Living Dangerously with a 999-Year-Old Gumiho – Chapter 17

After the atmosphere calmed down a bit, Kangtae spoke up as if to change the mood.

“How about we all introduce ourselves to Eunho?”

“Eunho will also get to know more about us.”

Eunho seemed a bit nervous, but he showed excitement at the chance to get closer to his new friends.

Seojin spoke first.

“Good idea. I’ll start.”

“I’m Seojin!”

“I really love reading.”

“Especially lately, I’ve been interested in books about monsters. Learning about the stories and legends of various monsters is really fascinating.”

Kangtae continued.

“I’m Kangtae… I work at the fruit store my parents run.”

Hyun quietly chimed in.

“I’m Hyun.”

“I love music, especially playing the cello.”

“I enjoy expressing my emotions through music and connecting with people.”

Yoonhwa reintroduced herself.

“I’m Yoonhwa. Actually, I’m a Nine-Tailed Fox…”

“I’m currently 999 years old. Next year, I’ll finally turn 1000 and become a complete Nine-Tailed Fox.”

“I also love spending time with friends!”

“I came to learn more about humans, but I really like my friends now.”

Eunho listened intently as each person introduced themselves.

“I’m Eunho.”

“I’m 25 years old, and I’m very interested in talismans and old stories.”

“I’m happy to be friends with you all.”

After everyone finished introducing themselves, they understood each other better.

Kangtae asked his friends.

“It’s already midnight… Anyone feeling sleepy?”

“I’m not too drowsy… How about everyone else?”

Eunho said, “I usually sleep during the day…”

“So I’m wide awake right now.”

Most friends responded that they weren’t feeling sleepy.

Hyun suggested with a smile, “Then how about we all play a card game together!?”

“Five people will make it more fun.”

All the friends agreed and laughed.

“Yoonhwa, you don’t know the Uno rules, do you? I’ll teach you.”

Seojin started explaining the game’s rules to Yoonhwa and Eunho with a friendly smile.

As Seojin shuffled the cards, he asked, “Got it?”

Yoonhwa nodded with a competitive gleam in her eyes as she looked at her friends.

Eunho responded with a curious expression, wondering if this kind of game would be amusing.

“That sounds fun.”

In a place where humans and monsters intertwined, the five started their card game.

Seojin expertly shuffled the cards several times.

Then, he dealt seven cards to each of them.

The game began with Hyun’s first turn.

Hyun examined his hand carefully before placing a 5 Clover on top of the 3 Clover.

This card signaled the beginning of the game.

Yoonhwa observed Hyun’s choice carefully and quickly responded by placing ’10 Clover’ on her turn.

When it was Seojin’s turn, he immediately played ‘Q Clover,’ changing the order of play.

As a result, the order reversed, allowing Yoonhwa to take the next turn again.

Yoonhwa paused briefly before playing ‘J Clover,’ skipping Hyun’s turn.

Hyun exclaimed in surprise, “Hey, I got skipped…!!”

During his turn, Eunho played ‘7 Clover,’ changing the suit to Spades, while Kangtae continued by playing ‘8 Spades.’

Seojin played ‘9 Spades,’ reducing his hand, while Yoonhwa launched an attack with ‘2 Spades’ directed at Hyun.

During Hyun’s turn, he played ‘A Spades,’ using a powerful card.

Eunho looked flustered as he played ‘A Hearts.’ With two attack cards in play, the next turn became even more perilous.

Kangtae smirked at Seojin.

Kangtae pulled out his own ‘A Diamonds’ card.

Seojin, flustered, paused to consider his options.

She chose ‘3 Diamonds’ to nullify all their attacks.

“I blocked your attacks with this card!”

Seojin said confidently.

When it was Yoonhwa’s turn, she played ‘J Diamonds,’ skipping Hyun’s turn.

“Sorry! Hyun, I’ll skip you again!”

Yoonhwa said with a laugh, to which Hyun replied with a meaningful smile.

“Just wait and see…!”

Eunho played ‘7 Diamonds’ in his turn, changing the suit to Spades.

“I’ll change it to Spades.”

Kangtae followed Eunho’s choice with ‘8 Spades’ to keep the game going.

