Living Dangerously with a 999-Year-Old Gumiho – Chapter 78

A loud, urgent knock sounded from outside the door.

Knock, knock, knock, knock—

When Hyun opened the door, Seojin stood there with a worried expression.

“You got here quickly??”

Hyun greeted Seojin cheerfully.

Seojin smiled slightly at Hyun’s words and replied, “I live next door, so it was quick.”

She was still in her pajamas, looking like she had rushed over.

“What’s going on??”

Seojin’s gaze flicked back and forth between Hyun and Nomi, as if trying to assess the situation.

Nomi ran to her with a smile.

“Hi!!”

Nomi’s voice rang out, cheerful and lively.

Seojin affectionately patted Nomi’s head in response. “Hi, Nomi! How have you been?”

Meanwhile, Yoonhwa lay sprawled on the sofa, staring blankly at the screen in front of the TV.

Her face was marked by fatigue and lethargy, and she seemed barely aware of Seojin’s entrance.

After exchanging greetings with Nomi for a moment, Seojin took off her shoes and hurried inside.

Her steps were quick, mixed with worry and impatience as she approached Yoonhwa.

“Yoonhwa, are you okay?!”

Seojin’s voice was filled with concern and affection.

Yoonhwa jumped at Seojin’s voice and turned her head.

For a moment, her gaze was filled with confusion, but she quickly regained her composure and greeted her carefully.

“Oh, Seojin… you came?”

“Sorry, I didn’t know…”

Yoonhwa’s voice sounded weak and shaky, but she expressed her gratitude toward Seojin.

As Seojin approached, Yoonhwa unconsciously looked at her and spoke.

“It looks delicious…”

Her voice seemed dazed, and it felt like she couldn’t fully focus on reality.

Though her eyes were on Seojin, they flickered with something strange.

It was as if she had detected a special scent emanating from a human, her nine-tailed fox instincts becoming more sensitive in this light-headed state.

Seojin was momentarily taken aback by Yoonhwa’s words.

“What… what did you say??”

“Yoonhwa, are you okay?”

Seojin’s voice mixed concern and confusion.

She observed Yoonhwa’s expression, sensing immediately that something was off.

Yoonhwa showed no reaction to Seojin’s question.

She merely stared blankly at Seojin, offering no apologies or explanations.

Seojin’s voice was a blend of surprise and worry.

She couldn’t hide her astonishment at Yoonhwa’s odd behavior and words.

In a flash, Seojin decided to take decisive action.

“Hyun, this looks really serious…”

“Go to the hospital quickly!”

She pulled out her wallet and hurriedly took out some money.

Seojin handed Hyun 100,000 won and spoke quickly.

“Here—use this for the hospital expenses.”

“Go to that new big hospital that just opened up in town.”

“I heard the doctor there is really good.”

Seojin’s voice was filled with urgency and genuine concern.

She didn’t hold back any support needed for Hyun and Yoonhwa to respond quickly.

Hyun took the money Seojin offered, unable to hide his astonished expression.

After already borrowing 150,000 won from her the previous day, Hyun felt deep gratitude mixed with guilt at Seojin’s additional support.

“Seojin, thank you so much…!”

“I borrowed money from you yesterday, and here you are again… I promise I’ll pay you back later.”

Hyun’s voice was filled with heartfelt thanks and a promise.

He felt deep appreciation for Seojin’s kindness and help.

Seojin calmly responded to Hyun’s gratitude.

“Don’t worry, what’s important now is that Yoonhwa recovers quickly.”

“The money issue is no concern.”

Hyun felt relieved by Seojin’s warm words and hurried into his room to change clothes.

He quickly changed into a proper outfit, hoping that Yoonhwa would look presentable before going to the hospital.

Hyun chose the clothes he bought yesterday and brought them to Yoonhwa.

“Yoonhwa, let’s change clothes before going to the hospital.”

“Here, try these on.”

