is trying to hide the acorns in a safe place.”

He paused for a moment, smiling as he pondered, before turning his attention back to Yoonhwa to continue.

“Fox, if you had met Tori in early winter, things would have been a bit different.”

“In winter, squirrels tend to be a little sharper in temperament, you see.”

“Actually, in winter, we sometimes call squirrels ‘tiger squirrels.’ They get a bit rougher in nature.”

Grandfather gently added as he looked at Yoonhwa.

“But fortunately, you met Tori just as winter is almost done, so you need not worry about that.”

“You’ll be able to create many wonderful memories with Tori.”

Yoonhwa listened to Grandfather’s story and scooped a mouthful of fluffy rice.

‘Mmm… So that’s how it is…’

The bursting grains of rice in her mouth, along with their nutty flavor, made her breakfast complete.

As she tore off a piece of the crispy fish skin, the salty flavor and moist texture harmonized perfectly.

Every time she put a vegetable side dish in her mouth, the unique flavors and aromas of each filled her palate.

The slightly bitter spinach, the sweet carrot, and the nutty bean sprout all blended harmoniously to make her breakfast even more special.

Yoonhwa took a big bite, layering a spoonful of rice with bits of vegetables and fish while nodding at Grandfather’s words.

“I see, if I had met Tori in the winter, we might have fought fiercely.”

Her voice carried a hint of realization mixed with relief.