Living Dangerously with a 999-Year-Old Gumiho – Chapter 44

When Seojin and her group entered, a cheerful voice called out to her friends and parents.

“You’re hereee~!!”

The voice belonged to a little girl who looked like she was in kindergarten.

Choco was comfortably sitting beside the child.

His soft fur quivered slightly under the child’s gentle touch.

Occasionally, he tilted his head towards her and wagged his tail.

Seojin’s parents exchanged astonished glances before asking Seojin.

“Who is this child? Do you know her?”

Seojin looked at the girl and responded with a confused expression.

“I, uh, I’ve never seen her before…?”

The girl beamed at Seojin’s group and waved her hand.

Her appearance radiated purity and friendliness, but Seojin’s family was puzzled about the situation.

Seojin’s mother approached the girl and gently asked.

“Hello..? How did you get in here? Who are you?”

Kangtae felt Choco getting anxious next to the girl and picked him up gently, his heart pounding with tension.

Choco curled up slightly in Kangtae’s arms, seeming a bit reassured.

Kangtae’s expression was filled with worry and confusion as he observed the situation while still holding Choco.

The girl confidently answered Seojin’s mother’s question.

“Me? I came to see Yoonhwa unnie!”

At her words, Yoonhwa looked surprised and stared at the girl.

“M-me..? How do you know my name? Why did you come to find me..?”

In response to Yoonhwa’s bewildered question, the girl continued to smile brightly.

“I came to see the nine-tailed fox unnie! I came all the way over here?!”

Seojin’s parents looked even more taken aback by the girl’s answer, glancing at each other.

“The nine-tailed fox… What are you talking about? Yoonhwa…?”

At the child’s words, Seojin’s friends exchanged nervous glances, and Yoonhwa hurriedly waved her hands to calm the situation.

“Oh, no! She’s just a little kid playing around..!!”

“The nine-tailed fox is a legendary creature, right…?”

But the girl jumped up to Yoonhwa and said with sparkling eyes.

“No, it’s true! Yoonhwa unnie! Why are you lying?!”

As Yoonhwa approached the girl, she suddenly felt a faint qi emanating from her.

The moment Yoonhwa sensed it, she realized that the child in front of her was not just a simple human.

“You… came to take the orb..?!”

Yoonhwa asked cautiously.

The girl’s expression quickly filled with curiosity at Yoonhwa’s question.

“W-what orb? What is that?”

“Why would I take the orb?”

Yoonhwa felt flustered by the child’s reaction and immediately made a decision.

She took the girl’s hand and hurried towards the room.

Seojin’s parents and friends watched them disappear into the room, puzzled.

Inside, Yoonhwa closed the door and locked eyes with the girl, lost in thought.

The girl’s eyes sparkled with pure curiosity, and Yoonhwa’s heart felt lighter.

“Okay, so why did you want to meet me?”

Yoonhwa asked gently.

The girl answered with wide, shining eyes.

“Because Yoonhwa unnie looks cool!”

“I’m really curious about how you live alongside humans without eating them!”

Yoonhwa paused briefly at the girl’s question.

She gazed into the child’s innocent eyes and decided to answer cautiously.

“I’m learning about humans along with my friends here.”

Yoonhwa explained softly.

The girl opened her eyes wide in amazement at her words.

“Wow, then Yoonhwa unnie must be a really good monster!”

Yoonhwa smiled at the girl’s pure compliment and spoke quietly.

“But right now, we have to keep our story a secret.”

“To Seojin’s parents… It’s a secret that I’m a nine-tailed fox…!”

The girl appeared to ponder for a moment but then nodded eagerly.

“Okay, Yoonhwa unnie! It’ll be a secret!”

Feeling grateful, Yoonhwa held the girl’s hand and returned to the living room.

She smiled at Seojin’s parents and friends.

“The child seems to have been playing around with me!”

Seojin’s mother chuckled for a moment after hearing Yoonhwa’s explanation.

“I’m glad if it was just a joke. But, sweetie, how did you get here?”

