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Obscured by the shrubs on the outskirts of the town, leaning behind a large tree. Yoo Joonghyuk waited. Hands subconsciously tightened around the hilt on his waist when he heard voices.
“Hyung! You’re finally back!”
A boisterous voice exclaimed as a young boy sprinted head first into the waiting embrace of his brother. Burying his face into robes while his hyung smiled warmly and tenderly patted his head full of brown soft curls.
“Sorry, I got carried away. Where’s Yoosung?” The man wearing an elegant white dopo looked around. His answer came in the form of a little girl with a yellow chima skipping over with a huge smile.
She crashed into the right side of the scholar, arms going around his waist as she greeted, “Ahjussi. You’re back.” The other hand came up to pat Yoosung’s light-coloured hair, the gentlemen returning the sentiments.
The picture of a loving family, siblings welcoming their beloved brother back. The younger siblings even had a predetermined side of their brother they would hug. Except Yoo Joonghyuk was on high alert against the adult currently asking the two younger how their studies went while he was gone.
The three entered the house while chatting, the two children unwilling to remove their hands from the fabric of their older brother(but he was also called ahjussi by the girl?)
Either way, Yoo Joonghyuk wasn’t leaving.
Climbing up the tree in a few quick steps, he pushed off and landed silently over their roof. Here, he could hear their conversation. And so that means he could also hear the moment the kids are attacked by the scholar in disguise.
Yoo Joonghyuk will make sure to save them from the gumiho.
The market street was seeing its first signs of life, vendors setting up stalls, wagons pulling up to places and the dissipating morning fog. Yoo Joonghyuk was early to the market, as per usual, usually the first customers of the day for some of his local vendors he was familiar with.
Seeing his stoic face approaching their wares, they yawned out a good morning that Yoo Joonghyuk replied with a non-committal hum. Picking out the freshest and best produce was a privilege only the early risers could get. And Yoo Joonghyuk has been beating the morning crowd of housewives since he was a teenager.
Double-checking his purchases, he made his way out the streets that were beginning to fill up with people. Back home, he got to cooking breakfast, just in time for his younger sister to rouse from her slumber.
The same routine for years. Wake up, buy food, cook for Yoo Mia, go out to hunt, sell the game, cook dinner for Yoo Mia, sleep and repeat.
This mundane lifestyle to others might seem boring but Yoo Joonghyuk was content as long as he could take care of his younger sister. After eating breakfast, he prepared her lunch and they both left the house in opposite directions. Yoo Mia went to school, smoothing out her twin braids as she waved goodbye to her brother, “Take care, oppa.”
Yoo Joonghyuk nodded, pulling the hunting arrows over his shoulder, steady steps making his way to the forest a walk away from their town. So far, nothing to indicate anything particularly different about the day.
“Hey! Yoo Joonghyuk!” He dodged a quick slap to his head, glaring mildly at the owner of the loud voice. Han Sooyoung tipped her head up challengingly, “What? I was just calling you.”
He didn’t give her any more attention but he didn’t try to lose her in the crowd of people going about their day either.
A somewhat hunting friend he met often enough that he had introduced her to Yoo Mia at some point in their 5-year friendship. Yoo Joonghyuk preferred a sword as his primary weapon but beasts with valuable hides were better off shot than slashed. Han Sooyoung carried the basics but the small black dagger on her right was hard to miss.
“Let’s go to the east section.” She declared, not even bothering to ask for Yoo Joonghyuk’s agreement. Well, Yoo Joonghyuk didn’t receive any particular request he needed to complete either. Grumbling under his breath but he went along with her.
They looked around for animal tracks, following them to find a wild boar resting in between two bare bushes. Its body out for the hunters to aim. Yoo Joonghyuk drew an arrow and released it, the arrow closed in on the target, killing it with a choked snorting sound.
“First kill goes to you, huh.” Han Sooyoung checked.
“Too slow.” The black-haired woman clicked her tongue at his comment, “Yeah, yeah.”
They continued in this fashion for a few hours. The sun was still decently up when Yoo Joonghyuk looked at his haul. He had hunted his quota for the day, he could return earlier and get started on dinner for when Mia returned home.
Just as he got up to leave, Han Sooyoung called out to him.
“Oi, Jonghyuk. Come see this.”
