Living Dangerously with a 999-Year-Old Gumiho – Chapter 29

Seojin spoke again.

“Well then, Yoonhwa! You understand what alcohol is, right?”

Yoonhwa nodded at Seojin’s words, sporting a playful smile.

“Um, I think I get it now. It’s bitter-tasting water, right?”

“And… if you drink a lot, you get drunk!”

“But I still don’t understand why that bitter taste is good…”

“Back then, it felt really good!”

Seojin thought for a moment while looking at Yoonhwa, who enjoyed alcohol. Then, he suddenly had a brilliant idea.

“…How about drinking without the Fox Orb, Yoonhwa?!”

Yoonhwa paused to think about Seojin’s suggestion and then answered with a bright smile.

“Oh, that sounds like a good idea?!”

“Then you won’t cause any trouble even if you get drunk!”

Hyun watched Yoonhwa’s reaction with a slightly worried expression.

“Um… I don’t know if that’s really safe.”

“Yoonhwa, don’t overdo it!”

Kangtae tried to lighten the mood and spoke.

“Don’t worry. I can handle Yoonhwa better than if she had the Fox Orb!”

“If Yoonhwa causes a scene, I can stop her!”

Seojin nodded, trying to ease Hyun’s worries.

“Right~ Our Kangtae isn’t weaker than a regular girl-!”

Yoonhwa listened to the playful banter between the two, her heart racing as she chimed in.

“Hurry! Hurry! Let’s try that thing called alcohol!”

Seojin laughed as he replied.

“Yeah! I can’t hold back anymore…”

After deciding to drink with her friends, Yoonhwa carefully took out the Fox Orb.

As she brought her hand to her mouth, the shining orb sparkled in her palm, drawing her friends’ attention.

“If I set this orb aside for a moment, I become weak like a normal person!”

“So drinking will be a bit safer.”

Yoonhwa looked around for a place to temporarily store the orb.

What caught her eye was a cute little pouch placed next to a small flowerpot.

The pouch was a deep teal and seemed to be used for holding gems or small souvenirs collected during travels.

“I can put it in this pouch!”

Yoonhwa suggested, holding up the pouch.

Her friends agreed with the idea, and Yoonhwa carefully placed the Fox Orb inside it.

She tightened the pouch’s drawstring to ensure the orb wouldn’t slip out.

Kangtae paused in thought, then suddenly brightened and began to look around as if he had an idea.

He discovered a necklace given to him by Eunho hanging in the bathroom.

He picked it up and confidently said to Yoonhwa.

“Hey! How about attaching a small pouch to this necklace to hold the Fox Orb?”

Yoonhwa and the other friends showed interest in his suggestion.

Yoonhwa liked Kangtae’s idea, and Seojin and Hyun nodded in agreement, saying it was a brilliant thought.

Kangtae carefully handled the necklace and hung the pouch on it so that the Fox Orb could be stored safely.

He then handed it to Yoonhwa, proudly presenting his creation.

“Here you go, Yoonhwa. Now you can keep the Fox Orb safe with this!”

Yoonhwa accepted the necklace that Kangtae gifted her, smiling gratefully.

“Thank you, Kangtae!”

Hyun listened to Kangtae’s idea, briefly lost in thought.

He looked at Yoonhwa and cautiously suggested.

“Yoonhwa, how about Kangtae wears this necklace instead of you?”

“Since we don’t know what might happen if you get drunk…, let’s leave it to Kangtae.”

Yoonhwa smiled at Hyun’s suggestion and nodded.

“That’s a good idea! Kangtae, is that okay?”

Kangtae looked momentarily surprised but soon understood the implications and agreed.

“Ah, right. If you get drunk and can’t control yourself, I can protect the Fox Orb.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of it.”

After that was decided, Kangtae took the necklace from Yoonhwa and wore it around his neck. The friends smiled at his responsible attitude.

Seojin chuckled as he said.

“Shall we have a party with four people?!”

The atmosphere heightened at Seojin’s suggestion.

Yoonhwa and Hyun beautifully arranged snacks and treats on the table, while Kangtae carefully set down the wine glasses.

Seojin poured alcohol into each glass, creating a joyful atmosphere.

“This drink is to celebrate our friendship, and to keep being good friends in the future~”

Yoonhwa raised her glass and expressed her gratitude to her friends.

