Living Dangerously with a 999-Year-Old Gumiho – Chapter 138

As time passed, the darkness thickened, and evening settled in.

The house was quiet, and occasionally, the sound of the wind brushing against the leaves could be heard from outside the window.

In the living room of Hyun’s house, Yoonhwa and Hyun cautiously stepped out of the bedroom.

Hyun was still slightly coughing, but there was a healthier glow on his face than before.

He carefully held Yoonhwa’s hand, leaning on her for support.

Worry was etched on Yoonhwa’s face, but she wore a relieved smile at the fact that she could be with Hyun.

As Hyun’s cough began to subside, his breathing was becoming more steady.

“Yoonhwa, thanks to you—I think I’m feeling a bit better…”

“Thank you…”

Hyun said with a light smile.

There seemed to be a bit of strength returning to his voice.

Yoonhwa held Hyun’s hand tightly and looked at his profile.

Her gaze was filled with both concern and love.

Tori jumped off the sofa and ran towards Yoonhwa and Hyun.

“Did you wake up?”

“You really slept a long time!”

Sohee had been quietly sitting on the sofa, and as Hyun entered the living room, she approached him with a worried look in her eyes.

“Are you okay? Are you feeling less pain now?”

Her voice was soft and kind.

Hyun smiled gratefully at Sohee and nodded.

“Yes, I’m much better… Thanks for worrying about me, Sohee.”

At that moment, Nomi came running in energetically.

She opened her arms wide toward Yoonhwa and Hyun, wrapping them both in a tight embrace.

“Wow—you’re awake! You both look fine!”

Her voice was full of joy, and her actions conveyed genuine relief.

Yoonhwa and Hyun smiled softly in response to Nomi’s hug.

Tori was engrossed in playing next to Yoonhwa, but Yoonhwa suddenly said with a serious expression.

“Squirrel—… Could you move away a bit..?”

“I’m really hungry right now… It could be really dangerous if I’m next to you…”

Tori looked at Yoonhwa in surprise for a moment.

Yoonhwa’s gaze was serious, shifting between Tori and Hyun.

In the darkened living room, Yoonhwa’s eyes began to flicker nervously.

Drool unconsciously dribbled from her lips, and she quickly wiped it away with her hand.

Seeing this, Tori panicked and bolted away.

“Eek— Fox! You’re fooling around again!..!!”

“Ah—! I’m sorry, I’m sorry… I’m just so hungry…”

Yoonhwa said with an apologetic expression, glancing after Tori.

Hyun, with his weary body, made his way to the kitchen.

“It’s okay, Yoonhwa..! I’ll make something for you.”

His voice trembled slightly yet was determined.

Hyun wanted to do something for his friends, especially for Yoonhwa.

Sohee watched the scene and burst into laughter.

“Puhaha! A Nine-Tailed Fox’s appetite is truly something else!”

Her laughter echoed lightly in the living room. Sohee approached Yoonhwa and added,

“Don’t worry, she cooks well.”

As Yoonhwa positioned herself in an increasingly hungry state, she began to notice a faint aroma coming from Sohee.

Unknowingly, she edged a bit closer to Sohee.

“Sohee… that seems really delicious..”

Yoonhwa said with a playful smile.

Her eyes sparkled, but there was a hint of sincerity mixed in.

Sohee laughed at Yoonhwa’s remark.

“I—I smoke and drink, so it probably doesn’t taste that great?”

“Just wait for her to finish cooking.”

Sohee lightly tapped Yoonhwa’s shoulder in encouragement.

Yoonhwa slightly flushed and looked back at Hyun. He was busy bustling about in the kitchen, and she watched him for a moment, hoping his efforts wouldn’t be in vain.

Tori, now a bit more accustomed to Yoonhwa’s antics, returned to the living room. He sat cautiously next to Yoonhwa, keeping an eye on what she might do next.

“Fox—… don’t really eat me..!”

Tori said cautiously, looking at her.

His voice was a blend of anxiety and endearing concern.

“Don’t worry~, Tori. I won’t eat you.”

“You’re too cute to eat.”

Yoonhwa replied with a smile directed at Tori.