Yoonhwa took the clothes Hyun offered, staring blankly at them for a moment.

Her gaze still appeared dazed, as if she couldn’t fully grasp the situation.

“Mm…”

She slowly got up and cautiously entered the room to change.

When Yoonhwa emerged, changed, Hyun looked at Seojin.

Seojin was already prepared, her eyes seeming to anticipate Hyun’s question.

“Seojin, where’s that big hospital?”

“How exactly do we get there?…?”

Seojin immediately responded to Hyun’s question.

“That hospital shouldn’t be far from our house.”

“Since it’s one of the few big buildings in town, you should spot it quickly.”

She provided a simple direction.

“If you head towards the central square of the town, it’ll be located right on a big road.”

“You know, the place that was under construction?”

Hyun focused on Seojin’s explanation.

“Oh—so that’s it!..”

He nodded and continued.

“Thanks a lot, Seojin.”

Nomi, seeing Hyun and Yoonhwa preparing to go to the hospital, approached with a worried expression.

She looked back and forth between Hyun and Yoonhwa.

“Be careful! Come back safely!!”

“Sis, you need to get better soon!!”

Her voice was filled with genuine concern and affection.

Hyun gently patted Nomi’s head in response with a smile.

“Don’t worry, Nomi.”

Seojin approached Hyun and Yoonhwa to offer words of encouragement.

“Yoonhwa, hang in there. Let us know how it goes.”

Yoonhwa looked at Seojin, managing a difficult smile.

Hyun and Yoonhwa headed toward the hospital.

Yoonhwa paused for a moment, alert to her surroundings, and concealed her ears and tail.

After fully returning to her human form, she walked alongside Hyun.

Hyun watched Yoonhwa closely, occasionally offering words of encouragement to help her walk on her own.

They carefully made their way through the town square toward the big hospital.

Hyun and Yoonhwa entered the hospital through its wide entrance, greeted by the bustling lobby filled with patients and visitors.

The clamor of people’s conversations mixed with the distinct smell of disinfectant filled the air.

Various voices melded in Yoonhwa’s ears, while the scents from the diverse humans created a complex aroma that filled her nose.

Yoonhwa whispered to Hyun, “There are really so many humans here…”

“There’s not a single tasty smell among all these scents…”

Her voice sounded a bit disappointed.

The complex odors of the hospital were throwing off her instinctual senses.

Yoonhwa sighed in relief as she looked at Hyun.

“It smells strange… a weird, pungent smell…”

“The human smells mixed together make it no good…”

Yoonhwa’s voice revealed her confusion and discomfort regarding the hospital’s overwhelming scents.

She briefly closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before exhaling.

Her expression showed that the intense sanitizing odor and the various human scents were overwhelming her sensitive senses.

Hyun noticed Yoonhwa’s discomfort and gently said, “Let’s hurry up and get examined, Yoonhwa. Is it uncomfortable..?”

His voice carried understanding and care for her.

Hyun gestured for Yoonhwa to wait and headed toward the hospital’s reception area to check in.

The hospital lobby was bustling with patients and visitors, and their conversations and movements intertwined chaotically.

Hyun navigated through the crowd, making his way to the reception desk.

Despite the busyness, the receptionist kindly attended to Hyun.

He explained Yoonhwa’s condition and requested an appointment.

His voice was firm but conveyed a sense of urgency about the situation.

The receptionist listened to Hyun’s explanation, entered the necessary information, and guided him regarding the doctor.

Hyun thanked the receptionist and turned back toward Yoonhwa, remembering the appointment he’d been given.

As he made his way back to where Yoonhwa was waiting, he pondered the throngs of people and the hospital’s popularity.

“With so many people, there’s only one doctor…”

He muttered to himself, “They said the doctor is famous; it’s really fascinating.”

His eyes scanned the lobby, filled with patients and the medical staff attending to them.

Clearly, everyone had been drawn here by that one doctor’s reputation.

