Living Dangerously with a 999-Year-Old Gumiho – Chapter 73

“Hey, how about we brush our teeth before bed?”

Hyun suggested to the two monsters.

“Brush…??”

Yoonhwa and Nomi looked at Hyun in curiosity at the same time.

Since neither of them knew much about the common habits of the human world, Hyun’s suggestion felt fresh and intriguing.

Hyun smiled at their reactions and kindly explained,

“Brushing means cleaning your teeth.”

“Now that you two have to mingle with people, you should learn stuff like this, right?”

Yoonhwa and Nomi exchanged interesting looks.

For them, this experience felt like an adventure.

Hyun took the two monsters to the bathroom and carefully taught them how to brush their teeth step by step.

He opened two new toothbrushes and handed them to Nomi and Yoonhwa.

Yoonhwa and Nomi looked at the toothbrushes with fascination and listened intently to his explanations.

He demonstrated how to brush correctly.

“Brush gently in a circular motion like this.”

“Don’t brush too hard or you’ll hurt your gums.”

Nomi and Yoonhwa cautiously began to brush their teeth, following Hyun’s gentle guidance.

Nomi was particularly enthusiastic, moving the toothbrush diligently and following Hyun’s instructions carefully.

Her gaze sparkled with the joy of learning something new.

Yoonhwa also focused on brushing her teeth, moving gently in circles as Hyun had shown.

Her delicate touch handled her teeth with care.

Meanwhile, as Hyun closely observed Yoonhwa brushing, he noticed her teeth were sharp.

Unlike a normal human’s, Yoonhwa’s teeth looked pointy and sharp.

“Oh, Yoonhwa, your teeth are… uniquely shaped!”

Hyun exclaimed in surprise, leaning in to get a better look at Yoonhwa’s teeth.

As he tried to inspect her sharp teeth closely, Yoonhwa felt a sudden instinctive trigger.

Her body stiffened in tension as she sensed a subtle warning.

“Wait, Hyun…!!!”

Yoonhwa quickly covered her mouth with her hand and moved a little away from Hyun.

Her eyes expressed a mix of confusion and caution.

Nomi watched the situation unfold, bewildered.

“Yoonhwa, what’s wrong??”

She tried to understand what was happening.

Hyun was taken aback by Yoonhwa’s reaction.

“I… I’m sorry… Did I make you uncomfortable?”

Feeling his worried gaze, Yoonhwa hurried to clarify.

“No, Hyun… It’s not that.”

“You were just too close…”

“I almost bit you..!”

Hyun, surprised by Yoonhwa’s explanation, paused for a moment.

“Your scent is just so wonderful…”

“I… I couldn’t help it…”

Yoonhwa unintentionally confessed her honest feelings.

Her voice was mixed with apology and caution.

Nomi understood the situation and cautiously moved between Hyun and Yoonhwa.

“I want to eat a human too!”

Nomi’s sudden declaration brought a brief silence.

Her eyes sparkled playfully, yet both Hyun and Yoonhwa were momentarily startled.

Hyun looked at Nomi with fearful eyes.

As Nomi’s playful words made the atmosphere heavy, she quickly sensed their expressions and realized the awkward tension.

Her eyes widened for a second as she glanced between the two before hastily adding,

“J-Joking! Just joking!”

“I really want to be friends with humans too!”

Nomi’s voice was filled with an apologetic tone, and her face looked genuinely sorry.

Hyun read innocence in her gaze and felt some tension ease away.

As the atmosphere lightened thanks to Nomi’s clarification, Hyun returned to the original purpose.

He handed Nomi and Yoonhwa their toothbrushes and squeezed a proper amount of toothpaste onto them.

“Alright… let’s really brush our teeth now!”

Nomi and Yoonhwa took their toothbrushes and looked at the toothpaste that Hyun squeezed out, refocusing their attention.

Hyun encouraged them to try brushing their teeth as they had learned.

“Let’s take it slow, just like we practiced!”

Yoonhwa and Nomi carefully started brushing their teeth.

The new sensation of toothpaste spreading in their mouths made both monsters’ eyes widen.

It was fascinating how the refreshing taste of the toothpaste and the foam filled their mouths.

Hyun warned them about swallowing the toothpaste.

“Be careful, you shouldn’t swallow toothpaste!”

“Make sure to rinse with water afterward.”

Yoonhwa and Nomi followed Hyun’s instructions and rinsed their mouths with water after brushing.

Feeling a slight sting from the strong taste of the toothpaste, both monsters were in awe of this new experience and observed each other’s reactions.

Once Yoonhwa and Nomi finished brushing their teeth, Hyun suggested they wash up.

“Great job! Now go wash up!”

His voice was gentle and encouraging.

Excited from the new experience, Yoonhwa and Nomi nodded at Hyun’s words.

Hyun carefully closed the bathroom door to give them some personal space.

After that, he decided to do something else while the two monsters washed up.

In one corner of the living room, Hyun carefully opened his cello case.

It was already clean, but as he was going to start performing again tomorrow, he decided to wipe down the cello once more.

He gently took the cello out of the case and carefully wiped its body and strings with a soft cloth.

Checking each string to ensure they were properly tuned, Hyun prepared himself mentally for the performance tomorrow.

The wood of the cello sparkled from the rubbing of the soft cloth, filled with anticipation and excitement for the new performance.

Yoonhwa and Nomi emerged from the bathroom, feeling refreshed.

Nomi noticed Hyun in one corner of the living room, wiping down the cello and approached curiously.

“Wow, what’s this?!”

Nomi’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Pointing at the cello, Nomi stared wide-eyed.

