Living Dangerously with a 999-Year-Old Gumiho – Chapter 18

Eunho felt a twinge of envy watching the four of them, but he didn’t show it.

He wanted to act on it right away, but it wasn’t the right time.

“Ah… this smell…”

Eunho seemed to hesitate for a moment, but ultimately couldn’t ignore the pull.

He carefully got up and walked through the living room to go outside. The night air was cold and refreshing.

Eunho took a deep breath. In the silence of the night, he felt the high air.

Once outside, Eunho fell into deep thought for a while. He gazed up at the night sky, pondering when the right moment would be.

In the end, he couldn’t find an answer.

Eunho exhaled deeply and returned inside the house.

He entered the living room where his friends were sleeping. After a brief moment of contemplation, he went to the bathroom to quench his dry throat.

“By around 5 o’clock, everyone should be waking up.”

Around 2 AM, Eunho stepped outside again. And then he hurried off somewhere.

As it neared 5 AM,

In the quiet stillness of dawn, Eunho returned home, cutting through the darkness.

His steps were light, but a deep shadow followed behind.

The cold dawn air brushed against his face, and Eunho paused for a moment to take a deep breath.

His gaze sparkled with a mysterious shine as if he had just come back from a night adventure.

Reaching home, Eunho took a quick look around and grabbed the doorknob. He quietly opened the door and stepped inside, met by the stillness of early morning.

As he walked to the living room, he looked at his friends peacefully asleep.

Their serene sleeping faces created a strange contrast in Eunho’s heart, filling one side with an inexplicable sense of fullness.

Eunho gazed at them for a moment, lost in thought. Then he found a spot beside his friends and lay down.

He pulled the blanket over himself and arranged his body to appear as if he were still asleep. Eunho slowly closed his eyes, and his heart began to find a bit of peace.

His return happened without a stir, like he quietly slipped back into a dream at midnight.

Eunho lay there pretending to sleep, his ears tuned to every little noise from outside.

As time passed, the first movement breaking the household’s silence was detected.

Hyun carefully stirred in the blanket and began to rise.

His movements were cautious and slow, but Eunho sensed it clearly.

Eunho responded by naturally raising his body, pretending he had just woken from a deep slumber.

He rubbed his eyes and yawned, looking at Hyun.

Hyun smiled brightly upon seeing Eunho and greeted him.

“Ah, Eunho! You’re up! Did you sleep well?”

Eunho lightly smiled as he replied.

“Yes, I slept well. How about you, Hyun?”

Hyun grinned and responded.

“Yeah, I was good. I’m going to wash my face for a bit.”

Carefully slipping from the blanket, he headed towards the bathroom.

As he opened the door and stepped in, the cold morning air welcomed him.

Hyun paused for a moment, then pushed the bathroom switch, turning on the light.

Under the bright light, he looked at his reflection in the mirror and felt the fatigue from the night before settling on his face.

He turned on the water to wet his hands, closing his eyes briefly at the sensation of the cold water flowing over his fingertips.

He carefully splashed water onto his face. The cold water skimmed over him, gradually washing away the sleepiness and fatigue.

Hyun scooped up more water and washed his face vigorously, water droplets splattering against the sink.

After finishing washing up, Hyun lightly patted his face with a towel to dry off.

Looking back at himself in the mirror, he felt somewhat more awake.

Taking a deep breath, he exited the bathroom, fully ready to start a new day.

‘So much happened yesterday…’

Emerging from the bathroom with a face refreshed by the cold dawn water, Hyun’s eyes sparkled with clarity while he felt invigorated from washing up.

He poured himself a glass of water in the kitchen and glanced over at Eunho.

“Looks like Kangtae is cooking breakfast today.”

“Kangtae—cooking is really…”

“He’s pretty good at cutting, but once he starts cooking, it turns into a complete disaster,” Hyun said with a chuckle.

“So, I think it’s best if I take charge of breakfast for everyone’s sake. Let’s just have Kangtae do the dishes once he wakes up.”

Eunho nodded in agreement.

“Sure, I’m looking forward to your cooking, Hyun.”

“Actually… I’m pretty full, so I might not eat much,” Eunho’s voice carried a light laughter.

Hyun sipped water and opened his mouth again.

“Last night’s game was really fun, wasn’t it?”

“I really liked how we all spent time together.”

That happy smile blossomed on his face.

“Exactly, it was a really enjoyable time. I think any time spent with you all is always great.”

Eunho said with a warm smile.

In the background, the peaceful sounds of their friends breathing could still be heard.

Seojin was curled up under her blanket, sleeping peacefully, while Yoonhwa’s face carried a persistent smile even in dreams.

Kangtae occasionally scrunched his face, as if reacting to something in his dreams, but soon fell back into deep slumber.

