LOOKING majestic even at that time of the year, Joohyun couldn’t help but to enjoy that certain part of Seulgi’s house. She won’t be able to stay there for a long time since they would be leaving for Busan very soon but she would surely miss that part of the mansion—the garden.

It’s somewhere she feels safe, she feels calm… She feels protected. 

It was winter by that time. The pond was frozen and the plants and trees were in dormancy but there was such a peaceful feeling even with that scenery. Joohyun was still in disbelief about everything that’s happened but the second time that she woke up in the room allotted to her by Seulgi surely gave her a soft slap of reality in the face. 

She’s adopted as a pet by her classmate who turned out to be a gumiho—a fox spirit who used to live in the forests. 

Joohyun was peacefully spending her morning in the garden when she suddenly heard camera shutters. Her fists automatically clenched as she tried her hardest not to frown. She could see a silhouette of a girl in her parallel vision.

“Are you taking photos of me—“

The brunette’s voice trailed off the moment she turned towards the girl by the pavilion who was taking pictures of her. Her body stiffened at the sight of her master into a modernised uni hanbok. 

Seulgi smiled at her the moment those eyes tore off from her phone screen and landed on her. Joohyun literally felt like everything was in slow motion. The sight itself was just really wonderful.

The blonde was wearing a white turtleneck under that black oversized hanbok jacket. She was wearing what seemed to be a khaki skirt at one look but it was actually a pair of pants. Its bagginess gave the illusion that it was a skirt. 

Her Master was undeniably breathtaking. 

“Is it bad to take pictures of my pet?” Seulgi asked with that playful smile on her face. “You look really cute and lovely, it looked like you were harmless so I took pictures.”

Joohyun couldn’t comprehend if she would be pleased or pissed with that comment. “Don’t just take pictures of me without permission.”

“Why not? Aren’t you my pet?” Seulgi put her phone in her pocket before looking by the pond. “Some pet owners even post their pets on social media. I’ll just keep your pictures in my phone though since I don’t really use those kinds of platforms like what you all do.”

“You don’t have social media?” Joohyun asked. 

“Don’t get me wrong. Even though I am old, I still use social media but not how normal humans use it.” Seulgi jumped from the railings where she was sitting and walked towards Joohyun. “I don’t upload my pictures. As much as possible, I want to keep myself lowkey. Even my businesses were under the names of different people to protect my privacy.”

“H-How do you use social media then?” Joohyun had to step backwards since Seulgi got too close to her before the fox finally stopped with her steps. 

“I just monitor what humans are into these days. I need to fit in the present society anyway. It’s basically a study.” 

Seulgi was about to reach Joohyun to give her a pat on her head but the latter flinched at the said action. She even closed her eyes with such force. Seulgi was so pained with the reaction that she just stopped midway and pulled her hand back. 

Joohyun was expecting for Seulgi’s hand to land on her head but she had to open her eyes when she heard footsteps. She then saw that Seulgi was already walking away. “S-Seul—“

“You should say goodbye to your boss at the manga cafe for now. If you want you can go visit your upstairs neighbour. As much as I want to go with you, I don’t think I should go.” Seulgi then waved her hand and didn’t look back anymore. 

Joohyun just watched her Master walk away and enter the house. Seulgi was already out of sight when Joohyun clenched her chest.

“This is dangerous.” She gulped. Her face was hot and her heart was beating so fast. Joohyun then cupped her face. “This is dangerous! I think I really am crushing on her!”

One big reason why Joohyun doesn’t have a boyfriend—she’s into girls. Just to avoid being targeted by conservative males of the society, Joohyun hid her preference from the world and managed to keep it to herself throughout her whole life.

She doesn’t remember when she realised it since she wasn’t really interested in romance in the first place. Was it when her classmates were teasing them to the professor’s assistant? Or was it when she was forced to go on a mixer with them? Whenever it was, it doesn’t matter to Joohyun at all but she knows that it was greatly influenced by the kind gumiho that she met when she was young.

And now that another gumiho with evidently striking visuals appeared before her eyes, she realised that she has a type and that she is in danger.

“Is this why I am suddenly blabbering about being lovers!? Because I have a crush on her!?” Joohyun shook her head violently as if she was trying to inflict self-concussion. “No, no, Joohyun! You can’t have a crush on someone who told you that she will eat you once you step in her room!”

The girl then turned to the location of Seulgi’s room by the east wing of the mansion. It was separated from the main building, making it look like a broken square. “What on earth is in her room that she would literally kill a person? Well, she doesn’t see me as a person, right?”

Joohyun remained looking at the said room since she suddenly felt familiar with it. “Seulgi…”

She then placed her hand by her chest when she felt her heart beating loudly again. “This feeling should be stopped right away…”

“SEULGI~~”

Joohyun froze in her place when she heard that call from an unknown voice. She just got back from her short farewell meeting with Hyoyeon and Mrs. Kim when she heard that rather seductive voice of another woman by the living room.

It didn’t sound like either Jimin or Minjeong. She saw the two while on her way to the living room so there’s really no way that it’s one of them. She then carefully made her way towards the living room and hid herself behind a pillar.