This big, magnificent instrument was a completely new experience for her.

“What is this? It’s huge!”

Yoonhwa stood beside Nomi, watching her reaction, and began to explain about the cello.

“This is called a cello. It’s the instrument Hyun plays!”

There was a hint of pride in Yoonhwa’s voice as she spoke, as if she knew a lot about the instrument herself.

Nomi’s attention was drawn to the cello’s size.

She compared it to her own height, looking astonished.

“Wow, it’s taller than me!”

Following Nomi’s excited reaction and Yoonhwa’s proud explanation, Hyun decided to elaborate further about the cello.

He started to pour out his passion and affection for the cello.

“Oh, this cello holds a really special place in my heart! My parents gifted it to me when I was little. I’ve spent so much time with it since then. Growing alongside this instrument, it’s been a huge part of my life. In fact, thanks to this cello, I’ve been able to earn money too. I’ve played on the streets and done many small performances. The applause and encouragement I’ve received while sharing the beautiful sound of the cello with people brought me to this point. The sound of this cello is truly diverse and captivating. It has a soft, deep resonance. It covers a wide range from low notes to high; expressing various emotions and stories. Sometimes it plays lonely and melancholic melodies, and at other times, it shifts to bright and lively rhythms. The subtle changes in sound created by the movement of each finger and the length of the bow are really amazing. Just once… ”

As Hyun excitedly explained about the cello, Nomi’s expression began to show signs of fatigue.

Her eyes were half-closed, and she stifled a yawn while still trying to listen to Hyun’s story.

Hyun noticed her tired state and stopped, smiling.

“Sorry, Nomi. I guess I got a bit carried away with my story…”

Seeing Nomi looking tired, Yoonhwa decided to take care of her.

She approached Hyun and whispered in his ear.

“Hyun, just wait a moment. I’ll go put Nomi to sleep!”

Yoonhwa led Nomi to the room, giving Hyun a signal to wait.

Hyun nodded at Yoonhwa’s words with a smile.

The door to the room quietly closed, and Hyun was left alone again in the quiet space of the living room.

He carefully placed the cello back in its case and headed to the desk in one corner of the living room.

On the desk, amidst various stationery, lay a small diary.

Hyun sat at the desk and opened the diary.

He reflected on the day’s events one by one, deep in thought.

Today had been significant with several important happenings, causing various emotions to swirl in his heart.

As he put pen to paper, he thought about Roji, whom he met today.

His meeting with her was special, and he was touched by her beauty and kindness.

They spent some time sharing drinks, and every warm word from Sister Roji was a great comfort to him.

Next, Hyun pondered about borrowing money from Seojin.

Though he reluctantly asked for help, the time to repay that debt was approaching.

Hyun felt the weight of that burden, yet he was also excited about the cello performance coming up tomorrow.

He planned to repay Seojin with the earnings from the performance.

Just as Hyun picked up his pen to write, he heard the sound of Yoonhwa coming out of the room and lifted his head.

The door opened quietly, and Yoonhwa entered the living room with a serene expression.

Hyun smiled at Yoonhwa as she approached.

“Did you get Nomi to sleep?”

Hyun asked.

Yoonhwa nodded, coming closer to where Hyun was sitting.

With a serious expression, Yoonhwa remarked,

“I can’t sleep at all… How about you?”

Hyun paused thoughtfully before nodding.

“Well, I am a bit tired…”

Hyun briefly wore a contemplative expression.

“Didn’t you have a sip of coffee earlier?”

He cautiously inquired, gauging Yoonhwa’s reaction.

Upon hearing Hyun’s words, Yoonhwa thought for a moment before replying.

“Oh, right! I did have a little back then…”

Yoonhwa recalled, pausing to think before smiling at Hyun.

“But I only had a sip, so I should start feeling tired soon, right?”

Her tone seemed to comfort Hyun’s concerns.

After Yoonhwa’s answer, Hyun looked relieved.

Moments later, Yoonhwa asked Hyun a different question.

“Hyun, are you performing tomorrow?”

Her voice was filled with interest and anticipation.

Hyun nodded in response to her inquiry.

“Yeah, I need to start performing again.”

“Now that there are two more people living at home…”

“I have to work even harder than when I was living alone!”

Yoonhwa pondered for a moment after hearing Hyun’s response.

There was a glint of determination and a desire to help in her eyes.

Then, as if she had made up her mind, she proposed to Hyun.

“Hyun, how about I help you like last time?!”

“When we performed together, the humans loved it!”

Her tone conveyed a strong desire to participate in Hyun’s performance.

Hyun paused to think about Yoonhwa’s suggestion.

The joyous memories of their performance together flashed through his mind.

“That was really great. A lot of people came, and the atmosphere was fantastic.”

Hyun reminisced.

At the same time, he spoke honestly about the performance earnings.

“When I performed alone, I earned about 70,000 won each time.”

“When you joined me… it was up to 500,000 won!”

Yoonhwa gasped at Hyun’s words in surprise.

“Wow, really?! You earned that much?!”

Her eyes sparkled with amazement, mixed with joy at being able to help.

Hyun nodded with a smile at Yoonhwa’s reaction.

“Yeah, it’s true. Thanks to you being there, many more people showed up, and the performances became more special.”

“People were truly captivated by your magical charm.”

“Wait, isn’t that saying the same thing?”

Yoonhwa looked momentarily bewildered by Hyun’s words before quickly realizing his mistake and bursting into laughter.

“You must be really tired, Hyun.”

“Magical charm indeed!”

She chuckled at him.

Hyun realized his blunder, and his face turned red.

“Ah, I guess… I am a bit tired…”