As Hyun sat in the waiting lobby with Yoonhwa, the nurse’s voice echoed through the busy area.

“Yoonhwa! Please come to the examination room.”

Her voice clearly pierced through the hustle of the lobby.

Hyun looked around in surprise.

“Already?? Yoonhwa, let’s go.”

He muttered to himself as he looked at Yoonhwa.

Hyun tightly grasped Yoonhwa’s hand and led her through the hospital’s busy corridors toward the examination room.

Yoonhwa followed behind him, relying on his grip, and her complexion seemed to pale with each step.

Her eyes were losing their light, and her unsteady steps revealed her physical and mental exhaustion.

“Hyun… I keep crying from my eyes.”

Yoonhwa’s voice was weak, and with each word, the corners of her eyes grew wetter.

“Everything looks blurry. Is it because I’m tired…?”

Her words conveyed serious sleep deprivation and the physical pain resulting from it.

Having stayed up all night, her mind was in a daze, affecting her tear ducts.

Hyun felt deep worry at Yoonhwa’s words. He looked at her and offered words of comfort.

“Don’t worry, Yoonhwa.”

“Once you see the doctor, everything will get better.”

His voice was filled with genuine reassurance and hope.

He wanted Yoonhwa to be free from her pain and to find peace.

Carefully, Hyun and Yoonhwa made their way down the busy corridors of the hospital toward the examination room.

As they entered through the door, they sighed at the calm and clean atmosphere of the examination room.

The doctor smiled warmly at them.

“Please have a seat.”

Her voice was soothing and calming.

The doctor appeared slightly taller than Hyun and seemed sturdy.

She wore the typical white doctor’s coat, and her hands were gloved in white.

Though half her face was covered by a light blue mask, her eyes showed a kind and serious expression.

Above her eyes sat foggy, clear eyeglasses.

The gaze peeking out from behind the glasses appeared to scrutinize her patients with the careful observation of a professional.

Yoonhwa cautiously took a seat in accordance with the doctor’s instructions.

She leaned her tired body against the chair, feeling the hospital’s clean ambiance and the potent smell of disinfectant.

The disinfectant’s scent invaded her nostrils, creating a unique atmosphere of the hospital while dulling her senses.

She noticed she couldn’t detect any special smells from the humans in this place, only the overpowering disinfectant scent prevailing.

This made her instinctual senses somewhat subdued.

‘There’s no human smell here…’

‘Maybe it’s because the medication smell is so strong…’

The doctor looked from Yoonhwa to Hyun through her glasses, asking in a serious voice.

“What seems to be the problem that brought you here?”

Yoonhwa heard the doctor’s question but couldn’t respond immediately.

Her eyes remained foggy, and her mind was not clear.

Hyun, knowing Yoonhwa’s condition well, decided to answer for her.

“Yoonhwa hasn’t slept a wink since she had a cup of coffee yesterday…”

Hyun’s voice was careful, conveying his determination to explain the situation.

“It might be the caffeine… she says she’s feeling foggy.”

“She’s continuously tearing up. It even looks hard for her to stand…”

The doctor nodded as she listened to Hyun’s explanation, analyzing the situation.

“It seems to be a hypersensitivity reaction to caffeine.”

“What is usually stimulating for normal people seems to have impacted Yoonhwa exceptionally strongly.”

She began entering some records on the computer and continued to explain further.

The doctor decided to conduct a few basic examinations for diagnosis.

She picked up a metal rod and kindly instructed Yoonhwa.

“Please say ‘Ah’~.”

Hyun was momentarily startled by the doctor’s request.

He worried about Yoonhwa’s nine-tailed fox identity being revealed.

As a nine-tailed fox, Yoonhwa had sharper teeth than a human, which could easily stand out during a typical examination.

With subtle nervousness, Hyun watched Yoonhwa.

Yoonhwa hesitated for a moment at the doctor’s request.

“Ah…