“I’m really, really thankful for you all!..”

“Thank you for helping me adjust to the human world!”

Hyun held his glass up with a smile.

“Right, let’s have fun without worries!”

Kangtae also raised his glass in response.

“I’m not a big fan of alcohol, but… one drink shouldn’t be bad in this atmosphere.”

Seojin cheered with a laugh.

“Cheers!”

Yoonhwa, Hyun, and Kangtae all raised their glasses in response.

“Cheers!!”

The sound of their glasses clinking filled the room with a bright and cheerful ringing.

After taking their first sip, satisfaction spread across each of their faces.

Yoonhwa’s eyes sparkled at the new taste of alcohol.

“This time it’s that happy bitter taste..!”

Seojin grinned as he said.

“Ah.. it’s been so long since I had a drink..!”

“It’s really great…~”

Hyun took a bite of a snack and chimed in.

“Tasty snacks and good alcohol—best combo!”

Kangtae raised his glass and looked at Yoonhwa.

“You seem to be having fun, Yoonhwa…”

As they drank a few more glasses, the atmosphere became even more lively.

As time passed and the clock struck 8, the laughter and conversations of the friends grew louder.

Yoonhwa and Hyun looked at each other while holding their glasses, and the effects of the alcohol began to rise.

Yoonhwa gazed at Hyun with a hazy smile.

“Hyun, why are you so cute~?”

Hyun’s face turned red as he laughed.

“Yoonhwa… are you really getting drunk off this much…??”

Seojin and Kangtae burst into laughter at Yoonhwa and Hyun’s drunken state.

Seojin chuckled and said.

“Hyun seems drunk too, doesn’t he?”

Kangtae added.

“Both of you are totally lightweight drinkers!”

Yoonhwa replied in a tipsy voice.

“Lightweight…?! Me??!”

Hyun looked between Seojin and Kangtae with bleary eyes and said.

“Hey.. where did I leave my cello..?”

Seojin, trying to hold back laughter, replied.

“Your cello is at my house!”

Kangtae laughed and approached Yoonhwa and Hyun, refilling their glasses.

“You two seem way too drunk, don’t you think?”

“This is the last drink!”

Yoonhwa and Hyun grumbled in discontent at Kangtae’s last drink declaration.

“But we haven’t even started yet..!”

Yoonhwa exclaimed in a slurring voice.

Hyun added with a pout.

“Ugh.. Kangtae, you’re being too hasty!”

Seojin couldn’t contain his laughter at the complaints of the two.

“Still.. just a little drink!”

“Drinking more might make tomorrow rough, you know?”

Yoonhwa teasingly rolled her eyes at Seojin’s words.

“Are you worried about me? Thanks~ But I’m still fine!”

“Hyun doesn’t seem fine though~?”

Kangtae laughed, watching Yoonhwa.

“But why do you keep calling Hyun, ‘Hyun’?”

Yoonhwa replied candidly, boosted by the alcohol.

“I heard it wrong at first and called him that.”

“And then the name stuck in my mouth, so it just kept coming out that way-?”

Kangtae chuckled.

“Ah, so that’s why you call him Hyun..!”

“Calling him Hyun is just more comfortable~”

Hyun burst into laughter at his friends’ comments.

“Okay, so does that mean I’ll be called Hyun from now on?”

“Not a bad idea.”

Seojin added cheerfully.

“Great, from now on, we’ll all call Hyun, ‘Hyun’!”

“Hyun, the new nickname!”

Hyun raised his glass and took another drink, smiling.

As the alcohol started to kick in, the atmosphere became even more lively, and Hyun playfully spoke to Yoonhwa.

“Yoonhwa, did you know you’re really cute?”

“We all probably think that…!”

Yoonhwa temporarily forgot her embarrassment due to the alcohol and boldly replied.

“Yeah, I know! I can be a bit cute~”

“But…~ you should say I’m pretty instead!”

“There aren’t any pretty monsters like me in this world…”

At her unexpected answer, everyone burst into laughter, with Seojin clapping and saying.

“That’s right, Yoonhwa! I really love how confident you’ve become!”

Kangtae nodded in agreement, smiling at Yoonhwa’s witty response.

