Living Dangerously with a 999-Year-Old Gumiho – Chapter 40

Friends said their final goodbyes and left the inn.

With light footsteps, they retraced the route they had taken yesterday afternoon.

Yoonhwa felt her steps were much lighter than the day before as she looked at her friends walking alongside her.

“Wow… the difference between having the Fox Orb and not having it is pretty massive!!”

She briefly fell into thought, but then steadied her heart upon seeing the warm gazes of her friends.

“Thanks for being with me. I could find the Fox Orb because of you all!”

The friends exchanged smiles at Yoonhwa’s words.

“We’re always on your side, Yoonhwa!”

Encouraged by each other, the group moved towards the bridge leading back to their village.

It was 11 A.M., so the area was bustling with people.

The market along the way to the bridge to the village was packed with folks, each caught up in their own daily lives.

“Today is so crowded. Looks like everyone came out to enjoy the weekend.”

Kangtae remarked as he surveyed the surroundings.

Just then, a boy playing with his friend collided with Seojin’s invisible tail.

“Yikes…!?”

Seojin was startled and let out a small yelp, catching the attention of Hyun, Kangtae, and Yoonhwa, who all turned to look at her in surprise.

The faces of her friends displayed a mix of confusion and worry.

The boy, feeling that he had bumped into something, scanned his surroundings with a bewildered expression.

“I… I’m sorry, I think I bumped into something…”

Seojin quickly tried to smooth over the situation.

“It’s okay, really. You didn’t do anything wrong. I just got surprised all of a sudden!”

She smiled bashfully to reassure the boy.

Relieved, the boy sighed and smiled back, “Got it! I’ll be careful!”

Then he resumed playing with his friends.

Seojin turned to her friends, blushing slightly, and whispered quietly.

“That really startled me…!”

Hyun and Kangtae exchanged glances, bursting into relieved laughter.

Yoonhwa checked to see if Seojin’s tail was alright and said, “Thank goodness the magic hasn’t worn off!”

The friends set aside the small incident and continued on their way to the village.

They resumed their path, heading towards the bridge that led to the village.

The warm sunlight of 11 A.M. shone down as the area bustled with people.

The villagers hurried about their daily routines, while kids joyfully ran and played.

Seojin paced carefully, still a bit unsettled by the earlier event, which made her self-conscious about her behind.

Yoonhwa, noticing Seojin’s demeanor, quietly walked beside her to keep her company.

Hyun and Kangtae, drawn in by the vibrant atmosphere around them, momentarily dived into their own conversations.

As they crossed the bridge, the friends felt much lighter today compared to the heavy atmosphere of yesterday.

Crossing the bridge to the village, they began to set aside yesterday’s memories and prepared to embrace a new day.

Once over the bridge and passing through the forest, they noticed Hyun slightly out of breath and struggling.

His face was a bit flushed, and he was clearly catching his breath.

Yoonhwa’s playful side kicked in as she turned to Hyun and joked, “Hyun! Are you struggling? Should I carry you, maybe?”

At her words, Hyun jumped in shock and waved his hands quickly.

“N-no! It’s fine, really! I-I’m walking just fine!”

His voice was hurriedly rejecting, and his face turned even redder.

Seeing Hyun flustered made Yoonhwa giggle with amusement.

Their friends joined in, laughing at the scene.

Light jokes and laughter lightened their steps as they continued on their path home.

Arriving at the entrance of the village, the friends paused for a moment, gazing at the scenery.

The village was peaceful and bursting with the energy of morning.

Stores were already open, and vendors were setting up their goods, getting ready to greet customers.

“We’re back in our village!” Yoonhwa said happily as she looked around.

For her, the familiar sight of the village felt refreshing.

Hyun, Seojin, and Kangtae all sighed with relief, taking in their surroundings.

Yesterday’s events felt like distant stories.

“Let’s go home and rest. Yesterday was such a long day.”

Kangtae suggested, smiling at his friends.

“Let’s go to Seojin’s house! Hyun’s cello is there, too.”

Yoonhwa added.

Everyone seemed to agree with her suggestion.

“Yeah, sounds good. Let’s relax at my place.”

Seojin waved her hand to beckon her friends.

Hyun mentioned the cello with a hint of nervousness, “Right, the cello’s there.”

“Today, I should practice a bit too.”

Relaxed now, the friends headed to Seojin’s house.

Feeling the morning vibe of the village, they decided to put yesterday’s adventure behind them and return to their peaceful everyday life.

Walking along the path to Seojin’s house, neighbors greeted her, and children laughed and played along the road.

Seojin’s home stood in the center of the village, boasting a beautifully decorated garden and warm-colored walls that set it apart from the other houses.

Seojin quickly opened her front door and stepped inside.

As soon as the door opened, her friends gasped at the sight of a man’s corpse in the middle of the living room.

“Ahh?!!”

They seemed to have momentarily forgotten about this fact. The living room was already filled with an unpleasant stench coming from the body.

“Oh, I forgot about that incident…”

Hyun murmured with a startled voice.

Seojin winced while holding her nose.

“W-what are we going to do about this…?”

Kangtae realized the gravity of the situation and silently nodded.

Yoonhwa took a moment to gather her thoughts and took a deep breath. She raised her hand and prepared some magic.

“First, let’s take care of the smell…”

Yoonhwa’s tail revealed itself, her ears popped out, and her eyes sparkled with determination.

In an instant, the foul smell in the living room started to dissipate, and they could feel the air around the corpse becoming clearer.

Yoonhwa’s magic was eliminating the bad energy surrounding the body.

