Living Dangerously with a 999-Year-Old Gumiho – Chapter 98

“Kangtae! Hey??”

Hyun shouted in a friendly manner.

Kangtae turned around, clearly surprised by Hyun’s voice.

A joyful smile spread across his face.

“Oh, Hyun! What are you doing here? It’s raining…”

Kangtae got off his bike and approached Hyun.

His bike basket was filled with various kinds of fresh fruits.

“I came to shop. What about you?”

Hyun asked.

“I was delivering fruits!”

Kangtae pointed to his basket and explained.

Kangtae gifted some fruits to Hyun.

“Here, take these home and eat them.”

“Share them with Yoonhwa and Nomi~”

Kangtae hurriedly handed the fruits to Hyun.

“Oh no, I’m going to be late for the delivery!”

“I’ll get yelled at by Mom again. See you later~”

The urgency on his face was clear.

Hyun understood Kangtae’s rush and expressed his gratitude.

“Got it, Kangtae.”

“Thanks! Be careful!!”

Kangtae quickly hopped on his bike and began to leave the market, one hand holding an umbrella.

Hyun waved goodbye as he watched Kangtae’s figure fade away.

His heart swelled with joy from Kangtae’s gift.

Hyun opened his umbrella again and continued on his way home.

Leaving behind the busy market in the rain, he walked down the quiet street.

Occasionally, he thought about the ingredients and fruits he would bring back for Yoonhwa and Nomi as he dodged pedestrians and vehicles.

On his way home, Hyun spotted something fluttering in the wind. It was a traditional rain cape called a “Ujang.”

A Ujang is a cloak made from woven grass, resembling light brown clothing.

It was Hyun’s first time seeing one in person.

“Wow, is that a Ujang..??”

“I’ve only seen it in dramas. How fascinating…”

Hyun paused, mesmerized by the Ujang dancing in the wind.

It maintained its shape even against the strong, irregular gusts.

It looked almost like the Ujang was flying on its own.

Feeling momentarily enchanted by the sight of the Ujang in the wind, Hyun quickly changed his mind.

“Yoonhwa and Nomi must be waiting..!”

He muttered to himself and hurried his steps.

Clinging tightly to his umbrella, he held the heavy bag filled with ingredients and fruits from Kangtae as he made his way home.

Rapidly passing through the rain-drenched street, Hyun soon arrived in front of his house.

The moment he opened the front door, he gasped for breath.

It had been a long day, and walking through the rain had really tested his stamina.

Hyun looked at the heavy bag filled with ingredients and fruits in his hands and sighed.

His shoulders slumped under the weight, and his legs trembled from exhaustion.

As he stepped inside, he leaned momentarily against the wall to catch his breath.

“Huff, I didn’t know I was this out of shape—…”

Hyun was reminded once again of how weak his stamina had become.

Yet, he felt a sense of satisfaction for going out to buy ingredients for Yoonhwa and Nomi.

As he entered the house, he leaned against the wall for a moment, catching his breath while gazing at the living room.

In the living room, cartoons continued to fill the screen, and Yoonhwa and Nomi were completely absorbed in the TV.

They were so focused on the show that they didn’t even notice Hyun had come home.

Hyun chuckled for a moment as he watched them.

“Wow… you two are really into that cartoon!”

Hyun muttered to himself.

He carefully placed the heavy bag of ingredients and fruits in a corner of the living room.

Just then, Yoonhwa, who had been so focused on the TV that she hadn’t noticed Hyun’s arrival, sensed his movement and looked towards the entrance.

“Oh?! Hyun, when did you come back?”

Yoonhwa asked, her voice filled with surprise.

Nomi also turned to Hyun with a big smile, drawn in by Yoonhwa’s reaction.

“You’re back?!”

Hyun smiled back at them.

“Yeah, I just got here… and here, Kangtae gifted me some fruits…”

Hyun struggled to lift the fruits he received from Kangtae.

Yoonhwa and Nomi’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the fruits.