Not even bothering to ask him, ordering him around everywhere, Yoo Joonghyuk wonders how anyone handles her attitude sometimes. Despite his reluctance, he still strides over, asking curtly, “What? I’m done for the day.”
Shooting him an oh-surprise,-I-don’t-care look, she pointed to a marking by the tree, “I’ve never seen that before.”
Yoo Joonghyuk narrowed his eyes, the etchings on the bark were indiscernible if they were a message but too neat to belong to any wild animal species. Reading his expression, Han Sooyoung began to theorize, “Could it be a new species that was just released or migrated to this part?”
There was a possibility, Yoo Joonghyuk won’t deny that, but something about the cleverly hidden track was putting him on alert.
“Ah!” Han Sooyoung gasped, eyes looking up and down at the map in her hands.
Joonghyuk raised an eyebrow and she explained, “I think we’ve wandered into unexplored territory.”
The forest was incredibly large, surrounding a large town situated far along a major road leading into the Silla Kingdom’s capital. It wasn’t strange that there were places undocumented and unmapped by the townspeople.
Still, the unknown factor did make the place feel more dangerous now. Han Sooyoung rolled up the map and gathered her gear, “Let’s go.”
The two trudged through the dense forestry, using their own markings to find their way back. Which meant when Yoo Joonhyuk’s peripheral caught a glimpse of white in the otherwise palette of green, he was rightfully confused and suspicious.
“Did you see that?”
Yoo Joonghyuk stopped in his steps, scanning around for the flash of colour he saw. “What? Are you messing with me?” Han Sooyoung drawled, clearly annoyed at Yoo Joonghyuk for stopping and holding her up.
Without answering, Yoo Joonghyuk changed direction, walking towards the general direction he saw the stranger. He didn’t think there would be citizens taking a ‘stroll’ in the middle of the wildlife, so it was either a secret meeting or Yoo Joonghyuk was seeing a gwishin in broad daylight.
Han Sooyoung cursed as she stumbled after him, making new marks on the surroundings trailing behind Yoo Joonghyuk.
They hike through tall grass and bushes and trees and more with no sign of the person Yoo Joonghyuk may or may not have seen.
“Oi, Yoo Joonghyuk. Did you really see something? We’re going too deep into the unexplored area again.” Yoo Joonghyuk had nothing to say about that, there weren’t any traces left behind indicating there was a person where Yoo Joonghyuk presumed them to have been standing before they fled.
Han Sooyoung rolled her eyes, sick of the cool attitude her friend was donning. She just wanted to get home and get started on the new writing project she had planned, but now she was being dragged around looking for some unknown entity.
Just as she was about to sigh for the umpteenth time, a muffled voice travelled to their ears and the two hunters paused. Sharing a look with each other, Sooyoung snapped her mouth shut, hands hovering above her dagger as she waited for the voice again.
After determining the direction, the two approached the source slowly. Beginning to make out some words as they advanced.
“Dokj…author also has these works…Yes. I have finished the previous book.”
A soft feminine voice came from a clearing in front of them. The two slowed down their breathing and watched their steps as they inched closer. Stopping behind a thick bush, crouching down silently.
“I’ve read them … can understand why…Did you enjoy the plot twist, Sangha-ssi?”
This time, a male voice, cool and calm, spoke gently to the other person next to them.
Han Sooyoung parted the branches of the bush they were behind, hoping to get a glimpse of what Yoo Joonghyuk was trying to track.
As her gloves hands pried an opening, Han Sooyoung and Yoo Joonhyuk noticeably stiffened.
In a large clearing bathed in warm tones of the setting sun, two individuals conversed amiably. A black-haired scholar wearing a simple white dopo and a gat. Sitting across him, a lady with light brown hair smiled at something he said, donning a muted yellow hanbok.
But that was not what shocked the two veterans.
It was the silky tails swishing lazily to and from as the owners spotted matching sharp fur ears atop their heads.
White fur leading up to gray ends showed itself on the scholar who was talking while tracing the spine of a worn book in his delicate hands. His companion had similarly fluffy parts with a more light brown tone, not dissimilar to her hair, with white tips as a final touch-up.
Two gumiho, in all their nine-tailed glory were…discussing a novel.
Yoo Joonghyuk and Han Sooyoung froze where they were, hunched behind a bush and staring blankly at the sight.
Yoo Joonghyuk’s eyes hardened, his voice dropping into a low whisper, “Gumiho…Han Sooyoung.”