At her words, Tori seemed to relax slightly, though he still couldn’t hide all of his tension.

Hyun picked up the pace while cooking in the kitchen.

He was worried that Yoonhwa wouldn’t be able to handle her hunger much longer, so he hurriedly but carefully prepared the food.

He occasionally covered his mouth to cough.

Skillfully using various ingredients, appetizing aromas began wafting from the pots and pans.

“Just a bit longer, Yoonhwa..!”

As Hyun reached the final stages of cooking, he remembered Yoonhwa’s intense hunger and quickly plated some food.

Carefully, he transferred the hot food to the plate, being careful not to burn his hands.

He quickly carried the finished plate into the living room.

Approaching Yoonhwa, he said,

“Here… You can eat this for now..!”

Nomi’s eyes sparkled as she saw Hyun handing food to Yoonhwa.

Realizing her plate was missing, she immediately felt a pang of jealousy. She dashed over to Yoonhwa, shouting,

“I want to eat too! I’m hungry too!”

Nomi’s voice overflowed with the passion of a child, and she reached for Yoonhwa’s plate.

Hyun, seeing this, hurriedly started preparing a plate for Nomi as well.

Back in the kitchen, Hyun focused on finishing the remaining food.

He carefully chopped the ingredients and added the final seasonings to each dish to complete the flavors.

Tori was watching TV in the living room, passively observing the whole situation.

He didn’t seem particularly interested in the food, instead getting immersed in the cartoon on the screen.

“I don’t get what’s so delicious about that…”

“This is way more fun… and acorns are tastier!”

The dinner scene unfolded in the living room, filled with warmth and a familial atmosphere among friends.

Yoonhwa and Nomi eagerly devoured the food in their bowls.

Their plates quickly emptied, and the satisfaction was evident on the faces of the two monsters.

Hyun and Sohee sat at the same table, eating their meals quietly.

Hyun occasionally coughed, and his voice was hoarse; he felt discomfort every time he swallowed.

Eventually, he put down his spoon and awkwardly spoke.

“My throat really hurts… I can’t eat anymore today…”

Yoonhwa looked at Hyun with worried eyes and gently tapped his shoulder.

Tori, having heard Hyun, shifted his gaze from the TV to observe Yoonhwa and Nomi eating.

Discontent formed in his eyes. Unable to hold back, he approached Yoonhwa.

“Fox, you promised me peanuts!”

“Was that a lie? When are you giving them to me!?”

Tori’s voice mixed with a bit of anger, and his small eyes reproached Yoonhwa.

Though a friendly atmosphere prevailed in Hyun’s house, a brief tension arose from Tori’s sudden complaint.

Listening to Tori’s grievances, Yoonhwa felt guilty and hurriedly apologized.

“Ah, Tori… I’m really sorry, I completely forgot..!!”

“I’ll go buy some right now!”

In the meantime, Nomi continued to focus on enjoying her delicious food, while Sohee watched the scene with amusement, bursting into laughter.

Hyun listened quietly to Yoonhwa and Tori’s conversation and struggled to speak.

“Yoonhwa, you’re eating, aren’t you? I’ll go buy the peanuts.”

“I’ll just be a minute at the market since we don’t have any at home.”

Yoonhwa instantly reacted to Hyun’s proposal.

“No, Hyun. You’re still not fully healed yet!”

“I’ll go. You stay here and rest.”

Hyun smiled and insisted, sensing Yoonhwa’s concern.

“No, I’m really okay..!”

“I need to move around a bit too, and you have to eat…”

“If you go out in the middle of eating, the food will get cold—don’t do that, just stay here.”

Yoonhwa felt her heart swell at Hyun’s resolute attitude.

She was deeply touched by how he tried to take care of his friends despite being unwell.

“I’m really sorry, Hyun…”

“For going through this while you’re sick…”

Hyun, to ease Yoonhwa’s worry, flashed a gentle smile and checked on his own health.

“Really, I’m fine; I just want you to be able to eat comfortably..”

Saying this with conviction, he slowly stood up and walked toward the room.

After changing his clothes quickly, Hyun returned to Tori and asked.

“Do you just need peanuts? Is there anything else you need?”