Hyun let out a sigh while watching his sleeping friends.

“I’m glad everyone seemed to have a great time last night.”

“This morning, I’ll prepare something a little more special…”

His voice carried an expectation for the new day ahead.

As the morning sunlight brightened the living room, Kangtae finally opened his eyes from the constant movement of Seojin.

“Ah… just, stop moving…!”

Kangtae’s voice was mixed with the grumpiness of just waking up.

Seojin scratched her messy hair and blinked her bleary eyes open.

“What? I didn’t do anything… did you just wake up on your own?”

Her voice still had traces of sleepiness.

Kangtae sat up, annoyed by Seojin’s curt reply.

“Hey, I couldn’t sleep properly because of you…”

“I can’t help moving in my sleep!” Seojin pouted, looking at him with an aggrieved expression.

Witnessing the duo, Hyun couldn’t help but chuckle while opening the fridge.

“Why are you two already arguing this early?”

“I’m cooking breakfast, so wake up a bit… don’t start fighting~.”

Eunho lifted his eyes from his book for a moment to glance at the two.

“Really, it’s always so loud this early in the morning.”

Eunho’s voice carried a hint of light reprimand.

Seojin grumbled as she watched Hyun preparing breakfast.

“Wasn’t Kangtae supposed to make breakfast?”

“Why is Kangtae sleeping late while Hyun is cooking?”

Her tone had a slight dissatisfaction lingering in it.

Kangtae awkwardly chuckled and replied.

“Uh… I was going to get up to cook, but Hyun has already taken over!”

Seojin shot a glare at Kangtae before turning to Hyun with a smile.

“Thinking back, eating something Kangtae cooked could definitely be painful…?”

Hyun replied warmly, reassuring them.

“It’s okay, I’ll take care of it today.”

“Kangtae, can you please do the dishes?”

Seojin nodded approvingly, exchanging a playful jab at Kangtae.

“Next time, you should cook for real.”

“…but everyone should probably brace themselves for that.”

Kangtae burst into laughter at that and replied, “That much is a piece of cake for me!”

Their playful jabber made the breakfast atmosphere even more lively.

After a bit of deliberation, Hyun decided on the menu.

“How about shrimp fried rice? I think everyone would like it?”

He opened the fridge and took out some fresh shrimp and vegetables. His movements were quite practiced.

First, he washed the shrimp, peeled them, and started stir-frying them with garlic.

As the shrimp turned pink, he added the pre-chopped onion, carrot, and green onion into the frying pan.

“Should I throw in the rice now?”

Hyun added the rice to the frying pan and began frying it on high heat. The appetizing aroma spread as the rice grains cooked.

He cracked an egg into the pan separately to make scrambled eggs and mixed it into the fried rice.

“Now, let’s season it with some soy sauce and a little sugar… and it’s done with sesame seeds and green onion on top.”

Meanwhile, Kangtae and Seojin were engaged in a playful discourse, airing their grievances at each other.

Kangtae seemed irritable, holding onto his side as he moaned.

“Ahh… it still hurts!…”

As Kangtae complained to Seojin, she simply retorted with annoyance.

“You’re not cut out for this, are you?!”

Hyun, ignoring the banter, called out to Eunho.

“Yoonhwa is still asleep…”

“Can you wake her up?”

Eunho nodded and replied.

“…Alright.”

Eunho closed his book and carefully approached Yoonhwa to wake her up.

“Yoonhwa—ah… it’s time to wake up.”

Yoonhwa, deep in slumber, didn’t respond to Eunho’s gentle voice at all.

Eunho hesitated for a moment, then slightly lifted Yoonhwa’s blanket, speaking softly again.

“Yoonhwa, it’s morning.”

“Hyun is making delicious shrimp fried rice.”

Yoonhwa stirred beneath the blanket, letting out a comfortable sigh before muttering.

“Mmm… just a little longer…”

Eunho, slightly flustered by her lack of response, gently shook her awake.

‘Hurry up and wake up… it’s hard to wait…’

“Everyone’s waiting to have breakfast.”

Yoonhwa slowly opened her eyes at Eunho’s gentle call, mumbling in a still drowsy voice.

“Just a moment… still a bit…”

With no choice, Eunho reached out.

He carefully touched the fox spirit’s ear, waking her further.

“I’m sorry, please wake up.”

Yoonhwa jumped up in surprise at Eunho’s sudden action.

“W-what?!”

Feeling a bit guilty at Yoonhwa’s startled expression, Eunho reminded her gently that it was breakfast time.

“I’m really sorry, Yoonhwa, but it was a necessary choice.”

Yoonhwa looked at Eunho, still half-asleep, and sighed.

“Alright, fine. Just a moment…”

“I’ll get ready quickly.”