The woman blinked before turning her head over, he sent her a look and Han Sooyoung reeled and whisper-shouted. “Are you crazy? Yah, Yoo Joonghyuk!”
Shaking him by the shoulders even though her strength wasn’t enough to even push him an inch. Fisting black rough outer robes, she warned, “Those are gumihos, we don’t even know what kind of powers they have. Are you trying to get us killed?”
“We won’t die.” Yoo Joonghyuk had never gone against a mythical creature from the legends before but he’s confident he could take one on.
“How can you be sure?” she hissed, “Listen, gumihos are creatures that are said to have the ability to seduce their victims with their shapeshifting. Luring them into their trap and eating their hearts and livers. Slashing your sword at them might not work.”
Frowning, Yoo Joonghyuk left hand fiddled with his sword, flicking the blade out and letting it fall back in. “We know they’re gumiho, they won’t be able to deceive us,” he reasoned.
There was a sharp gasp and Yoo Joonghyuk and Han Sooyoung whipped their heads back, the lady was covering her mouth daintily. Her perfectly shaped long nails rested over a sweet smile.
A joke must have been exchanged as the two ethereal beings crinkled their eyes in humour, the dash of red eyeshadow at the corner of their eyes giving them a foxy aura, mischievous, teasing and alluring.
Yoo Joonghyuk heard Han Sooyoung mutter an expletive. His breath was caught in his throat. The white-robed gumiho had sharp clear eyes, the obsidian in them deep and beckoning. Smooth skin as an amused smile stretched across his face.
So this is a gumiho
Yoo Joonghyuk could understand why they were so dangerous, to immediately gain the attention of humans so easily with just their beauty. Imagine doing so with the face of a family or trusted one. Shapeshifting is truly terrifying.
I have to kill them now
The hunter decided he shouldn’t be letting a being like a gumiho run free. And yet, he wasn’t able to draw his sword. He kept his eyes trained on his prey, a hand gripped tight on the hilt and body poised to attack. And yet, he stayed still, unmoving as his eyes drank in the sight of the gumiho in front.
His mind conjured up an absurd idea, ‘Could gumihos know what kind of person their victim was attracted to?’
All of a sudden, Yoo Joonghyuk saw himself reflected in sharp black eyes. The gumihos had spotted them.
With the setting sun as the backdrop, two gumihos blinked blankly at two heads staring at them just as slack-jawed through a hole in a bush.
A moment passed when both parties didn’t move.
Then Han Sooyoung stumbled forward, and with a shout, she rolled a few meters towards the two. Three pairs of eyes watching her fall, sit up and dust herself off. Sooyoung looked up only to be sucked into the most gorgeous brown eyes, hazel irises regarded her from where she lay.
Yoo Joonghyuk wanted to leap out to pull that idiot back in, but the moment his eyes caught the gaze of the male gumiho again. His muscles ached from the half-crouched position he was maintaining, Yoo Joonghyuk didn’t dare move under those black eyes.
This stalemate lasted for an eternity within a second as the two gumiho shot the hunters a smile and swept their sleeves out. Dust knocked up from the ground, quickly creating a screen for the two gumihos to disappear into, footsteps fading quickly. Too quick for the hunters, especially for Han Sooyoung who was coughing on the ground.
Yoo Joonghyuk only caught one last side glance from the gumiho as he dashed into the forest with his companion. Leaping forward, Yoo Joonghyuk slashed his sword down. The air knocked the dust up even more, as seen from his hunting friend’s cursing. But the screen dispersed faster, leaving an empty plot of green where two fabled creatures once stood.
He never expected to encounter the gumiho again. Han Sooyoung and he agreed to keep the matter between them. Not only will no one believe them, but they might also be causing unnecessary panic. In her words, “They didn’t attack us, I don’t believe they were hostile to humans. Besides, if you do tell them, you’d also have to tell them you didn’t manage to capture them. Words without evidence are difficult to sell, moreso if you’re dealing with mythical beasts like gumiho.”
Yoo Joonghyuk couldn’t refute so he agreed, choosing to scout out the unexplored area more while Han Sooyoung took a break from hunting to research from the scholar’s library. Hunting was just a hobby to that girl anyways, what with her upshot parents barely caring about her, writing and hunting became her lifestyle.
There were no more signs nor sightings of the gumiho, as though what he and Han Sooyoung saw was but an illusion. Yoo Joonghyuk didn’t care about the illusion, telling himself that he was only mapping out the area for the reward money and to keep his sister safer.
