Living Dangerously with a 999-Year-Old Gumiho – Chapter 94

As soon as Roji stepped into the warehouse, a surprising light flickered in her eyes upon seeing Hyun awake.

Her expression was briefly filled with astonishment, but it quickly transformed into a gentle smile.

Roji approached Hyun, checking on his condition.

“Hyun! You’re already awake~“

Roji said in a soft voice.

She carefully patted Hyun’s head with her hand.

“Does your head hurt a lot?“

She asked kindly, gazing into Hyun’s eyes.

Roji’s voice was filled with comfort and concern, and her touch seemed to soothe Hyun’s pain.

Hyun, confused by Roji’s gentle treatment, asked with an unsteady voice.

“Is, is this really you, Roji?”

Roji paused for a moment at Hyun’s question and looked at him.

A playful smile blossomed on her face, and her gaze sparkled with some mysterious light.

“Ah~, Hyun,”

Roji continued with a laugh.

“Actually, I’m not Roji~!”

“I go by Rose.”

Her voice was lively, filled with an air as if revealing a crucial secret.

Hyun was even more baffled by Rose’s sudden declaration.

It was hard to tell if her words were true or just another prank.

Rose seemed to enjoy Hyun’s confused expression, placing her hand on his shoulder as she looked at him.

Her voice was soft but carried a hint of something significant.

“Hyun, the reason I invited you here is that I like you so much~.”

She continued speaking with sparkly eyes.

“I wanted to invite you into my world.”

Rose’s fingers gently tousled Hyun’s hair.

She gazed deeply into Hyun’s eyes, observing his reaction.

Despite Rose’s soft voice and gentle touch, the confusion and anxiety in Hyun’s heart didn’t settle.

His mind was still in conflict between Rose’s behavior and the seriousness of the situation.

Rose’s words echoed sweetly in his ears, but inside, he felt a growing suspicion about her true intentions.

“But… this is wrong, Rose… Sis.”

Hyun’s voice trembled.

His eyes darted between Rose, Yoonhwa, and Nomi, who was still lying unconscious.

“Let us go. Please…“

“What is going on? This has gone too far…!”

Hyun’s words were a mix of affection and disappointment towards Rose.

Rose paused for a moment at Hyun’s plea, but did not answer.

Her expression gradually changed, and the atmosphere began to chill rapidly.

The playful smile vanished, and her gaze no longer held warmth.

Rose turned slowly and walked over to a chair positioned in the corner of the warehouse.

She sat down, crossing her legs.

Her skirt slid up slightly, but she seemed unconcerned. Instead, she used a file to cover her lap.

Hyun and Yoonhwa were startled by her sudden change.

Rose’s voice softened again.

With a fresh smile, she said.

“You two will now live here until you die.”

Rose slowly opened the file to capture Hyun and Yoonhwa’s attention.

Her touch was careful, as if handling a precious treasure.

As she pulled out photos from the file one by one, Rose’s expression was filled with excitement.

The file contained an enormous number of pictures.

Each picture portrayed various humans.

Some of the photos included images of children.

Externally, the people in the photos bore no obvious scars, but their expressions revealed a range of emotions.

Some showed pain, while others captured scenes of people crying.

There were also pictures of individuals smiling brightly, and some seemed to be taken from a hidden vantage point.

Rose began to introduce the stories captured within each picture, her voice brimming with enthusiasm, her eyes sparkling as if she were eager to share something wonderful.

“See this picture? This child is Mijin!”

“She was so cute. Mijin was a bit timid.”

“She was a little tricky, huh…?”

“Isn’t that the charm point?”

Rose moved on to the next photo.

The person in the picture appeared tearful and fearful.

“And here, that’s Sujeong.”

“She was such a strong girl~!…”

“But as time went on, you could see her breaking down, right?”

“Honestly—her crying face was so beautiful…”

Rose pulled out another photo.

This time it featured a man smiling brightly.

“This is Jaesuk. He always wore a smile.”

“You have no idea how warm his laughter made my heart feel~…”

She then showed another picture.

In this one, a girl was smiling at the camera, but a blurry shadow lurked behind her.

“Oh, this is Lisa.”

“Lisa was so bright!”

“Wow… I will never forget the fear reflected in Lisa’s eyes when it was her time to die!!…”

Lastly, Rose showcased a picture of two people together.

One was smiling, while the other was crying.

“And this is a fun couple; I can’t remember their names…”

“One was laughing, and one was crying.”

“What a beautiful harmony..!”

Rose seemed to relish in her peculiar hobby and pleasure as she introduced these photos.

Hyun and Yoonhwa were filled with anxiety and fear while listening to Rose talk about the pictures.

But they were tied up and could say nothing.

In the silence, Hyun and Yoonhwa felt their own inner fears and despair as they observed every moment of Rose’s behavior.

The unease about Rose’s true intentions and what she might do next grew even stronger in their hearts.

Rose appeared to be entirely uninterested in Hyun and Yoonhwa’s reactions.

She began to hum as she flipped through more photos in the file.

Her voice was light, and occasionally she burst into laughter while looking at certain pictures.

“Oh, look at this picture; this one was so funny~!”

“This man acted so bravely at first, but then eventually…”

“Haha, it was just too funny…”

Rose picked up another photo as she spoke.

“This woman was really—just as pretty as Yoonhwa~..”

