Living Dangerously with a 999-Year-Old Gumiho – Chapter 38

Ding dong~!!

Morning, the doorbell rang.

At the sound of the doorbell, the friends paused their conversation in the kitchen and perked up their ears.

Hyun was the first to react.

“Who could be coming this early in the morning..?”

He cautiously stood up and headed towards the front door.

Seojin and Kangtae followed him with curious expressions.

Meanwhile, Yoonhwa, who was lying in bed, slowly opened her eyes at the sound of the doorbell.

At first, she thought it was part of a dream, but as she became more awake, she realized the sound was ringing in reality.

Her appearance, as she started to wake up, was remarkably serene.

Her ears lightly twitched, signaling that she was gradually returning to the real world.

Hyun arrived at the front door and carefully opened it.

As the door swung open, Eunbi and Seojoon, the children of the inn, were standing in front of Hyun.

Eunbi wore a bright smile and was holding a small basket.

“Mom asked me to bring some food!”

Her voice was filled with joy.

Seojoon stood beside Eunbi, cautiously holding her hand.

While Eunbi was cheerfully chatting, Seojoon quietly bowed his head, looking a bit shy.

But inside, he was brimming with words he wanted to express.

Gathering his courage, Seojoon looked at Hyun and her friends.

His gaze expressed deep gratitude and remorse regarding what happened yesterday.

“Thank you so much for yesterday..”

His voice was soft and careful, yet the sincerity behind it was clear.

Then Seojoon mustered a bit more courage and continued speaking.

“Please tell the Nine-Tailed Fox sister… that I’m sorry..!”

His words conveyed the guilt he felt for the danger Yoonhwa faced for them yesterday and the worry that came along with it.

Yoonhwa carefully sat up in bed and slightly overheard Seojoon’s words.

Her eyes still looked a bit drowsy, and as her tail swayed gently, she slowly walked towards the door.

Feeling her heart warmed by Seojoon’s words, Yoonhwa wanted to speak to the children.

As soon as Eunbi saw Yoonhwa approaching Hyun, her attention was captivated by Yoonhwa’s fox ears and tail.

Eunbi’s eyes sparkled with surprise and delight.

“Wow, Nine-Tailed Fox sister!! You look like you’re straight out of a fairy tale!”

Eunbi’s voice was filled with pure admiration.

Seojoon’s face turned red as he looked at Yoonhwa.

His gaze flitted between Yoonhwa’s ears and tail, unable to find the words, he lowered his head.

Yoonhwa approached them with a gentle smile in response to the children’s reaction.

“Thank you, Eunbi… and Seojoon!.. You don’t need to apologize.”

“It was all because of me…”

Yoonhwa lightly patted Seojoon’s shoulder, encouraging him.

Eunbi, enchanted by Yoonhwa’s tail, bounced around excitedly and exclaimed with joy.

“Can I, can I touch your tail?!”

Her eyes sparkled with anticipation as she cautiously reached out her hand towards Yoonhwa’s tail.

Yoonhwa laughed at Eunbi’s innocent curiosity and nodded.

“Of course~.”

She allowed Eunbi to touch her tail.

Eunbi gently stroked Yoonhwa’s tail, exclaiming in wonder.

“Wow, it’s so soft and warm..!”

She felt a growing affection for Yoonhwa, displaying an expression full of joy.

Seojoon was still blushing, but he smiled softly as he watched the warm exchange between his sister and Yoonhwa.

Though his shy nature kept him from speaking up, he felt the same admiration and curiosity inside.

Hyun, Seojin, and Kangtae were also smiling contentedly at the scene.

As Yoonhwa yawned, showing signs of tiredness, Eunbi paused her excited actions and looked at Yoonhwa with concern.

“Did I wake you up because of me…?”

“I’m sorry, Yoonhwa sister…”

Eunbi’s voice was filled with genuine remorse.

Yoonhwa smiled at Eunbi’s worried words and gently replied.

“It’s okay, you just helped me wake up at the right time!”

Eunbi smiled as if a weight had lifted off her shoulders.

Seojoon, realizing a lot of time had passed, cautiously spoke to Eunbi.