Yoo Mia telling him he’s been acting weird around white fabrics recently was just an absurd observation.
Today, Yoo Joonghyuk decided to pay a visit to the same spot where the gumihos were sighted. He figured that place would be avoided by the gumihos since they were seen there. Seemed stupid to go back when there could be hunters lying in wait.
Except there was. A gumiho.
Yoo Joonghyuk plastered himself against a tree trunk when he noticed the same gumiho as before, kneeling and looking seriously at the ground. Moving his head, Yoo Joonghyuk tried to see past the shrubs.
His eyes widened and a hand inched towards his blade. It was a human skull. Yoo Joonghyuk reigned in his instincts to kill and waited. He couldn’t lose the gumiho a second time.
A white ear perked up, black eyes slid over to where Yoo Joonghyuk was hiding. Was he discovered? Controlling his breathing, Yoo Joonghyuk remained still. Luckily, the gumiho went back to surveying the skull.
After a few more minutes of the gumiho turning the skull over with long deft fingers, he settled it back into the soil. Standing up and bowing deeply to the deceased. Yoo Joonghyuk was surprised at the mannerisms of the gumiho, but all thoughts about him ceased from his mind the moment the gumiho started running into the woods.
Chasing him from a good distance behind, Yoo Joonghyuk made sure that gumiho was in his sights at all times. When one gumiho and one hunter reached the outskirts of another village neighbouring his town, he watched in bated fascination as the nine tails and pointy ears disappeared from view.
The scholar strolled into the village looking normal. Walking at a leisurely pace as he greeted the people along the streets while Yoo hunter was hopping around rooftops and skimming the edge of the forest to keep an eye out.
Now, he was waiting to ambush the gumiho if they did something to the children inside who weren’t aware that their family had been replaced with a fake. So when an argument broke out about candy, the gumiho, their hyung placated, “It’s alright Yoosung, I’ll go get you new candy.”
“The fruit one?” The little girl sniffled.
“The fruit one.” Agreeing to also bring back more for the other young boy, there was some movement of clothes and the door slid open to reveal the well-dressed scholar.
Yoo Joonghyuk waited for the man to disappear down the street before landing in front of that door. He knocked, too hard apparently if the annoyed but curious look the young boy gave him was anything.
“Who are you?”
The boy, Gilyeong, Joonghyuk has learnt from the overheard conversation, asked straight-frowardly. So Joonghyuk will give him a direct hit as well, “Your hyung is a gumiho. He’s not your hyung. You should get away from him.”
Joonghyuk saw a tensing of his shoulder, face turning white as he stared back with wide eyes. Out of nowhere, he was shoved…into the room.
Confused at the action, Yoo Joonghyuk turned around only to freeze. There was a knife held to his face, the much shorter boy would have trouble slashing his neck but his heart and stomach were within reach.
“What are you doing?” Yoo Joonghyuk asked calmly. He’s sure he can disarm the boy so he wasn’t worried, the innocent brown eyes he saw earlier with the gumiho were replaced with cutting suspicion.
“How did you know Ahjussi was a gumiho?”
The delicate voice belonging to a younger girl spoke up from behind him.
Great, now there were two knife-wielding children aiming at him.
“You knew he was a gumiho?” furrowing his eyebrows. Was this a gumiho lair he had accidentally found and they were in fact gumihos as well?
The knife glinted ominously as Gilyeong pushed the knife closer to his face, “Answer the question.”
Just as Yoo Joonghuk was thinking about how to safely disarm two angry could-be-gumiho children, light spilt in as the door opened.
“Hyung!” The adult gumiho's eyes took in the scene before him, looking over the two children first before landing on Yoo Joonghyuk. The hunter met those sharp calculating eyes with his own.
He spoke up first, asking gently, “Gilyeong, Yoosung, are you hurt?” The two children shook their heads, not letting their eyes wander away from the intruder. “Hyung, he knows you’re a gumiho, do you know him?” Instead of answering, he used a hand to close the front door, making Yoo Joonghyuk frown further.
As Yoo Joonghyuk’s hand finally reached his sword, thumbing over the wrapping in his grip, the male stopped him, “Everyone, put your weapons down.” He stepped into the house and closer to the hunter whom he recognized from the week before.