“Wow! Is that the fruit Kangtae gave you?!”

Yoonhwa exclaimed excitedly.

Nomi also looked delighted at the sight of the fruits.

“Wow!”

Yoonhwa immediately ran over to Hyun as her eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Let’s see what you got!”

She couldn’t contain her curiosity and hurried to the bags he had set down.

Nomi followed Yoonhwa, scampering towards the entrance.

Her face was brimming with anticipation.

The two of them began to examine the ingredients Hyun brought home one by one.

“Wow, just looking at them makes me hungry!”

Yoonhwa said in an excited tone.

Nomi nodded her head, eyes shining as she looked at the ingredients.

“They look delicious!”

Seeing Hyun’s weary expression, Yoonhwa, filled with curiosity, lifted one of the bags containing the ingredients.

Her expression quickly changed to surprise at how light it was.

“Huh..? This is really light?”

“Hyun, are you this exhausted?”

Yoonhwa teased Hyun with a playful smile.

There was a friendly tone with a touch of mischief in her voice.

“You really need to exercise with me!”

At Yoonhwa’s playful words, Hyun looked a bit awkward.

“Ah, Yoonhwa, I’m not really into exercising…”

Yoonhwa didn’t give up as she saw Hyun’s hesitation.

She moved closer to Hyun and urged him on.

“Come on, just give it a try, Hyun.”

“Exercise isn’t all about being tough and boring.”

“It’ll be fun if you do it with me, really!”

Hyun still hesitated before responding.

“Well… um, I have such poor stamina, how could I keep up with a monster like you??”

Yoonhwa playfully slapped Hyun’s shoulder and laughed.

“Don’t worry! I won’t push you too hard at first!”

Hyun reluctantly nodded at Yoonhwa’s persistent encouragement.

“Alright, alright, I’ll give it a try…”

“But don’t make it too tough!”

Yoonhwa cheered with a triumphant grin.

“Great! Let’s start tomorrow morning. Promise—promise!”

Nomi jumped in, not wanting to miss the moment.

“I want to join too! Me too!”

—

Something wearing a rain cape came down from the rainy sky.

The gaze reflecting off the rain cape created a bizarre and mysterious atmosphere.

“There it is. The fox energy is incredibly strong here…”

That figure muttered as it gazed at Hyun’s house from beneath the rain cape.

“Is that human friends with a fox?”

“It’s hiding the fact it’s a demon and living among humans…”

“That foolish fox…”

On the rainy night, its mysterious aura seemed to vibrate through the very air around it.

“Haha… I’ll have to steal the beads tomorrow…”

Its figure began to blend with the rainy sky and soon became undetectable.

—

Hyun was watching TV with Yoonhwa and Nomi when he glanced at the clock.

The clock was already pointing to 8 o’clock.

Nomi yawned quietly.

Seeing Nomi looking tired, Hyun said to Yoonhwa.

“Nomi should go to bed early tonight.”

“Since today was a tough day…”

“Can you help her wash up?”

Yoonhwa smiled as she looked at Nomi and replied.

“Of course. Nomi, let’s go wash up~”

Nomi, with sleepy eyes, glanced back and forth between Hyun and Yoonhwa, then nodded slightly.

Hyun took Nomi’s small hand and led her to the bathroom. Yoonhwa followed them into the bathroom.

In the bathroom, Hyun helped Nomi brush her teeth while Yoonhwa washed her face and hands.

Nomi yawned a few times during the wash, but with Yoonhwa’s help, she quickly became clean.

“Alright—now it’s time for bed,”

—

“Nightmare~”

—

Suddenly, as Yoonhwa reached out to turn off the water, her body began to sway unsteadily.

Yoonhwa’s eyes briefly lost focus, and her body tilted toward the bathroom floor as if she would collapse.

Nomi’s eyes widened in panic.

But instead of being frightened, instinct kicked in for little Nomi.

Though she was small, she used the extraordinary strength she had as a demon to catch Yoonhwa before she fell completely.