“Sister… Mom said we should hurry back…”

“W-we should probably go fast..?”

A hint of urgency was evident in his voice.

Eunbi hesitated for a moment at Seojoon’s words, glancing at Yoonhwa and her friends.

“Um… but I want to spend more time with her…”

Eunbi’s voice took on a slightly downcast tone, and her expression showed clear disappointment.

Seeing Eunbi’s forlorn face, Yoonhwa smiled warmly and said.

“Eunbi, your mom will worry about you. I’ll stop by the shop when I head out!”

Yoonhwa’s words contained both a promise and reassurance.

Eunbi felt her heart lighten a little upon hearing Yoonhwa’s words and nodded.

“Okay, Nine-Tailed Fox sister!”

“Make sure to come by..!!”

Her voice returned to a hopeful tone.

Seojoon agreed with Eunbi’s decision, nodding as well.

He shyly bowed his head to Yoonhwa and her friends from behind his sister.

Eunbi carefully handed the basket to Yoonhwa.

“This is a lunchbox from Mom.”

“Enjoy your meal!”

Eunbi said as she presented the basket to Yoonhwa.

Inside the basket were four lovingly prepared lunchboxes.

Yoonhwa accepted the basket with a warm smile directed at Eunbi and Seojoon.

“Thank you, Eunbi, and Seojoon too. Please thank your parents for me!”

Her voice was imbued with heartfelt gratitude.

Seojoon gave one last greeting to Yoonhwa and her friends before they all joined hands and went down the stairs.

The friends shouted at the kids.

“Bye, thank you!!”

The sound of the children’s footsteps grew fainter.

Hyun, Seojin, and Kangtae returned to the living room with Yoonhwa and looked at the lunchboxes the kids had brought.

“Wow.. there’s really a lot..!!”

Seojin exclaimed.

Yoonhwa looked at the lunchboxes in the basket and said.

“I… I saw this in the forest!!”

“There were all kinds of food inside!”

Seojin replied with a shocked expression as he looked at Yoonhwa.

“Really? You saw lunchboxes in the forest?”

Hyun asked curiously.

“How did you even find a lunchbox in the forest? And how did you eat it?”

Yoonhwa looked at her friends with innocent eyes and explained.

“Sometimes when wandering in the forest, humans forget things they brought while taking a walk!”

“At first, I didn’t know what it was, but when I opened it, it was filled with delicious food~!!”

Kangtae laughed and said.

“So you were the lunchbox cleaner of the forest?”

Everyone burst out laughing at his words.

Yoonhwa continued her interesting story.

“Yeah, something like that. So I know what the lunchbox boxes look like.”

“But it’s the first time I’ve seen it arranged so beautifully, it’s amazing.”

Seojin handed one of the lunchboxes to Yoonhwa and said.

“Then this time you’re going to have a proper lunchbox, right?”

“Since Eunbi’s mom made it with care, it must be delicious!”

Yoonhwa pulled the lid off the lunchbox from the basket with bright eyes filled with excitement.

As soon as Yoonhwa opened the lunchbox, her eyes widened at the variety of foods inside.

“Oh, what’s this?”

She spoke with a voice full of curiosity, pointing to a stir-fry dish made with sausages and various vegetables.

Hyun responded to Yoonhwa’s curiosity.

“Oh, that’s sausage and vegetable stir-fry. Chopped sausages are stir-fried with various vegetables like carrots, onions, and bell peppers.”

“It has a sweet and spicy seasoning that makes it really appetizing.”

Seojin added.

“It’s especially one of the favorite dishes for kids!”

“With all the colorful vegetables, it’s nutritious, and it looks pretty too, don’t you think?”

Kangtae began to introduce other side dishes one by one to Yoonhwa.

“Here, this is rolled egg. It’s made by thinly frying eggs and rolling them up with seaweed or other ingredients; it’s soft and has a mild flavor.”

“And this small side dish is braised beef. It’s made by simmering beef for a long time in soy sauce, making it salty and sweet, perfect as a side dish.”

The lunchbox also contained rice, carefully packed. When Yoonhwa opened the other side of the lunchbox, warm white rice was visible.