She slowly peeked inside and saw Seulgi ruffling the hair of a woman in a long black dress; she looked older than Seulgi.

They were by the couch and the other woman was evidently pleased by whatever Seulgi was doing with her. She even redirected Seulgi’s hand so that the latter would be caressing her face instead. The fox just silently followed and softly caressed the woman’s face.

“Seulgi~”

Joohyun felt goosebumps when she heard the woman call Seulgi’s name again, more like Seulgi’s name. She then watched how the elegant looking woman crumbled down in Seulgi’s touch and jumped to the gumiho for more contact.

“Seulgi—“

“Stop right there, Gyuri.” Seulgi then gently pushed the woman away. “That’s enough.”

“Why though?” The woman named Gyuri pouted. 

The fox just sighed. “I just want to try ruffling your hair. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“If you want to know if the other party feels good with what you do then I will assure you that it feels good!” Gyuri giggled while reminiscing how it felt. “I felt like I was being rewarded after all my hardwork for taking care of your company!”

Seulgi didn’t seem like she was satisfied with that answer though. She then brushed her fingers through her hair. “I’m probably just in a hurry.”

“Come on, Seul. You have one year.” Gyuri said before pulling out her compact powder to look at herself in the mirror. She then fixed her dishevelled hair.

“I won’t say anything if I heard that from you years ago.” Seulgi looked away before finally closing her eyes. “I only have one year this time around.”

Gyuri wasn’t able to respond right away. She just looked at Seulgi before pressing her lips together. “If you’re being this hasty… then you should’ve just gone straight to the point. There’s no use doing things like this.”

“I don’t have any choice. This is her final request.”

Gyuri scoffed. “You’re special someone is really quite a strange woman, huh?”

“That’s what I love about her. She’s beautifully different.” Seulgi smiled at the thought of her special someone. She was just whining about her last request seconds ago.

Joohyun’s eyes widened with what she heard. She was getting very important information. ‘Seulgi’s special someone is a woman! That means I—‘

The brunette scowled at her own thoughts. ‘What the hell am I thinking? Am I really happy now that I might have a chance?’

Joohyun took another peek at the two. ‘She already has a special someone and she even said that she loves her. Beside her right now is another wonderful woman. There’s no way she’d be interested in someone she looks down as a pet.’

Gyuri then clung to Seulgi’s shoulder which the latter didn’t mind at all. “Are you really going to Busan tomorrow? You know that I can’t just fly there if something happens to you.”

The fox took a deep breath. “It’s fine. I am limiting the usage of my powers so I will be okay.”

“But you’ll still need me, you know? You’re still continually using your powers as you maintain your human form.” 

Seulgi fell deep into her thoughts. “Then I guess I might eat liver in case of an emergency.”

“Eat liver?” Gyuri snorted. “When was the last time you even ate liver? What kind of liver? Pig liver?”

“Shut it. I will manage, okay? It’s not the first time that I travelled the world. I am not a child as well. I am way older than you, Gyuri. Waaaay older.” 

Seulgi was about to stand up but Gyuri held her back by hugging from behind. Seulgi was about to free herself but the woman had no intention of letting her go. “I am the only one who can hold you like this, Seulgi… I am the only one who can handle you as well. Why not just spend the last—”

Joohyun had to cover to not let any sound out when in just a blink of an eye, Seulgi managed to free herself from Gyuri, held the woman by her neck and pinned her on the couch. Seulgi’s eyes were back to those flaming orbs. 

“Be mindful of your words, mermaid. You’d still be in the hands of that fisherman if not because of me.” Seulgi gnarled by Gyuri’s face. “Don’t you dare dictate to me what I should do with my life. Don’t even dare to suggest things especially when it involves her. I might send you back to the sea.”

But, instead of getting frightened, the mermaid looked even more as her face flushed. “Seulgi… See? I can even lure you in a more desirable position~”

“Gyuri!”

“Joohyun-nim–”

“Stir-fried anchovies!” Joohyun shrieked, she turned behind her and saw Minjeong’s shocked face. “M-Minjeong-ssi! Why did you surprise me like that!?”

“I-I-I’m sorry, Joohyun-nim. I was just wondering why you were—”

Joohyun saw a shadow casted over them and she had to quickly cover Minjeong’s mouth with her palm. She stiffly turned behind her and saw Seulgi staring down at her. “H-Hi…”

“You’re back.” Seulgi said in a low register, almost terrifying. Very different from the personality that she usually shows Joohyun. 

“Y-Yes, I just had a meal with my boss and Mrs. Kim then parted ways with them. I-I just arrived!”

“But you—”

“Minjeong-ssi, please cooperate…” Joohyun put her ventriloquist skill into practice and whispered unto Minjeong without even opening her lips. Minjeong just abruptly nodded her head. 

Seulgi’s eyes narrowed. “Let go of the kid, Joohyun. She might be a young gumiho but she can use her powers over you anytime.”

Joohyun quickly let go of Minjeong and apologised to her. The attendant frantically shook her head and waved her hands, saying that she would never be able to hurt Joohyun. Seulgi reached out to Minjeong and patted her head. And just with that moment, Joohyun felt her world slowed down again because she thought that it was her head th