Seojin played ‘4 Spades,’ further reducing his hand, while Yoonhwa attacked Hyun again with ‘2 Spades.’

Hyun had no cards to block and helplessly drew two cards.

The fierce battle continued, and after a long time, the game concluded.

The outcome of the game surprised the friends.

Hyun smoothly secured first place again, followed by Seojin, Eunho, Yoonhwa, and Kangtae.

After the game ended, the friends caught their breath and looked at each other, amazed by Hyun’s dazzling victory.

“Hyun, you’re just… really good…”

Seojin praised.

“I never expected Yoonhwa’s joker card!”

At that moment, Kangtae blushed slightly and said sadly, “I really had no luck… No, the cards just didn’t favor me.”

Seojin snickered and teased him.

“You’re in last place again, huh?”

Kangtae replied with a flustered expression, “Well… I guess that just happened.”

The other friends burst into laughter at his flustered look.

Eunho began to analyze the game.

“I think everyone’s strategies were quite different.”

“Hyun, you were really impressive, and Yoonhwa, your card play was remarkable too…”

Yoonhwa waved her hands modestly.

“I just got lucky. I didn’t expect that joker card to be at the end!”

Hyun smiled at everyone and said, “It’s just a game for fun, so don’t take it too seriously. Everyone did well.”

As discussions about the game continued, the friends shared stories about their remarkable plays or surprising twists.

That night became a precious time that deepened their friendship through the Uno game.

Seojin teased again, “Hey… Kangtae! How come you’re worse than a friend who’s playing for the first time~”

Kangtae’s face turned beet red at Seojin’s teasing.

“Ah… I really had no luck this time.”

Kangtae awkwardly smiled.

His voice trembled slightly as he avoided eye contact and looked elsewhere.

“I’ll definitely do better next time; you’ll all see.”

Kangtae said, trying to sound stronger. His friends responded with warm smiles and encouraging gazes.

“Don’t worry, Kangtae. It’s just a game. What matters is that we all had fun—~.”

Hyun reassured him.

Kangtae smiled a little, feeling somewhat consoled by Hyun’s words.

“Yeah, you’re right. Next time for sure…!”

Eunho approached Kangtae, offering a warm smile.

“Kangtae, what’s more important than winning or losing the game is that we spent enjoyable time together.”

“I believe next time, there will be even better results.”

Then Seojin spoke up again.

“Wow, being comforted by a 21-year-old must be weird for a 27-year-old; what’s going on, Kangtae?”

He said while chuckling.

Everyone burst into laughter at his words, and Kangtae couldn’t help but chuckle too.

Hyun laughed and said to Seojin, “Haha.. Seojin, you’re particularly aggressive towards Kangtae today?”

“Was I always like this~?”

In this way, a playful atmosphere continued among the friends, and Kangtae felt his heart lighten due to Eunho’s consolation and his friends’ laughter.

The friends, still caught up in the afterglow of the Uno game, exchanged playful banter about each other’s victories and defeats.

Amidst the laughter and teasing, Kangtae suddenly proposed something intriguing.

“The first one to fall asleep prepares breakfast tomorrow morning!”

“What do you think, is it a challenge worth taking?”

Seojin shot back immediately.

“Oh, that’s a great idea! I’m all set for an all-nighter.”

Yoonhwa spoke with sparkling eyes, “I usually don’t sleep much anyway~?”

Hyun looked at her and replied, “You seem to sleep just fine…”

Eunho cautiously said, but with a voice filled with curiosity, “I’m sure it will be fun with all of you.”

So the friends promised each other that no one would easily fall asleep that night.

However, as time went on, fatigue naturally crept in through the playful banter and laughter.

Kangtae yawned and spoke first.

“Ugh, I really thought I could pull an all-nighter… but this sleepiness is overwhelming…”

“It feels tougher than when that monster was chasing me…”

Seojin immediately teased him at his condition.

“Yikes! Kangtae, you’re gonna be the first to drop out~”

“I can last much longer than you!”

Hyun blinked and remarked.

“Looks like everyone’s struggling to stay awake? Breakfast… good luck with that..”

Yoonhwa, also on the verge of sleep, rubbed her eyes and said, “When we were in the forest… the nights felt really long…”

“Why does it feel so short now?…”

Eunho quietly read Seojin’s book under the bright moonlight and seemed the only one far from sleepiness.