Seojin’s mother asked kindly.

The girl took a moment to think before cheerfully responding.

“I lost my family!”

Everyone was taken aback by the child’s statement, and Seojin’s parents exchanged concerned looks as they discussed the situation.

Seojin’s mother spoke with a worried voice.

“I want to help the child in this situation, but we have an important promise today…”

Seojin’s father added.

“Yeah, it’s a very important promise…”

“Can you all help this child find her parents?”

Seojin’s father felt the urgency of the situation and took out some bills from his wallet.

He approached Seojin and her friends.

“Here, buy this kid some food, and help her find her parents.”

“Get what you need to eat, and call me if anything happens!!”

He handed several bills to his friends, which glimmered in the light.

Seojin’s mother lovingly patted the girl’s head.

“I really hope you find your parents.”

As Seojin’s mother gently stroked the girl’s head, the girl felt a pleasant sensation.

She nodded with the brightest smile.

“Yup!”

The friends waved goodbye to Seojin’s parents.

“Goodbye!! Thank you!”

As Seojin’s parents left the house, the girl looked back at Seojin and his friends, beaming with that innocent smile again.

“Hi! What’s your relationship with Yoonhwa unnie?!”

Seojin was momentarily taken aback by the child’s question but then responded with a smile.

“We’re friends with Yoonhwa unnie. How do you know her?”

“Are you friends?”

The girl replied with sparkling eyes.

“Me? I came from afar to see Yoonhwa unnie!”

“I really wanted to meet a nine-tailed fox!”

Hyun interrupted in surprise at the girl’s words.

“Really? You knew about nine-tailed foxes.”

“Then… are you also a monster?”

The girl nodded with a pure smile.

“Yup, I’m a monster too!”

“But I didn’t come to get that orb or whatever! I don’t even know what that is!”

Hyun then asked the girl her age and name.

“I see, then how old are you? What’s your name?”

The girl paused thoughtfully before answering.

“Me? I’m seven years old!”

“And my name… um, I don’t have one!”

Seojin and Hyun were somewhat surprised by her response, but they opened their hearts to her innocence and curiosity.

Seojin cautiously asked the girl.

“Where did you lose your parents?”

The girl hesitated for a moment before honestly responding.

“Actually… I lied about losing my parents.”

“I came all the way here on my own!”

Kangtae couldn’t hide his surprise and asked.

“By yourself?! How’s that possible? You’re amazing!”

Yoonhwa approached the girl and asked.

“So what’s the real reason you came here?”

The girl, receiving Yoonhwa’s warm gaze, smiled faintly and replied.

“I thought Yoonhwa unnie looked really cool… I wanted to meet a nine-tailed fox.”

Yoonhwa’s face flushed as she smiled at the girl’s words.

“Why do you think I look cool enough to come find me?”

The girl gazed adorably at Yoonhwa with pure eyes.

“I’ve only heard about nine-tailed foxes in legends!”

“Seeing you in person is way cooler.”

“A monster like Yoonhwa unnie who gets along well with humans is rare, right?!”

Seojin looked at the girl with curious eyes and asked.

“Then what kind of monster are you? Can you tell us?”

The girl appeared to think for a moment, then responded with a playful smile.

“It’s a secret!”

Yoonhwa looked slightly disappointed at the girl’s playful answer and gently held her hand.

“Can’t you tell me?~”

“Since you know I’m a nine-tailed fox, I should also know who you are.”

“Isn’t that how we get closer to each other~?”

The girl hesitated for a moment at Yoonhwa’s warm touch but then grinned brightly.

“If I want to get closer to Yoonhwa unnie… I guess I can tell you a little.”

She began to speak cautiously.

“I can make thorns grow..!”

“Thorns?”

Hyun asked in surprise.

“What does that mean? You can make thorns grow whenever you want?”

Seojin added worriedly.

“Can you also make thorns grow on people…? On us too?”

Seeing the concerned looks on her friends’ faces, the girl quickly replied.