Despite the reluctance, Yoo Joonghyuk could see the knives lowered and tucked back into clothing folds. He still felt bloodlust directed at his back. A hand reached out to pat the boy’s brown curls comfortingly and approached Yoo Joonghyuk whose hand hadn’t left his sword.
“Hello, we meet again.”
He began non-threateningly, smiling politely at Yoo Joonghyuk. When Yoo Joonghyuk didn’t answer, he continued. “I’m Kim Dokja, shouldn’t I know the name of the famed hunter who’s been on my trail?”
Yoo Joonghyuk got the feeling he wasn’t being sincere, gruffly replying, “Kim Dokja, what are you planning?” That earned him a very confused blink, “I haven’t done anything to warrant a hunt. What about you? Following me all the way from the forest?”
“These two–” “Are not gumihos, human children. You shouldn’t hurt them.”
Yoo Joonghyuk’s brows creased deeper, “Then why do they call you their hyung?” The same polite smile that was grating on Yoo Joonghyuk remained on his face, “It’s a term of address, what they call me is up to them. We’re not related, I just take care of these two. Does that answer your question, hunter-ssi?”
It did, but Yoo Joonghyuk didn’t want to simply let his target go. “Back in the forest.” Kim Dokja sighed at the oncoming questions, “It wasn’t my doing. The skull was found there just today, decomposition takes at least seven to ten years to get to that state, you know? It was moved there.”
Yoo Joonghyuk did not know, he’s mostly seen wild animal carcasses but only knew if they were freshly killed or rotting for some time. “Ahjussi, this ahjussi was the one sitting on our roof?”
So they had known he was here this whole time? He looked at Kim Dokja who shrugged, “The kids discovered you first, nothing I can do.”
The little girl spoke up again, “Hey, hunter ahjussi–”
“Yoo Joonghyuk.”
“...Hunter ahjussi, you’re not from this town, right? Can’t you just stay within your territory, don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.” Shin Yoosung eyed him warily, keeping a safe distance from him so that she would have a chance to dodge if he drew his sword.
He heard the sound of wood sliding and turned back to find Kim Dokja already by the entranceway. “Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi, after you.” The mannerism of a scholar on what he knew was a gumiho was confusing, like his instincts were in conflict with his rationality.
Stepping out with him, Kim Dokja closed the door, still keeping that symmetrical polite smile as he addressed Yoo Joonghyuk.
“Are you going to continue going after me? I wouldn’t recommend it. And I’m not worth your time anyways.” Kim Dokja, “Like the kid said, just stay in your territory, I wouldn’t go near there anyways.”
With a half bow, Kim Dokja turned back into the house without another look back.
Standing outside, Yoo Joonghyuk’s mouth itched to say something. Kim Dokja The name threatening to test how it sounds on his tongue. With one last searing look at the room beyond the door, Yoo Joonghyuk began making his way home.
“Huh? Gumiho feeds on human brains? Wait wait, that other one just said they fed on hearts and livers. And now this one says it’s brains? Aigoo,” Han Sooyoung slumped backwards.
Text and literature surrounding the creature were few and far in between, many of which are simply hearsay and aren’t even truthful. Han Sooyoung has been pouring over every piece she can get her hands on, finding out many chapters later that she’s wasted her time reading an obvious sham of a book.
This author describes himself as if he were above the gumiho’s ability to entice humans and made up all sorts of excuses to build himself a harem of gumihos. Han Sooyoung's brow twitched in annoyance at that part. She forced herself to read through bad literature only to find out it had always been bad literature.
This Cheon Inho or whatever his name was, Sooyoung was going to make sure to blacklist all his works from her personal collection.
So far, while there were many contradicting features surrounding the gumiho, they were mostly portrayed as an ‘evil’ entity. Seeking to harm and eat humans, using their trust to lure them in.
Having burned through the majority of the works relating to gumiho she could find, those depicting gumiho as ‘neutral’ or ‘good’ to humans were incredibly rare. Yet, Han Sooyoung seemed inclined to believe those more than the widely accepted fact of liver-eating gumiho.
Just as she was staring up at her ceiling in contemplation, there were two knocks on her door. “Come in,” she called out, not even trying to tidy the place or make herself more presentable. “Han-nim, I’m here for the manuscript.” Oh her editor. Right, today was the deadline. Thank goodness Han Sooyoung burned the night away previously to finish it. Inspiration really does work better at night.