“Sis..-!!”

Nomi’s voice echoed in the bathroom.

Her small face was a mix of surprise and worry.

Yoonhwa’s weight was a considerable burden for Nomi, but she did her best to keep Yoonhwa from getting hurt.

Yoonhwa managed to stay upright with Nomi’s help, but she was still too exhausted to stay balanced.

Nomi struggled to support Yoonhwa, but her small stature was not enough to hold Yoonhwa up entirely.

“Oppa! Hyun, oppa!!”

Nomi began to call out Hyun, her voice filled with urgency.

There was an earnest panic in her tone, and Hyun rushed towards the bathroom upon hearing her call.

When Hyun arrived at the bathroom, he was shocked to see Yoonhwa collapsed and Nomi desperately trying to hold her up.

“W-what is happening..?!”

He hurriedly joined Nomi in supporting Yoonhwa.

Thanks to Nomi’s assistance, Yoonhwa was able to avoid serious injury.

But Hyun couldn’t understand why Yoonhwa had suddenly collapsed.

“Nomi, are you okay?”

“Did you get hurt??..”

He verified that Nomi was fine while supporting Yoonhwa.

Nomi nodded as she met Hyun’s worried gaze.

“I-I’m fine… It’s… my sister…!”

Hyun felt deep concern for Yoonhwa’s condition as he exchanged glances with Nomi.

“We need to… move her to the bedroom…!”

Nomi displayed her strength as a demon, grabbing hold of Yoonhwa’s shoulder.

Hyun supported Yoonhwa on the other side, and together they carefully moved her from the bathroom to the bedroom.

Upon arriving in the bedroom, Hyun and Nomi gently laid Yoonhwa down on the bed.

Hyun pulled up a blanket and tucked Yoonhwa in warmly, while Nomi looked on with worried eyes.

After laying Yoonhwa down, Hyun heaved a sigh, trying to catch his breath.

He stood by the bed for a moment, wiping off the sweat.

Meanwhile, Nomi cautiously climbed onto the bed and lay down next to Yoonhwa.

Nomi held Yoonhwa’s hand with her small one, gazing at Yoonhwa’s face with concern.

“Sis, don’t be in pain…”

Nomi’s voice was almost a whisper, and her eyes were filled with tears.

As Yoonhwa lay quietly on the bed, her bangs began to fall back slowly.

A small flower-shaped dot in the center of her forehead became visible.

Hyun and Nomi noticed it almost simultaneously.

Hyun stared at the dot in surprise for a moment.

The flower-shaped dot on Yoonhwa’s forehead seemed very special to him.

“Huh…? I don’t remember that being there before…”

Captivated by the flower-shaped dot, Hyun rose cautiously and moved closer to Yoonhwa.

His eyes were locked onto the dot on Yoonhwa’s forehead, a mix of curiosity and concern.

He reached out his hand and gently touched Yoonhwa’s forehead, but hesitated and stopped his hand at the last moment.

“This is… really unusual. A flower shape…”

Nomi gasped in surprise at Hyun’s words and began to examine Yoonhwa’s forehead with her small hands.

Nomi gently touched Yoonhwa’s tail, wishing for her peaceful sleep.

“Sis, have sweet dreams…”

Nomi quietly held Yoonhwa’s hand beside her.

As little Nomi’s eyelids began to slowly droop, she quietly slipped into sleep as well.

Yoonhwa and Nomi, the two demons sleeping peacefully, looked like a beautiful painting.

Hyun watched the scene for a moment before quietly leaving the room and closing the door. He carefully shut the door, trying to minimize noise so they could rest comfortably.

After closing the door, Hyun sighed and returned to the living room.

Various thoughts crossed his mind.

He wondered why Yoonhwa suddenly collapsed and what the flower-shaped dot on her forehead could mean.

Hyun sat on the couch in the living room, lost in thought.

Suddenly, a headache struck him, and he cradled his head in his hands.

The pain reverberating in his mind took control of him momentarily.

“Ah-ow…!”