“I usually don’t sleep much at night.”

“I’ll see you all in the morning.”

The friends, who confidently declared they would stay awake, gradually fell victim to sleep’s temptations.

One by one, they lay down and quietly drifted off, while Kangtae found himself succumbing first and grumbled as he pulled up the blanket.

“Ugh, I can’t believe I’m first… I really thought I’d last through the night.”

Seojin, before finally falling asleep, made one last joke about Kangtae’s predicament.

“Kangtae, don’t forget about breakfast!”

Before long, all four friends were asleep.

Only Eunho quietly watched as his friends slept, enjoying the beautiful silence of the night.

“They all fell asleep.”

He carefully reopened Seojin’s book to read.

“Korean monsters and myths…”

Eunho randomly flipped to a page.

[Gangcheori]

[A unique monster that’s widely transmitted across the country, not specific to one region.]

[It uses fire (火) attributes, drying up all flora and fauna with intense heat.]

[It embodies the various disasters that ruin farming, reflected in the proverb, “When Gangcheori visits, even autumn is like spring.”]

[Eating up the rich harvest of autumn leaves nothing, turning it into a barren spring.]

[It’s a monster transformed from an Imsu that failed to become a dragon, harboring anger and resentment from not turning into a dragon, hence using fire.]

Eunho read on, intrigued, and spoke to himself.

“Gangcheori… It’s a bit off, but I didn’t expect such detailed descriptions.”

Eunho flipped pages seeking more stories on monsters.

[Darkness Demon]

[Often sighted in the countryside, also referred to as Geosun-dae.]

[If a human around the Darkness Demon feels fear or attacks it, it will grow larger.]

[If it becomes incredibly massive, it will consume humans into darkness.]

[When you encounter the Darkness Demon, do not fear it and do not attack it.]

[As a conditional immortal monster, revealing its true form as a shadow means it cannot be defeated by physical attacks.]

[Moreover, it grows larger with every attack, so if you attack blindly without knowing how to defeat it, you will eventually be killed.]

[However, without darkness, it cannot exert its power, so if you approach it holding torches, you can vanquish its shadow’s form.]

Eunho showed a hint of surprise at the detailed explanations but soon felt reassured.

Feeling relieved, Eunho glanced at Seojin and mumbled.

“Um… I’m sorry, but I’m going to take this part for later…”

Cautiously, Eunho tore out the Darkness Demon section and tucked it into his pocket.

Then, he looked at his friends who had fallen into a deep sleep.

The living room was the largest space in Seojin’s home, but as the night wore on, it felt a bit cramped for the four friends to sleep.

The human and the Nine-Tailed Fox, each unfurled their blankets and fell into deep sleep in different postures.

Kangtae wrapped himself in his blanket and drifted off.

His face bore an innocent expression reminiscent of his childhood.

Occasionally, he smiled in his sleep, as if he were dreaming peacefully.

However, Kangtae’s tranquility was occasionally disrupted by Seojin’s kicks.

Seojin lay right beside Kangtae and unconsciously kicked him lightly in her sleep.

As a result, Kangtae jolted mildly at times, appearing as though he was waking up, but quickly fell back into a deep slumber.

Seojin hugged her pillow close, and a slight smile graced her face.

She was snoring rather loudly, yet looking peaceful at the same time.

Hyun had quietly claimed a corner on the other side of the living room. Though he lay in a somewhat uncomfortable position, his face reflected a deep sigh of relief.

Hyun’s breathing was calm and rhythmic, not making any noise at all.

His fingers occasionally moved slightly as if he were dreaming about playing the cello.

Yoonhwa lay sprawled in the center between Seojin and Hyun.

Her defenseless posture evoked images of frolicking freely across vast fields.

The sleeping Yoonhwa’s face was serene and calm, and a content smile spread across her lips. In her childlike innocence, she seemed far removed from the dignity of a Nine-Tailed Fox.

Around her sleeping form, nine tails occasionally swayed softly, gently wrapping around the slumbering fox.

Though her ears were pointed, they blended with her human guise, adding merely to her uniqueness.

Due to Yoonhwa’s sprawling position, Hyun was forced to lean against one corner of the living room to sleep.