Shim Iyul, who had been lying on his new bed enjoying a satisfying sleep, crossed his legs and opened his eyes.
“Ah, fuck.”
A curse flowed out naturally. The feeling of his thighs becoming stiff and blood rushing there, making it hot. It seemed like heat was coming.
‘I thought it was almost over.’
When he’d seen the Hunter’s naked body, he’d felt the temptation to mate for a moment, but it had disappeared, so perhaps letting his guard down was the problem.
“Haah…”
Shim Iyul groaned while clutching between his legs. No, he rolled around.
“Hnngh… haah.”
Heated breaths kept flowing out. The hot blood wouldn’t cool down easily. Shim Iyul barely held back the urge to slip his hand into his underwear. But he couldn’t help his waist twitching on its own. His thighs also instinctively clenched together.
“Mmnh…”
Shim Iyul’s skin was red as if paint had been poured on it as he endured the desire to mate. The pheromones that flowed out filled the room. The heat continued, seeming like it would end but not quite ending. Shim Iyul curled up his body and waited for the excitement to subside while subtly rubbing between his legs.
“Haah…”
After a while, Shim Iyul, who had exhaled a long breath, straightened his curled-up body. The heat had ended. He thought it would last long, but fortunately it ended shorter than expected. However, the heat that had lasted only a few minutes by time was quite exhausting, draining all his energy.
The exhausted Shim Iyul staggered up and first ventilated the room. His flushed red face subsided with the cold wind.
‘Should I go back to the mountain?’
He had come down a bit early thinking it would be fine. Because he didn’t want to miss traces of the White Fox.
The safest thing would be to go back into the mountain and complete the full three years. But then he’d have to break the alliance with the Hunter. There was no guarantee Eun Seonmyeong would form an alliance again after 4 months, and if the White Fox came while he was in the mountain, he’d be screwed. Who knew when he could find traces of the White Fox again.
Shim Iyul, who had been agonizing between heat and the White Fox, muttered while looking between his legs.
“It’ll be fine, right?”
Naturally, but there was no answer coming from between his legs.
“You have to be fine, okay?”
He asked as if soothing, but again there was no answer. Shim Iyul bit his nails.
It would be really troublesome if he couldn’t bear it and pounced on a human. There were exactly two humans in this house. One was a Hunter, and one was a vassal of a Hunter family. Eun Seonmyeong, being a Hunter, wouldn’t be easily bewitched by heat pheromones, and Han Seolju, the Eun family’s vassal, he was…
“He’ll be fine.”
Though he had no spiritual energy, judging by his stone-like attitude and expression, he didn’t seem like he’d be easily bewitched. Far from being bewitched, it seemed like he’d strike with the wooden sword the moment he approached to bewitch him. As long as the two humans weren’t bewitched, there shouldn’t be any mating while losing his mind during heat.
As long as there was no mating, it was fine. If he lost his reason and tried to pounce, the Hunter would use talismans or whatever to handle it somehow. Indeed, rather than safely getting through the heat period, it seemed better to firmly hold onto traces of the White Fox. In other words, the answer was to stick close to the Hunter’s side while maintaining the alliance.
Shim Iyul, who had reached a simple conclusion, closed the window. Since it had been open for quite a while, the room was filled with chilly air. His skin felt cool, so he wrapped himself in the blanket and was lying down when he felt sharp spiritual energy approaching. It was Eun Seonmyeong’s presence. As soon as he sat back up and looked at the door, Eun Seonmyeong appeared. His face entering with rough energy was distorted in pain. It seemed the curse had started again.
“Fox…”
Shim Iyul stretched out his long legs toward Eun Seonmyeong, who was approaching while breaking out in cold sweat. Then he pushed him away with his foot.
“Lie on the floor. On the floor!”
This bed is brand new. I just started using it today. I can’t let the Hunter’s smell get on my new bed.
Eun Seonmyeong looked at Shim Iyul desperately blocking him as if he was absurd, then avoided his kicks and lay down on the bed anyway. Shim Iyul almost screamed.
“What are you doing?! On my new bed! Getting the Hunter’s smell on it!!!”
“Hah… This is my house, so there’s nowhere I can’t lie down. Fox.”
“The house may be yours, but the bed is mine that I bought with my money!”
Looking at Shim Iyul fuming and grinding his teeth, somehow laughter wanted to come out. Eun Seonmyeong gritted his teeth to barely hold back the laughter, then stopped and groaned while distorting his brow. It felt like gravel roasted in fire was rolling around in his internal organs.
“Just do… what you need to do.”
“Damn Hunter bastard! Now I’ll have to sleep smelling the Hunter every time I sleep!”
While bursting with resentment, Shim Iyul dutifully felt around Eun Seonmyeong’s abdomen. Then he grabbed the White Fox’s yokai energy and pulled it into his own body. The more the White Fox’s yokai energy was pulled, the more comfortable Eun Seonmyeong’s face became, and conversely Shim Iyul struggled. Since he’d taken in the White Fox’s yokai energy while already weakened from heat, it was several times harder than the previous two times.
