Living Dangerously with a 999-Year-Old Gumiho – Chapter 3

The glow of magic flowing from her fingertips vanished in an instant.

Yoonhwa opened her eyes in surprise and felt anxious thoughts bubbling up.

‘Who… who touched it…?’

“Hyun… has Hyun come home…!!”

‘What am I supposed to do now…!?”

As Yoonhwa was overwhelmed with thoughts, she slowly turned around.

‘Please… it can’t be… it can’t be…!’

What entered Yoonhwa’s sight was none other than Hyun.

Hyun, with a shocked expression and trembling hands, asked in a shaky voice.

“Uh… Yoonhwa..? What all happened…?”

What Hyun saw was his chaotic home and Yoonhwa, decorated with nine tails and sharp ears.

Yoonhwa’s hanbok was splattered with blood, and so was the house.

“Uh… Hyun… this is… that is…!”

Yoonhwa didn’t have a moment to think of excuses.

“What on earth…”

Hyun dropped two blankets he had hastily brought from the store onto the floor.

“I think it’s already time to talk…”

Yoonhwa forced a smile and spoke.

“Hyun… I actually… Ninee…”

Before Yoonhwa could finish her words, Hyun collapsed forward.

“Hyun?! Hyun!!”

Yoonhwa hurriedly cast her magic again.

With no one watching in the deep of night, things needed to be sorted out quickly.

Sitting back on the floor, she closed her eyes and gestured.

That demon screamed in Hyun’s voice from the forest.

“You’re a Nine-Tailed Fox~!! I don’t like you!”

‘Shut up… will you be quiet?…’

“I’m trying to focus!… I’ll kill you?!…’

Yoonhwa momentarily lost her focus, but soon her heart settled back in place.

A bright light quickly surged from her fingertips and fixed the house.

And the splendid colors and blood on her clothes vanished cleanly.

Her hanbok returned to looking brand new.

Yoonhwa quickly spread the blankets Hyun had brought and laid Hyun down.

‘Oh, right!’

Yoonhwa tucked away her tails and ears, becoming a neat human again.

“Hyun… you aren’t dead, right?”

After a moment, Hyun regained consciousness.

“Uh… gasp! Yoonhwa…?”

“W-What on earth happened…?”

Yoonhwa smiled awkwardly.

“Uh… did you have a nightmare…?”

Yoonhwa wished this incident would pass like a dream.

“Yeah… it seems like it…”

“Let’s talk again tomorrow…”

Hyun quickly fell asleep again.

Yoonhwa thought weakly.

‘Leaving this house might be the right thing to do…?’

Exhausted, Yoonhwa had no more strength to think.

“I hope I can think of it as a dream…”

Yoonhwa quietly fell asleep in the corner of the house.

And just like that, she had the most comfortable sleep she’d had in 300 years.

The next morning

“Hmm… Ugh?!”

As soon as Yoonhwa woke up, she was shocked to the core.

On Yoonhwa’s head were sharp ears, and nine tails were swaying.

There was no room left for excuses.

Hyun was preparing breakfast as if it were a normal day.

Outside, the sounds of birds chirping, children chatting, and merchants shouting filled the air.

“Yoonhwa, come here and sit. I’ve prepared breakfast.”

Yoonhwa sat at the table, bewildered by the unexpected call.

Hyun placed a spoon in front of her without saying anything.

White rice and a stew also appeared silently on the dining table.

And then, Hyun placed well-grilled fish in front of Yoonhwa.

Hyun said with an awkward smile, “There’s not much, but enjoy.”

Sitting in front of Yoonhwa, Hyun picked up his spoon and began to eat.

Yoonhwa knew she had no excuse to eat, but hunger uncontrollably made her pick up the spoon.

‘What is he plotting…?’

Yoonhwa scooped a spoonful of rice and put it in her mouth.

The warm rice after 300 years was truly delicious.

Yoonhwa tried the unknown brown stew in front of her.

Surprised by the delightful flavor, words slipped out of her mouth.

“It’s delicious…!!”

‘Oh no…! What did I just say…?’

Yoonhwa’s face turned red.

Hyun, seeing her like this, chuckled suspiciously.

“I’m glad it suits your taste.”

Yoonhwa finished her meal about a minute later.

Though the serving was insufficient, she couldn’t ask for more.

As she looked at Hyun after finishing, his hands were shaking terribly.

He was trembling like a little mouse in front of a cat.

Yoonhwa had been so focused on eating that she temporarily forgot.

That even now, Yoonhwa was revealing her tails and ears.

Thinking it wouldn’t matter if she hid it now, she didn’t use any magic.

Shortly after, when Hyun finished his meal, silence filled the space.

Yoonhwa felt like she was returning to that awkward moment from their first encounter.

As the quiet atmosphere lingered, Hyun was the first to break the silence.

“Um… Yoonhwa, about what happened last night…”

Yoonhwa didn’t expect it, her ears perked up and her tail swayed.

“I… I don’t think it was a dream…?”

“Back then… what I saw… can you explain what it was…?”

Hyun held his trembling hands tightly and cautiously asked.

“If it’s uncomfortable… you don’t have to answer…!”

Yoonhwa slowly began to open her mouth.

“Hyun…”

Hyun answered in a shaky voice.

“Uh… yeah…”

“I’m actually not human…!”

Yoonhwa ultimately confessed her lie.

Hyun asked in a fearful voice.

“You’re a Nine-Tailed Fox, aren’t you…?”

Yoonhwa responded.

