Living Dangerously with a 999-Year-Old Gumiho – Chapter 99

As time passed, Hyun’s pain began to ease a bit.

He carefully rose from his seat.

He decided to gather his thoughts and record what had happened today.

He walked across the calm living room towards the desk.

Sitting in front of the desk, Hyun quietly opened the drawer and took out the diary.

He spread open a blank page of the diary and grasped the pen in his hand.

[February 9, 19xx]

[Today was truly a tough day.]

[I think Yoonhwa had a nightmare this morning.]

[I hurried to wake her.]

[And… I found out that Roji, no, Rose… is a monster.]

[All the love and intimacy I felt were fake..]

[I barely managed to escape from there, but I lost Rose.]

[And Yoonhwa suddenly collapsed at night.]

[Did she just fall asleep from exhaustion?]

[I also found a flower-shaped mark on Yoonhwa’s forehead.]

[Is it there because she’s a Nine-Tailed Fox?]

[It was fascinating.]

[Everything that happened today was so shocking.]

Hyun closed the diary and let out a deep sigh.

Reflecting on what he had recorded today, he weighed heavily on his heart.

After carefully closing the desk drawer, he returned to the living room and began preparing for the night.

Outside, the rain was still drizzling, and its sound echoed in the quiet living room.

Hyun briefly gazed out at the rainy scenery through the window before spreading the blanket on the floor.

Lying on the blanket with his eyes on the ceiling, Hyun felt the cold air coming in through the window fill the living room along with the sound of the rain.

He felt a bit chilly, but still, the serenity of this quiet night seemed to soothe his heart.

After a moment, Hyun closed his eyes and tried to erase the heavy thoughts from his mind.

All that had happened today swirled around in his head, but with the rhythm of the rain, he slowly slipped into the world of dreams.

.

.

.

Rustle-rustle…

At the rustling sound, Hyun stirred unsteadily from his sleep.

As his eyes slowly opened, he sensed a shape in the dim darkness of the living room.

Yoonhwa was cautiously gathering her nine tails in her hands.

She gently clutched the tails to minimize the sound and approached Hyun.

Tears welled in Yoonhwa’s eyes, and her face wore an unmistakable expression of anxiety from the nightmare.

Hyun rubbed his eyes and carefully spoke.

“Uh-.. Yoonhwa, what’s wrong..?”

Yoonhwa startled at Hyun’s voice, her face filled with surprise.

“Eek-?!”

“Oh, it’s you, Hyun…! I’m sorry…”

“I didn’t mean to wake you..”

Her voice trembled, and the anxiety and guilt within it completely conveyed to Hyun.

In that moment, he understood what was happening and gently comforted her.

“Ah.. you had a nightmare, right?..”

Yoonhwa looked at Hyun with tear-filled eyes, silently quivering her lips.

“Hyun, I’m- scared…”

“Can I sleep next to you..?”

Her voice quivered softly, and for a moment, Hyun was taken aback but soon nodded in understanding of her anxiety.

Yoonhwa cautiously moved closer to the blanket where Hyun lay and settled into the cramped space beside him.

Hyun remained still next to her.

Yoonhwa carefully pulled one edge of the blanket over herself.

As Yoonhwa nestled beside Hyun, her nine tails spread out, making the tight space even tighter.

Her tails brushed against Hyun’s legs and arms, sending soft sensations through him.

Hyun felt a slight tension from Yoonhwa’s tails wrapping around him, and his heart fluttered at the closeness with her.

Embracing both soft discomfort and confusing feelings, Hyun rose slightly.

“W-wait a moment…”

“I’ll get another blanket.”

As he spoke, he headed towards the blanket storage.

Yoonhwa felt grateful for his consideration, but at the same time, her heart felt heavy as if she were a burden.

Right as he was about to grab another blanket, a sudden sharp pain shot through Hyun’s head.

“Ah, ow..”

He clutched his head, wincing in pain. As the headache washed over him, he momentarily sank to the floor, enduring the agony.

Once the headache subsided slightly, he clumsily retrieved another blanket and returned to Yoonhwa.

Hyun spread the new blanket and lay down next to Yoonhwa.

Seeing Hyun’s pained expression, Yoonhwa looked worried.

“Was it because Rose hit you back then??”

Her voice carried genuine concern.

“Let’s visit the hospital tomorrow…”

“Hyun… you can’t be sick…”

Hyun hesitated for a moment.

“Ah-… I’ll be fine, just… it’ll get better soon..!”

Suddenly, the pain shot back to his head.

He had no choice but to clutch his head and endure the pain.

Unable to bear watching Hyun thrash in pain again, Yoonhwa gently took his hand.

She squeezed his hand softly but firmly, adjusting her grip.

“I- I’m here..!”

Gradually, the warmth of Yoonhwa’s hand began to lessen Hyun’s pain.

Her gentle voice and touch calmed his heart and eased the headache.

“Thank you, Yoonhwa… really…”

Yoonhwa carefully looked at Hyun’s face, feeling his gaze slowly becoming serene.

“Hyun, I really think it would be good to go to the hospital.”

“Let’s go together tomorrow. Promise me…”

After a moment’s contemplation, Hyun accepted Yoonhwa’s suggestion.

“Alright, let’s go tomorrow..-”

With Yoonhwa’s gentle comfort, Hyun slowly found his calm, and his eyelids began to droop.

Holding onto Yoonhwa’s hand, he quietly slipped back into the world of dreams.