Rose’s words felt as cold and sharp as ice floating in the air.

When she looked at Yoonhwa, a fascinating light glimmered in her eyes.

It seemed to hint that Yoonhwa could be her next “photo.”

Yoonhwa felt Rose’s gaze and looked back at her.

Fear and anger crossed in Yoonhwa’s eyes.

In this tense moment, a quiet sound came from a corner of the warehouse as Nomi stirred slightly.

Her small movements were clearly visible even in the tense silence.

Nomi gradually opened her eyes, her innocent gaze filled with confusion and fear.

She looked around, trying to comprehend where she was and why she found herself in this situation.

Nomi’s gaze swept over Rose, Yoonhwa, and then Hyun in turn.

“Wh-what’s going on..?”

Nomi’s voice was small and trembling.

Tears welled up in her eyes, but they hadn’t yet fallen.

Yoonhwa’s heart ached at the sight of Nomi waking up.

“Nomi…!”

She wanted to approach Nomi to comfort her, but couldn’t.

Rose took notice of Nomi waking up and flashed a playful smile.

Her gaze lingered on Nomi for a moment.

Her eyes were filled with deep interest and curiosity.

Nomi’s small, trembling figure piqued Rose’s attention.

“Oh, you’re awake too..”

“You’re also really cute, just like Hyun~.”

Roji said gently.

There was an element of joy and anticipation in her voice that felt slightly off.

She slowly stood up from her chair and adjusted her skirt.

She carefully approached Nomi.

As Nomi watched Rose coming closer, her eyes were filled with fear.

Young Nomi instinctively sensed danger from Rose, despite her kind voice.

Rose stood before Nomi, looking down at her.

“Now you’re my toy!..”

“Let’s spend our lives together.”

Nomi’s heart was consumed by anxiety and fear at Rose’s words and approach.

She couldn’t fully grasp the situation, but she clearly felt the threat from the woman standing in front of her.

As Rose’s hand slowly approached Nomi’s head, she instinctively tried to pull back.

But being tied up meant she couldn’t escape far.

With terrified eyes, Nomi looked at Rose, barely managing to voice her trembling thoughts.

“What do you mean, a toy..?”

“I… want to go home-!…”

Rose showed no signs of reacting to Nomi’s resistance and fear.

She calmly turned back and returned to the chair.

Her demeanor suggested that all of this was part of a carefully laid plan.

Once Rose stopped paying attention to her, Nomi took a deep breath and focused.

Though she hadn’t used magic much, she knew she had abilities that could do something.

She tried to move her little fingers, but her hands were tightly bound with tape.

Taking several deep breaths, Nomi concentrated.

Her gaze was filled with strong will, and fine vibrations began to emerge from the tips of her fingers.

The air around her started to ripple slightly.

In that moment, the blue tape binding Nomi’s hands suddenly sharpened like a thin thorn and cut itself away.

The thorns left no harm to Nomi’s hands while successfully cutting the tape.

A few seconds later, Nomi’s hands were free.

She peeled off the cut tape, trying hard to mask her surprise at her own ability.

She briefly glanced at Rose, but Rose remained seated in her place.

Her attention was elsewhere.

Nomi sensed the subtle flow of Qi surrounding Rose.

She instinctively realized that the energy was much stronger than her own magic.

‘What should I do…’

Realizing she was too weak to resist Rose alone, Nomi quickly devised another plan.

She brought her hands back together, making it look like she was still bound.

Nomi decided it was essential to free Yoonhwa first.

If Yoonhwa became free, there was hope that they could work together against Rose.

At that moment, Rose stood up and turned on a Polaroid camera.

The camera in Rose’s hands radiated an unusual aura.

Holding the camera, Rose grinned playfully as she aimed it at Hyun, Yoonhwa, and Nomi.

“Now, smile~”

There was a strange joy in Rose’s voice.

She slowly aimed the camera at Hyun, Yoonhwa, and Nomi.

Seizing the opportunity while Rose’s attention was focused on the camera, Nomi carefully crept toward Yoonhwa.

She concentrated on the taped wrists of Yoonhwa, preparing to cut the tape with thorns.

Nomi’s eyes gleamed with determination.

Just as Nomi was about to reach Yoonhwa, Rose’s gaze shifted towards her.

As Rose’s gaze locked onto Nomi, she froze and tensed up.

Rose’s eyes bore a sharp energy, and a slight smile danced on her lips.

“Hey, you shouldn’t move…,”

Rose said in a teasing tone, slowly approaching Nomi with the Polaroid camera in one hand.

Her voice carried a playful yet subtly threatening undertone.

As Rose approached Nomi, she softly but firmly grabbed her hair with one hand.

Nomi couldn’t resist Rose’s strong grip, and she was drawn closer to Hyun.

Rose sat Nomi next to Hyun, still gripping her hair.

“Don’t move here~!”

Her voice was gentle, yet the commanding nuance within it was unmistakable.

Rose cautiously released Nomi’s hair and stepped back, ready to aim the camera again.

The camera lens appeared to adjust carefully to include Hyun, Yoonhwa, and Nomi in one shot.

Rose’s finger hovered over the shutter button as she beamed with joy.

“Alright, say cheese~”

Click-!

The moment Rose’s voice rang out, the camera’s flash illuminated the three toys, capturing this moment forever with a click.