Yoonhwa gazed at the corpse, deep in thought. She was still not skilled enough to handle a corpse with her magic.

“This isn’t something I can deal with using magic.”

“It seems like we need to take care of this ourselves…”

Seojin suggested cautiously.

“There’s a quiet forest near my house.”

“There, we can handle it without anyone knowing.”

Kangtae said seriously.

“Alright, let’s do that…”

Yoonhwa shouldered the man’s corpse, and together with her friends, they headed into the forest.

Her expression was grim, and her friends followed her in silence, sensing the heavy atmosphere.

Upon arriving in the forest, they searched for a secluded spot to bury the body.

Yoonhwa used her magic to dig the ground while the friends carefully laid the man to rest inside.

After covering the grave, they stood for a moment in silence.

In the stillness of the forest, the hearts of the friends felt heavy.

“This man… hurt Yoonhwa.”

“Was he controlled by Miryeong…?”

Hyun asked cautiously.

Everyone’s hearts languished under the weight of his question.

The shadow of a woman darkened their thoughts once more.

“Did we really have to kill this man…?”

“That scoundrel Eunho…”

Seojin said in a small voice.

Doubt over the choices he made lingered in their minds.

Yoonhwa looked at her friends and smiled warmly, trying to shift the somber mood.

“I’m hungry~ Seojin, make something delicious at your place, Hyun!”

Hyun smiled at Yoonhwa’s words, easing the tension.

“Sure, Yoonhwa. I’ll prepare something special for you guys.”

Seojin joined in on Yoonhwa’s mood shift, saying, “Let’s see what we can make with the ingredients we have at home.”

“Let’s cook together!”

Kangtae chimed in with interest at their suggestion.

“Alright, I’ll help.”

“It’s not cooking, but I can handle the cleaning up easily.”

The friends looked at each other and shared laughter, momentarily leaving behind the dark memories as they prepared to enjoy cooking together.

They left the forest and made their way back to Seojin’s house.

Upon arriving at Seojin’s house, the friends took off their shoes and stepped inside.

Yoonhwa released the magic that was on Seojin’s tail.

Seojin sighed in relief as she looked around her home.

“Ah, home really is the most comfortable place!”

Her friends nodded in agreement with her statement.

Yoonhwa looked around and said to her friends, “Seojin’s house is truly warm and cozy. I always feel at peace when I’m here…”

Hyun clapped his hands and headed toward the kitchen.

“Alright, then shall we start cooking?”

“Is there something you want to eat, Yoonhwa?”

Kangtae set Choco down on the floor and already looked ready to clean up.

“I’ll be in charge of cleaning up, so you all can cook as much as you want.”

Yoonhwa, looking as if she was deep in thought, brightly smiled and said, “Hmm, I want that… a dish with warm broth!”

“I’m not sure of the name, but it smells delicious and has various ingredients.”

“Let’s say it’s a dish full of warmth in one bowl?”

Hyun listened and nodded as he pondered, “Ah, what you’re mentioning is probably… a soup or a stew?”

“Let’s go with something warm and nutritious then.”

Seojin opened the fridge and said, “Alright, let me check what ingredients we have in the fridge and pantry.”

“I’m sure we can make something truly delicious with the ingredients in our house!”

As the friends began cooking in the kitchen, Choco roamed around them, wagging its tail, seemingly attracted by the cooking smells.

Choco watched as the small pieces of food occasionally fell to the ground, eyes full of hope.

When Seojin accidentally dropped a small vegetable piece while prepping ingredients, Choco quickly snatched it and gobbled it up.

“Choco really eats vegetables well!”

Choco cast a grateful look at Seojin as it enjoyed the treat happily.

Hyun stood next to Yoonhwa and began to explain how to cook step by step.

“First, let’s start with the base broth.”

“This broth is going to be the foundation of all the flavor.”

Hyun poured water into a large pot, adding various vegetables and meat to create a hearty broth.

“If you cook it with these ingredients for a long time, the flavors will meld and become richer.”

Yoonhwa focused intently, watching Hyun’s movements.

“What do we do next?”

Hyun advised, “Once the ingredients have infused well, you’ll add chopped vegetables and meat that are easy to eat.”

“Then you can think of adding various seasonings for flavor.”

Yoonhwa used her magic to chop ingredients into suitable sizes like potatoes, carrots, and onions according to Hyun’s instructions.

As Yoonhwa concentrated and raised her hands, light sliced through the air, cutting the vegetables.

However, due to her still-developing skills, they ended up a bit smaller than intended and even managed to cut across the dining table.

Seojin gasped as she saw Yoonhwa’s magic rip through the table.

“Yikes…!? My table!”

Her voice was laced with shock and embarrassment as their friends were caught off guard momentarily.

Yoonhwa felt apologetic upon seeing the crack in the table.

“I’m really sorry, Seojin…!”

“I should have been a bit more careful…”

She immediately used her magic to gently mend the crack in the table.

The light of her magic softly brushed over the table, gradually making the crack disappear.

Seojin sighed in relief as she watched Yoonhwa fix the table.

“Oh, thank goodness!”

Kangtae, while washing dishes, looked at Yoonhwa with surprise, “Huh?! Didn’t Yoonhwa just apologize?”

His voice carried a playful tone.

“We agreed not to apologize!”

“If you apologize, you owe a slap!”

The friends burst into laughter at Kangtae’s words, while Yoonhwa glanced at him with a playful yet flustered expression.

“Oh gosh, I totally forgot?!”

Yoonhwa chuckled as she wondered whether Kangtae would really slap her.