Tori looked a bit surprised by Hyun’s question but soon expressed his need.

“Yeah, just bring back peanuts.”

“But bring a lot! A whole bag!!”

Hyun nodded at Tori’s request.

He put on a thick jacket and, before leaving the house, turned back to Yoonhwa and Nomi one more time.

“I’ll be back soon..”

“Enjoy your dinner!”

His voice was still soft, filled with consideration for his friends.

Hyun exited the house with quick strides, heading to the nearby market to buy Tori’s peanuts.

Yoonhwa heard the sound of the door shutting behind him and felt a complex mix of guilt and gratitude.

Hyun walked down the alley of the market.

As night deepened, the market grew progressively quieter, with most shops already closed or preparing for closing.

Hyun rushed his steps to buy the peanuts he promised Tori, disregarding his own condition.

The cold night air set off another coughing fit.

His throat grew increasingly sore, but he focused on finding the peanuts.

In one corner of the market, he spotted a small stall glowing under the lights.

There, a vendor displayed nuts and dried fruits.

Various nuts and beautifully packaged dried fruits were noticeable on the table.

Among them, the shining peanuts under the light particularly caught Hyun’s eye.

As he searched the market for peanuts, he reached this small stall and quickly approached the vendor.

Clearing his throat, he said,

“Cough!—Hello, I’d like to buy some peanuts…”

The vendor smiled at Hyun’s request and replied.

“Of course. How many would you like?”

Hyun thought for a moment and said.

“If possible, fill a bag up completely.”

The vendor nodded and began filling a large bag with peanuts.

Meanwhile, Hyun surveyed other nuts and dried fruits around him.

As the vendor was packing the peanuts, Hyun’s gaze lingered on the dried apples.

He thought that Yoonhwa and the kids would enjoy those dried apples and decided to buy a few bags as well.

He asked the vendor for some dried apples too.

“Please give me some of these as well… Cough!”

The vendor began packaging the dried apples with a smile.

Hyun took out money from his wallet and listened to the surrounding noises.

At that moment, he overheard two locals talking about a ‘Nine-Tailed Fox’ from a bit away.

“Really, I’ve heard rumors that a Nine-Tailed Fox lives in our village.”

“People have been talking about it everywhere.”

“Really? A Nine-Tailed Fox, I should hurry home.”

Hyun’s heart sank at the rumors spreading among the villagers.

Fear and worry shook his heart.

After gathering the peanuts and dried apples from the vendor, Hyun paid him.

His heart felt heavy, filled with concerns.

Thoughts of Yoonhwa and the kids, along with the fear of the rumors circulating among the villagers, overwhelmed him.

As he walked, the cold night air stung his face, and his coughing grew stronger.

“*Cough, cough..!”

Enduring the sore throat, he hastened his pace back home.

His steps were heavy, but simultaneously, his worry for his friends made him move faster.

Hyun took deep breaths as he returned home.

As soon as he entered the living room, his weary gait and tense expression drew everyone’s attention.

He paused to catch his breath and offered Tori the bag of peanuts.

Tori’s eyes sparkled with joy as he tried to snatch the peanuts, but Yoonhwa was quicker and grabbed the bag first.

“We should eat little by little~.”

Yoonhwa said with a smile, offering Tori five peanuts.

“Let’s share little by little!”

At first, Tori looked a bit disappointed, but soon after Yoonhwa’s suggestion, he beamed and took the five peanuts.

“Thank you!!”

Sohee and Nomi were already comfortably sitting on the sofa after finishing their meal.

“Hello!”

Hyun opened his mouth heavily.

“There’s something I heard at the market…”

“There are rumors about a Nine-Tailed Fox in our village.”

“People are—… Cough! Quite unsettled.”

Yoonhwa paused in thought upon hearing Hyun’s words, then looked at him with a worried expression.

“I heard something similar when I went out to buy medicine..!”

Sohee and Nomi also listened to the conversation, their expressions becoming serious.

Sohee cautiously said.

“Then we should be careful. Don’t draw too much attention!”

Yoonhwa nodded in agreement, her face grave.

“Yeah, we need to be cautious so we don’t stand out.”

“I’ll especially be more careful outside…”