Yoonhwa went into her room, and after a few minutes, she emerged dressed in her magician’s outfit, having changed out of her pajamas and washed her face.

Eunho followed her to the dining table, and as Yoonhwa entered, all eyes focused on her.

Hyun welcomed her with a bright expression and made a joke.

“Oh, our Yoonhwa—”

“Finally the queen is here.”

“Good morning, did you sleep in well?”

Yoonhwa chuckled slightly at Hyun’s jovial tease.

“Yeah… I had a good time pretending to be a queen in dreamland.”

“Now it’s time to enjoy morning reality!”

Seojin looked at Yoonhwa, playfully commenting.

“Didn’t it take you a while to get up, Yoonhwa?”

“Beautiful women are always sleepyheads~”

Kangtae also smiled and greeted Yoonhwa.

“Yoonhwa, did you sleep well? I didn’t get to sleep well because of her…”

Breakfast time was filled with a vibrant atmosphere.

Hyun’s prepared shrimp fried rice was beautifully laid out on the table, and its alluring aroma filled the living room.

Kangtae took a bite of the fried rice and looked at Hyun with wide eyes.


“Hyun, this fried rice is amazing. If I had made breakfast, it would’ve been a disaster!”

Hyun’s shrimp fried rice combined the juicy texture of the shrimp with the crispiness of various vegetables, bursting with flavor.

The seasoning of the fried rice was just right, and the creaminess of the egg gently coated every grain.

The subtle balance of soy sauce and sugar enriched the taste, and the sesame seeds and green onion on top elevated the texture and fragrance.

Seojin gasped with her mouth full of fried rice.

“Seriously, you need to open a store!”

Yoonhwa, tasting the fried rice, wore a blissful expression.

“Having Hyun’s fried rice makes the day start off on such a good note…”

“Hyun’s culinary skills are always amazing.”

Eunho enjoyed the fried rice slowly, praising Hyun.

“This is the best fried rice I’ve ever eaten.”

The morning’s atmosphere was cheerful, filled with the sounds of laughter from friends.

Just as breakfast began winding down, Eunho hesitated to get up, appearing torn.

His eyes reflected a determination to decide something, but there was also a hint of hesitation within.

Hyun noticed and asked.

“Is there somewhere you need to rush off to, Eunho?”

Eunho paused to ponder, then looked at his friends’ faces before slowly shaking his head.

“No, actually there’s no reason to leave right now.”

At his words, relief swept across his friends’ faces.

Seojin beamed as she said.

“Then stay a little longer! Let’s spend some more time together.”

Kangtae added his agreement.

“Yeah, it would feel a bit empty without you here.”

Yoonhwa took Eunho’s arm, pleading.

“Eunho~ please stay a little longer. I still want to talk about so many things.”

Eunho felt touched by the warmth of his friends’ hearts and decided to change his mind.

“Okay then, I’ll stay a bit longer.”

“Because time spent with you all… is always enjoyable.”

His words reignited the liveliness in the living room, and the leisurely morning hours continued to flow.

Friends shared various stories and laughter, making that morning even more special.

As the meal wrapped up, Seojin turned to Kangtae with sparkling eyes.

“Kangtae, you said you’d make breakfast, but in the end, Hyun did it all.”

“Then, obviously, the dishes are your job.”

Kangtae’s face briefly froze before he broke into a playful smile and replied.

“Alright, alright. Dishes are no big deal…”

His voice delivered unmistakable drowsiness, but he energetically got up to start washing.

Hyun, smiling proudly, added.

“Since you’re good at cutting, the next time you should handle the prepping.”

Kangtae, washing the dishes, looked back.

“What’s the use of being good at cutting if Hyun ends up doing all the cooking? If I attempt to cook, it’ll just catch fire.”

Seojin teased Kangtae with a smirk.

“Right, you know your cooking skills are all about setting off alarms, right?”

“Seriously! You sound just like Yoonhwa, using magic like that!”

Kangtae shot back, splashing water in response.

“If you keep making fun of me, I might spray more water! Be careful!”

Seojin raised her hands in defense, chuckling.

“Oh my… how scary!”

Yoonhwa watched the antics and giggled, saying.

“Kangtae— even if you can’t cook, you sure work hard at doing the dishes!”

Eunho smiled slightly at the scene.

“Being good at doing dishes is an important skill too.”

Kangtae kept washing the dishes amidst their playful banter, feeling a sense of pride in what he was doing.

“From now on, washing dishes is my specialty.”

“I’ll leave the cooking to Hyun.”

While Kangtae washed the dishes, the atmosphere turned even more joyful among friends’ laughter and banter as the morning went on.

Just then, amidst the friendly talk, there was a sudden knock at the door.

The knocking echoed in a series.

Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock…

The mood among the friends quickly filled with tension.

“Who could that be? At this hour?”