“To be precise… I’m not a Nine-Tailed Fox…”

“I’ll become one in just one more year…”

Hyun cautiously asked, trembling.

“If you’re a Nine-Tailed Fox… do you eat people’s livers…? Eek!!”

He startled himself with his own words.

“Are you going to eat my liver…?”

Yoonhwa replied in shock.

“Eat livers?! What are you talking about…?”

Hyun answered with a trembling voice.

“In the Nine-Tailed Fox tales, there’s a story about eating livers…”

Yoonhwa gasped.

“Eating livers! I don’t do such strange things— anymore.”

Hyun slowly questioned.

“Then why did you approach me…?”

Yoonhwa replied, choking back tears.

“I… I just wanted to be your friend…”

Hyun sighed in relief and said.

“I don’t think you’re a bad… monster.

Hyun seemed to have calmed down a bit.

“Then am I your first human friend? Haha…”

Hyun joked, saying it to Yoonhwa.

With sparkling tears, Yoonhwa said.

“W… you won’t hate me…?!”

Hyun composed himself and smiled as he answered.

“Why would I hate you?!”

Yoonhwa was overjoyed.

She shouted happily and hugged Hyun tightly.

“Thank you!!”

Hyun’s face turned red for a moment, then he began to feel suffocated, turning even redder.

“Um… Yoonhwa? cough!”

Yoonhwa jumped back, startled.

“Uh? Oh! I’m sorry… hehe…!”

A growl came from Yoonhwa’s stomach.

Hyun smiled and said.

“Aren’t you still hungry?”

Yoonhwa glanced around and said.

“Yeah…”

“There’s nothing to eat at home right now!”

“Ha ha… want to go to the market together~?”

Yoonhwa’s face lit up with excitement.

“Let’s go right now!! Food!!”

Hyun called out to Yoonhwa, who had dashed out the door, trying to keep up.

“Wait! What happened to your tail and ears…?”

Hyun asked with a worried expression as he looked at her tails.

Yoonhwa smiled and said.

“Want me to show you something fun? Watch closely~!”

Yoonhwa closed her eyes and muttered softly.

A faint light shimmered around Yoonhwa, and in the blink of an eye, her tails and ears vanished.

Hyun’s eyes widened, and he asked loudly.

“W… what was that? Is it magic…?”

“Shh…”

Yoonhwa hurriedly covered Hyun’s mouth with her hand. Then she whispered in his ear.

“Be quiet…!”

“Or others might hear…”

Hyun, whether from struggling for breath or understanding Yoonhwa’s words, quickly tried to push her hand away.

Yoonhwa removed her hand, grinned, and whispered.

“Hehe… isn’t it cool?”

Hyun stammered as he replied.

“Y… yeah…!”

“Can you use other magic too??”

Hyun asked with eager eyes.

Yoonhwa, looking flustered, replied.

“Well… actually… I’m still not great at controlling my power…! It could be dangerous.”

“So I’m scared of using strong magic for now…”

Hyun replied with a smile.

“Show me some of your weaker magic tonight! Haha—”

Yoonhwa felt excited about the upcoming night.

As Hyun took Yoonhwa’s hand and started toward the market, he found he couldn’t pull her along, so Yoonhwa followed him.

As they walked together, Hyun spoke up.

“Yoonhwa, want to know something fun?”

Yoonhwa’s eyes sparkled as she asked.

“What is it?! What is it?!”

Hyun giggled and asked.

“Guess what my name is~…?”

Yoonhwa, seemingly confused, answered.

“What’s your name? It’s Hyun! Hyun!”

“Did you forget what you said? Haha!”

Hyun struggled to contain his laughter as he said.

“My name isn’t ‘Hyun’… it’s ‘Hyun’!”

Hyun burst into laughter.

Confused, Yoonhwa asked.

“What do you mean it’s not Hyun? It is Hyun!”

Hyun took a deep breath to stop laughing and said again.

“Yoonhwa, my name is Hyun, not Hyun.”

Yoonhwa seemed to have realized something and shouted.

“Ah! Your name is not Hyun!”

“It’s Hyun!!”

Feeling embarrassed with her misunderstanding, Yoonhwa awkwardly laughed.

“Ah ha… hahahaha!”

Yoonhwa and Hyun arrived at the bustling market, enjoying their cheerful conversation.

Upon arriving at the market, Yoonhwa felt like a child who had just entered an amusement park; she was even more excited.

The busy market was filled with various items Yoonhwa had never seen before and the bright laughter of humans.

Yoonhwa widened her eyes and shouted.

“I can’t hold it in!!”

Yoonhwa dashed ahead faster than anyone else, leaving Hyun behind.

Hyun, startled, shouted.

“Wait for me!!…”

Yoonhwa vanished like the wind.

Worried about the Nine-Tailed Fox Yoonhwa, Hyun hurried to search for her wherever she might have gone.

“Ugh… where did Yoonhwa go…?”

Just then, someone spoke to Hyun.

“Hey! Why aren’t you performing today and just hanging around?”

A woman wearing a ridiculously-shaped hat approached him.

Hyun tilted his head in surprise.

“Seojin? Huh? What are you doing here?!”

Seojin playfully nudged Hyun and laughed.

“Am I not allowed to come to the market?”

Hyun, feeling awkward, replied.

“It feels like it’s been a really long time?”

Seojin looked at him in disbelief.

“What are you talking about? We just met two days ago!”

Hyun panicked.

“Oh right! I remember now…!”

“I’ve been so out of it lately…”

Seojin teasingly asked.

“Did you see a monster or something?”