“Haah, hah…”
As soon as he took his hand off Eun Seonmyeong’s abdomen, Shim Iyul flopped backward and breathed heavily.
Eun Seonmyeong, who had always fallen asleep as if fainting every time, didn’t fall asleep this time. Eun Seonmyeong slowly sat up and looked down at Shim Iyul’s pale complexion.
“Hah… What are you looking at? Turn those eyes away. Before I gouge them out.”
Shim Iyul sulked.
“You look like you’re struggling.”
“It’s the same yokai energy but since it’s not mine, it’s just uncomfortable. I’ve done what I need to do. The remaining yokai energy has hidden itself in your body.”
“Is that so.”
“Yeah, I have nothing to do until it shows itself again next time. What’s left is…”
Eun Seonmyeong, who had been waiting for the words to continue, frowned. Wondering what he was doing stopping mid-sentence, Shim Iyul had fallen asleep.
“Ha! Sleeping so soundly next to me, a Hunter, every time.”
The more he looked, the more absurd this fox was. To have so little wariness. Eun Seonmyeong clicked his tongue and got off the bed, leaving the room as is.
He walked about two steps on the creaking wooden veranda and stopped. After standing still for a while, he sighed and went back into the room to see Shim Iyul curled up. The blanket he’d been bragging about being as light and warm as down feathers since it was made of new synthetic fiber had fallen under the bed.
“A fox feeling cold.”
Eun Seonmyeong spoke coldly and picked up the blanket, tossing it over Shim Iyul’s body to cover him. It was just a slight whim. For keeping his promise despite struggling. That didn’t mean he would lower his guard or see the fox differently.
When he came down to the yard, he saw Han Seolju waiting in front of the door leading to the annex. Holding a wooden sword resolutely as if ready to rush in and exorcise the Fire Fox at any moment. Eun Seonmyeong passed him and headed to the main house. Just as he entered the master bedroom, his phone rang. The caller was Ban Hanseong.
“It’s me.”
— You’re answering the phone normally? I thought you wouldn’t answer.
“Did you want me not to answer?”
— Not that, but it’s the 15th today. I thought you’d be too busy suffering to have time to answer the phone.
As Ban Hanseong said, now that midnight had passed, it was the 15th.
“I’m still okay.”
Han Seolju, who had followed him in, asked “Is it Ban Hanseong?” Eun Seonmyeong nodded while sitting on the bedding.
— Why did you look for me?
“Come up to Seoul right away.”
— I’m in Haenam right now. It’s too far, I can’t go.
“You went far. No excuses, come up as soon as day breaks.”
— I told you I’m in training here?
“Training my ass. You’re just holed up sleeping your life away.”
— You could say that. What’s the urgent business calling me up for?
“It’s a commission.”
— From the family head?
“I told you to call me CEO.”
— CEO what. Once a family head, always a family head. But what commission? What kind of commission would the family head have for me?
“A vengeful ghost has attached itself to my client.”
— If it’s the family head’s client, the family head should handle it. Don’t bother telling me to come and go.
“The vengeful ghost is actress Seo Junhee.”
— What?! My beloved Seo Junhee is dead?!
Ban Hanseong was a fan of Seo Junhee. The reason Eun Seonmyeong, who rarely watched TV except for the news, was able to immediately recognize Seo Junhee when Shim Iyul mentioned the vengeful ghost’s name at the Seonjin estate was all because of Ban Hanseong. When her drama was airing, despite saying no, he persistently stuck by his side saying “Isn’t she pretty? She’s my ideal type. Just watch!” bothering him so much that he had no choice but to watch a couple times.
— When exactly? Why!!! I haven’t been able to fan properly lately, and in the meantime!!!
“Search the internet for that, or come up and ask the vengeful ghost directly.”
— Understood!
Eun Seonmyeong hung up the phone.
“Did the dead Seo Junhee attach herself to Lady Seonjin’s son?”
Han Seolju, who immediately caught on to who Seo Junhee had attached herself to, asked. Han Seolju also knew Seo Junhee for the same reason as Eun Seonmyeong.
“Yeah. I confirmed it when I went to the Seonjin estate earlier. The grudge seemed quite deep. That son is already in a weakened state, if left alone he won’t last more than a few days.”
Whether the vengeful ghost tormented Lady Seonjin’s son or not had nothing to do with Eun Seonmyeong, but it would be troublesome if he died after not lasting more than a few days. That woman Seo Hyeonjeong would definitely make it his fault and be bothersome. He hated bothersome things. It would be troublesome if he couldn’t bear the annoyance and wanted to kill Seo Hyeonjeong. So he was thinking of having Ban Hanseong handle Seo Junhee’s grudge instead. Of course, Seo Junhee might want to resolve the grudge directly with her own hands, but Ban Hanseong would persuade her somehow.