Small bits of dried seaweed were sprinkled atop the rice, adding a subtle aroma and flavor.

Seojin continued.

“Rice tastes better when you eat it with the other side dishes!”

“If you eat it with sausages, rolled eggs, or braised beef, it’s just perfectly combined.”

Kangtae showed Yoonhwa how to enjoy the rice with the side dishes.

“Like this, put a bit of the side dish on top of the rice and eat it in one bite, it’s so delicious with all the different flavors blending together.”

The friends gathered at the small table in the living room and began their breakfast with the lunchboxes the children brought.

Yoonhwa, mixing the rice and side dishes little by little, marveled at the various flavors of the human world.

“Wow, the best thing about coming to the village is… making friends!”

“Next, it’s being able to keep eating such delicious food…!!”

“Thank you so much, friends~!!”

At Yoonhwa’s words, her friends all brightened up with smiles. Her pure joy and gratitude warmed their hearts.

Hyun looked at Yoonhwa and smiled.

“Because of you, we’ve had many experiences too.”

“Especially, before I met you… I was so lonely…”

Seojin changed the mood by saying.

“But now, we’re all together, which is great! We won’t have to be lonely anymore.”

She smiled as she alternated her gaze between Yoonhwa and Hyun.

“Right? Sharing such delicious food together and listening to each other’s stories makes us all a great support for one another.”

Kangtae chimed in.

“Yeah, now we’re like one big family.”

In this cheerful atmosphere, the puppy Choco quietly approached Hyun.

Drawn in by the sounds of laughter and happy conversations, Choco began licking the palm of Hyun’s hand.

Hyun looked at Choco in surprise.

“Hey, Choco, are you comforting me too..!”

At first, Hyun thought Choco was worried about him.

But soon he realized Choco was drawn to the smell of blood from Hyun’s injured hand.

Kangtae carefully picked up Choco to prevent him from licking Hyun’s wound and took him away from Hyun.

“Choco, let’s play over here for a while~ Hyun’s hurt, so just wait a bit.”

Seojin looked at Hyun’s injury with a worried expression.

“It seems like you need a band-aid.”

“I’ll check to see if they have band-aids or antiseptic in the shop.”

She stood up and headed towards the store.

Hyun smiled gratefully at his friends for their consideration.

“Thank you!”

Yoonhwa brightened the atmosphere again, saying.

“Then shall we continue enjoying our lunchboxes before Seojin gets back?”

Hyun smiled as he replied.

“Yeah~ let’s eat well.”

Kangtae gently set Choco down on the floor, saying.

“Choco, you can’t go to Hyun!”

Choco quietly played on the floor, occasionally glancing up at the friends.

While they were eating the lunchboxes, Choco approached Hyun from time to time.

Each time, Kangtae would pull Choco back and give him a treat.

As Seojin headed towards the store, she felt a worry in her heart. The pain she felt at the sight of Hyun’s injury hadn’t faded yet.

As soon as Seojin entered the store, the innkeeper couple along with Eunbi and Seojoon welcomed her.

The innkeeper couple were not surprised to see Seojin’s tail.

They already knew that Yoonhwa and her friends were special beings.

Seojin asked.

“Hello, thank you for the lunchboxes!..”

“Do you happen to have band-aids or antiseptic?”

The innkeeper, Eunbi’s father, asked with a worried voice.

“Seojin, did something happen last night…? Because of us…”

Seojin smiled at the kind innkeeper couple and replied.

“Oh, no, it’s nothing big.”

“Hyun got a little hurt, and I came to look for band-aids and antiseptic.”

“Thanks to you, we’re doing well, so don’t worry.”

Eunbi and Seojoon quietly exchanged glances, observing their parents’ concerned expressions toward Seojin.

The innkeeper couple guided Seojin to where the medical supplies were.

Eunbi’s father said.

“Here, there are emergency supplies. Take whatever you need, Seojin.”

After gathering the necessary medical supplies, Seojin once again expressed her gratitude to the innkeeper couple.

“Thank you so much..!”

The innkeeper couple warmly sent Seojin off as she headed outside.

“Please let us know anytime you need something.”

“Take care!”