“Don’t worry! You’ll be safe if I don’t want it!”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at her words. Kangtae set Choco down to lighten the mood and asked.

“Okay, that’s a relief. So where’s your home?”

“If you didn’t lose your parents, then where is your house?”

The girl fell silent for a moment before cautiously responding.

“I don’t have a place that I can call home. I’ve been wandering around here and there!”

“I want to live with Yoonhwa unnie!”

Yoonhwa was startled by the sudden declaration but began to explain gently.

“I’m currently living with Hyun.”

“Our place is very small, so it might be a bit cramped for the three of us…”

The girl made a thoughtful expression for a moment before looking at Yoonhwa and asking.

“What should we do then? I really want to live with Yoonhwa unnie…”

Yoonhwa’s heart stirred at the girl’s innocent wish.

She looked at Hyun with a contemplative expression.

Hyun understood the situation and nodded.

“Well, for three people to live together in our house…”

Seojin proposed a solution to the problem.

“Wait, there’s a vacant house next to mine that’s just like ours.”

“I heard it’s too expensive, so no one bought it…”

“Move next door…?”

Everyone was surprised by Seojin’s suggestion, and Hyun cautiously interjected.

“Isn’t that house expensive…?”

“Can we afford it?”

Seojin, with a confident smile, responded.

“Don’t worry about the money. I’ve asked to move there a bunch of times before Yoonhwa came!”

“You turned it down, so I saved up some money.”

“I’ll support it. Let’s try to make it so we can all live comfortably.”

The girl’s hands flew up in excitement as she beamed.

“Really?! I can live with you and Yoonhwa unnie?!”

Yoonhwa felt deep gratitude at Seojin’s suggestion but also had a tinge of guilt.

Hyun, shocked, stopped Seojin.

“Wait, Seojin. This is a really big decision. You shouldn’t spend your money like this.”

Seojin listened to Hyun but seemed resolute.

“Don’t worry, Hyun. I really want to help.”

“Isn’t it more important that two monsters can live comfortably?”

“And anyway, you were going to help me move, right?”

“It’s just perfect timing!”

Kangtae was astonished by Seojin’s decision and added.

“Wow, Seojin… That’s really amazing.”

“You’ve got a big heart and a lot of money..!”

Seojin went into the room and opened the drawer to pull out a wad of cash.

As he did, a strange feeling came from behind his butt.

When he touched it, it seemed that his tail was gone. Seojin walked outside holding the cash.

“Here, this should be enough!”

Yoonhwa felt heavy-hearted with Seojin’s generous offer.

“Seojin, I can’t believe you’re giving such a big help… I really appreciate it…”

“But I feel bad if this is the right thing to do…”

“I keep receiving, and it’s already overwhelming…”

Hyun added.

“Really, thank you so much, Seojin…”

“We hope one day we can repay this kindness.”

The girl joyfully waved her hands excitedly.

“Wow! Really?!”

“I can finally live with Yoonhwa unnie! That’s so cool!”

“I have a home now~!!!”

Choco wagged his tail and circled next to Yoonhwa.

Seojin waved his hands dismissively at everyone’s gratitude.

“It’s fine, everyone. This is what I want to do!”

“As long as we can all be happy, that’s the most important thing.”

Kangtae made a joke to lighten the mood.

“Seojin, it’s not like I’m getting a house or something~!”

Everyone burst into laughter at his joke. In the midst of the laughter, the girl with curiosity asked.

“But who were those two old humans that left earlier?”

Seojin, startled by the girl’s expression, hurriedly said.

“Uh… ah, those two are my parents!”

Upon hearing that, the girl’s gaze changed in an instant.

“Parents? Why don’t I have parents?”

“Why am I all alone?!”

Yoonhwa quickly noticed the girl’s sudden anger and rushed to calm her down.

“You’re not alone, we’re all here.”

Yoonhwa tried to explain softly, but the girl wasn’t satisfied with that.

She looked directly into Yoonhwa’s eyes and demanded.

“Then you be my mom!”