Yoonhwa watched over Hyun as he slept, whispering her wish that he would no longer suffer.

“Sleep well…”

And so the monster and human consoled each other on the quiet, rainy night, spending a moment of peace together.

.

The next morning, the sound of rain had already subsided, and the living room was still.

Hyun opened his eyes in the peaceful calm of the early morning.

He briefly stared at the ceiling, recalling the events of the previous night.

As Hyun’s eyes fell on the clock, the hands pointed to 7 o’clock.

He quietly got up and noticed Yoonhwa, asleep on the floor beside him.

Her blanket had carelessly been tossed aside, and her nine tails waved gently as they protected her slumber.

Approaching Yoonhwa on the living room floor, Hyun could hear her quiet breathing.

Hyun’s eyes caught sight of Yoonhwa’s lower half exposed as she lay face down.

He felt a moment of embarrassment. Her vulnerability weighed on his mind.

He worried she might be cold, yet he also wanted to respect her privacy.

After considering it, he carefully lifted one corner of the blanket and decided to cover her.

Hyun’s touch was as gentle and careful as possible.

He draped the blanket lightly over her to avoid waking her up.

As the blanket wrapped around Yoonhwa, it warmed her.

Hyun took a step back after completing the task.

He felt an undeniable flush of warmth on his cheeks.

Just as he reached the kitchen, a sudden rush of pain enveloped his head.

Hyun stopped in the middle of the living room, clutching his head.

His eyes twisted in agony, momentarily caught in a sensation that the world was rocking.

“Ah.. it hurts…”

Hyun took a deep breath, waiting for the pain to subside.

The headache felt worse than when Yoonhwa had helped him last night.

Hyun endured the discomfort, hoping for the headache to calm.

Peering cautiously through the opened door, he spotted Nomi peacefully sleeping on the bed.

She lay quietly, breathing softly, lost in dreamland.

Hyun let out a sigh of relief and quietly closed the door, heading to the kitchen.

Once in the kitchen, Hyun began preparing breakfast. He opened the refrigerator to take out eggs and checked the rice cooker.

Seeing that there was still plenty of rice, he decided to simply fry some eggs.

Pouring oil into the pan, he carefully cracked the eggs.

As the eggs cooked, he poured water into another pot to start the soup.

The aroma of food began to waft through the kitchen as he focused on preparing breakfast for the monsters he lived with.

The whites of the eggs spread smoothly in the pan while the soup bubbled in another pot.

As Hyun sprinkled a bit of salt on the fried eggs and flipped them, the door creaked open, and Nomi quietly emerged.

Having just woken up, her eyes were still half-closed, and her hair was tousled.

“I’m hungry…”

Nomi’s voice was thick with sleep but carried a hint of determination from her hunger.

Wearing her pajamas, she walked towards the kitchen, her eyes lighting up at the breakfast Hyun had prepared.

“Oh, Nomi! Did you sleep well?”

Hyun smiled at Nomi, greeting her brightly.

“Yeah.. I slept well—..”

Nomi cheerfully greeted Hyun but suddenly looked around the living room, as if recalling the events of last night.

Her eyes widened in surprise upon seeing Yoonhwa asleep in the living room.

With curiosity gleaming in her eyes, she turned to Hyun and asked.

“Why is Yoonhwa unnie sleeping here..?”

“Surely she was with me over there last night…”

Hyun smiled softly at Nomi’s worried question and explained briefly.

“Yoonhwa unnie had a nightmare last night.”

“She got a bit scared, so she fell asleep next to me!”

Nomi nodded her head, understanding Hyun’s explanation.

“Ah, I see…”

“Unnie will be alright, right??”

Hyun glanced back at Yoonhwa, feeling concern creeping in, and responded.

“Yeah, she looks fine now.”

Nomi felt relieved by Hyun’s answer and headed toward the bathroom.

“Just a moment..!”

She said sleepily, tugging at her pajama hem as she disappeared into the bathroom.

In the meantime, Hyun focused on preparing the fried eggs and soup.

The fried eggs were perfectly cooking in the pan while the soup bubbled with a delightful aroma in the pot.

He hustled about to have everything ready before Nomi returned.

Plating the fried eggs and pouring soup into bowls for Nomi, he completed the last of the preparations for breakfast.

Looking at the simply set table, he hoped Nomi would enjoy the meal.

As soon as Nomi emerged from the bathroom, she caught a whiff of the breakfast aroma and headed straight for the table.

Her eyes sparkled as she gazed at the food prepared on the table.

“Wow, this looks delicious!!”

She exclaimed in excitement as she jumped to sit in front of the table.

Seated at the table, Nomi eagerly eyed the meal Hyun had prepared.

She took a spoonful of the soup, her face blossoming with satisfaction.

“Wow, this is really tasty!!”

Her voice was filled with joy.

Hyun smiled at Nomi’s reaction, enjoying the sight of her eating.

“Take your time, Nomi~”

“If you need anything else, just let me know.”

Instead of responding, Nomi promptly speared another fried egg with her fork and popped it into her mouth.

Suddenly, she jumped up, grabbed the remote, and turned on the TV.

As the screen lit up, the sounds from the TV filled the living room.

The volume was so loud that Hyun was momentarily startled.

“L-let’s turn it down!”

“Yoonhwa will wake up~..!”

Nomi hastily lowered the volume, surprised.

Hyun breathed a sigh of relief and redirected his focus to his meal.