Without getting up from where she sprawled on the floor, she pointed at the stack at her work table. She heard the shuffling of feet and then the sounds of paper being flipped.
“May I enter?” A softer, more feminine voice spoke up, Han Sooyoung tilted her head to the door and her eyes immediately widened. “Don’t worry about it Sangah-ssi, Han-nim is always working in this kind of environment.” Her editor said without looking up from the papers, mumbling under his breath as he checked it over.
Han Sooyoung was looking up at those same mesmerizing hazel eyes, richly coloured and gentle in how they looked at her. The position was reminiscent of their last parting, when the ground slipped out of Han Sooyoung, causing her to face what Han Sooyoung admits to being the most beautiful woman she’s ever seen.
“It all checks out, thank you for being timely Han-nim.” He said, packing the stack of papers in his bag. Just as he was about to make his way out, Han Sooyoung scrambled up, knocking over a few towers of books from around her. “Wait wait! Who is this? What is she doing in my house?!”
Her editor seemed taken aback by her scream, looking back and forth between a bewildered author and a confused Sangah-ssi. He faced the author with familiar disappointment, “I told you a few weeks back that I was moving to another town with my fiancé. Sangah-ssi is my replacement.”
Han Sooyoung opened and closed her mouth a few times, eyes darting back and forth between her current editor and her new one. One of them was rumored to eat humans and it’s not the one getting married. Before she could get another word in, her editor bowed to her and Yoo Sangah, “I’ll be leaving it to you, Sangah-ssi. Take care, Han-nim.”
Leaving the author in a room with a deadly(beautiful) gumiho who was smiling at Han Sooyoung sweetly. “Hello, my name is Yoo Sangah. I presume you are Author Han Sooyoung?”
God even her voice was pretty, how was that even possible? The words light and silky came up in her head, Han Sooyoung felt like her ears were being caressed. Was she already being lured? The books usually only depicted men being lured by their beauty but if male gumihos also exist, who’s to say that female humans aren’t targeted either.
“Yes…” Sooyoung gulped, her palms were getting clammy, her heart in her ears. She didn’t put weapons in her study room, if the gumiho came after her, she was at a disadvantage.
“How I caught 10 gumiho?” Han Sooyoung didn’t know when the gumiho had closed the door and was now looking through one of the books that Sooyoung had toppled over. Ah, Sooyoung cringed as she realized Sangah-ssi was reading the trash harem book from earlier. No, that wasn’t even the issue, now that the gumiho knows Han Sooyoung was researching them, is she going to silence her in some way?
“I don’t recommend this book.” “Yeah about that…huh?”
Sangah sat the book down on the table, looking around, she picked out one, handing it to Sooyoung. She received it hesitantly, looking at the title, it was one that she had yet to read.
“The stories there regarding gumiho are more factual and make good materials for inspiration. I highly recommend it.” Sangah explained kindly. It then hit Han Sooyoung that she was really here as her editor, “Oh…I’ll ahem–give it a try later.”
Sangah nodded, “Will your next work be featuring gumihos, Han-nim? I have more recommendations if you’d like.” Han Sooyoung bit her lip and asked, “Uh Sangah-ssi?”
“Yes?” Even a small smile from her felt too much, Han Sooyoung's face warmed and cleared her throat, “Aren’t you a…gumiho? Why aren’t you…you know?” The non-human gave an understanding smile, “Why aren’t I wary?” Sooyoung met her eyes, unsure how to interact with her after their first meeting.
“This book was written by someone I know, it has been years since. I’m not against people knowing more about my kind. The more, the easier it might be to co-exist someday. I don’t wish to live in constant secrecy for a thousand years.” There was a sombre look in Sangah’s eyes, thinking of a time or a person long gone.
Her eyes seem to dim slightly in the brightly lit open windowed room, emotions of unknown depth in them. Her face looked at the book in Han Sooyoung’s hand, micro-expressions that Sooyoung had almost missed flit past her face. Nostalgia, sadness…grief.
Han Sooyoung is made very aware that she’s talking with a mythical creature, one that has seen kingdoms rise or fall. Seen more than Han Sooyoung could ever possibly understand. “I am.”
“You are?” Sangah parroted curiously, the previous heavy mood dissipated as she smiled patiently again. Han Sooyoung’s mouth moved faster than her brain could catch up.
“I am writing a book about gumiho, will you tell me about them?”