“Yeah, yeah. Yoonhwa, you’re really pretty~”

As the atmosphere peaked, Hyun was slowly reaching his limit.

His face was flushed and his eyes were growing hazy.

“Alright, I think I need to take a break now…”

Hyun leaned back from where he was sitting against the table.

His body slumped against the sofa.

“Hey, Hyun, are you okay?”

Seojin asked with a worried tone.

Hyun gave a faint smile and closed his eyes.

“Yeah.. I’m okay. Just a bit… sleepy…”

By the time Yoonhwa spoke, he was already fast asleep.

“Wow.. you worried so much and ended up being weaker!”

Kangtae found a soft blanket to cover Hyun, trying to make him comfortable.

After covering Hyun with the blanket, Kangtae carefully checked on him.

Hyun’s breathing appeared even and peaceful.

“Good night, Hyun.”

Yoonhwa softly said as she placed her hand gently on his forehead.

Kangtae exchanged glances with Seojin, contemplating.

“We should start being careful too.”

Seojin nodded, smiling.

“Haha, I’m fine?! You should be the one worrying!”

Kangtae felt the effects of the drinks and grinned playfully.

“Yoonhwa, let’s have an arm-wrestling match!”

As Kangtae proposed arm-wrestling, Seojin jokingly laughed.

“Hey, Kangtae, you want to arm-wrestle Yoonhwa?”

Kangtae confidently replied.

“Without the orb, I should be able to win, right?!”

Yoonhwa’s curiosity piqued, and she responded.

“Arm-wrestling… sounds fun! I want to try too!”

Kangtae explained the rules of arm-wrestling to Yoonhwa.

“In arm-wrestling, we sit across from each other at this table.”

“And we grab right hands, pressing our elbows on the table.”

“The goal is to push your opponent’s hand down onto the table..”

Yoonhwa nodded, her eyes full of curiosity as she listened to Kangtae.

“Ah, so it’s a contest of strength!”

The two sat across the table from each other and extended their arms.

Kangtae carefully grasped Yoonhwa’s hand, and their elbows were secured on the table.

Seojin stepped in as the referee, announcing.

“Alright… Ready…”

“Go!”

With confidence, Kangtae captured Yoonhwa’s hand and the arm-wrestling commenced.

Initially, it seemed like Kangtae was gaining the upper hand, slowly pushing Yoonhwa’s wrist down.

However, Yoonhwa smiled at him, and suddenly, strength began flowing into her arm.

Yoonhwa’s wrist gradually but surely pushed Kangtae’s wrist back to the center.

Kangtae, startled, met Yoonhwa’s gaze, taken aback by her unexpected strength.

Feeling pressure in his arm, he noticed that Yoonhwa’s arm remained steady.

At that moment, Yoonhwa put in extra power, and Kangtae’s wrist was slowly driven down towards the table.

Kangtae’s face displayed disbelief, and despite his efforts, he couldn’t prevent his wrist from getting closer to the table.

“Ouch, Kangtae! Are you really losing to a girl~??”

Seojin remarked with a teasing tone.

Eventually, Yoonhwa’s hand pressed Kangtae’s wrist onto the table, and she wore a victorious smile.

Kangtae, unable to accept the outcome, proposed another attempt.

“Let’s do it again, this time I’ll win..!!”

Yoonhwa looked at Kangtae with a confident smile.

“Okay, then this time I’ll let you win~!”

She extended her wrist with a challenging grin.

“Hold my wrist and let’s do it.”

“That’ll be a fair game for you–.”

Kangtae felt his pride was slightly wounded, but knowing he’d lose without a handicap, he eventually held onto Yoonhwa’s wrist and started again.

This time, Kangtae was on the offensive right from the start, beginning to drive Yoonhwa’s wrist back.

However, Yoonhwa still wore her smile, looking like she was enjoying the arm-wrestling match.

Kangtae used all his strength to push Yoonhwa’s arm back, but Yoonhwa resisted and held her ground.

In the end, despite Kangtae’s efforts, Yoonhwa’s arm didn’t budge.

“Haha, look at this! I’m still winning~!”

Yoonhwa cheerfully proclaimed.

Kangtae ended up conceding with a laugh.

“Haha.. Yoonhwa, you’re really amazing.”

“You’ll never win against me..”