Chapter 2
Chapter 2
[Gumiho User's Manual]
"...Huh?"
I was completely stumped, staring at this sentence I couldn't make heads or tails of.
Why did she suddenly give this to me, and what in the world is this sentence written here supposed to be?
"Hey, Daeun-a. What is this?"
My growing curiosity eventually leapt from my mouth and became a question.
Hearing my question, Daeun maintained a brief silence.
'...What on earth is this?'
Flipping to the next page, I started seeing pictures instead of sentences.
Anatomical diagrams you might see once in a while at a hospital. The only difference was that there were ears drawn on the head and a tail behind the back, and even those two were drawn like anatomical diagrams.
Even after turning the page, the unanswered question left me speechless, so when Daeun finally broke her silence and began to speak.
"...It's a book about... a Gumiho's body."
"Huh?"
But Daeun's single sentence didn't clear up my confusion; instead, it tangled my thoughts up even more.
"Gumiho? The Gumiho I know? What was it, that fox with nine tails."
Nod-nod-
"You didn't give me the wrong thing...? Is this really what you meant to give me?"
Nod-nod-
Daeun's cheeks suddenly flushed red, and she only nodded in response to my questions, falling back into silence.
My head felt hot, practically throbbing.
I was clearly just planning to deliver the side dishes and leave, so I have no idea what's going on.
"Haa..."
A sigh naturally escaped my lips.
Hearing the sigh, her body flinched and she started to check my reaction.
'...Let's just calm down a bit first.'
Unless one of us calms down, this stifling, suffocating situation won't end.
I took a slightly even breath and calmly composed my voice.
"Daeun-a, can you explain slowly? I don't understand what's going on here at all."
Calming down a bit and talking seemed to help, as fortunately, Daeun seemed to calm down too; I could see some improvement.
"...Garim-a."
"Yeah?"
"What I'm about to do from now... don't think it's weird. Okay? Hm?"
Daeun looked at me with serious eyes.
I didn't know what it was, but I felt her resolve, so I nodded.
Poof-!
"Cough-cough...!"
Then, suddenly, white smoke billowed up in front of my eyes, completely obscuring her, and the figure beyond the smoke began to change.
Something seemed to sprout from her head, and something with an enormous shape began to form behind her back...
"Garim, ah. This... hey."
When the smoke disappeared, Daeun's appearance had strangely changed.
Just like the figure in the anatomical diagram from the notebook earlier...
"...I'm sorry for hiding it until now. I... am a Gumiho..."
Daeun's next sentence struck my head hard, knocking it sideways.
"Huh?"
Perhaps because of my look of incomprehension and flustered expression.
Daeun was fidgeting with her fingers in front of me, restless all the while.
During this, the things that looked like ears on her head and the thing that looked like a tail behind her back moved as if they were alive.
"..."
"You're... really surprised, huh?"
"...Uh-uh."
"Since middle school, Gumiho ears and a tail kept appearing, and my body kept getting bigger..."
At her story, I couldn't find anything to say.
Since middle school... that would be around the time we gradually grew distant.
"So... I kept my distance on purpose. I was scared you'd see this, be shocked, and hate me..."
As if reading my mind, Daeun immediately cleared up my curiosity.
Of course, aside from the cleared-up curiosity, my shocked heart still wouldn't calm down.
Perhaps my silence seemed like a negative response, as Daeun's expression gradually began to look tearful.
"Oooh... Garim-a, was I too hasty...? Do you... hate me now...?"
"...Huh?"
"Sniff, sob..."
When tears streamed down her cheeks and plopped onto the floor, my shocked heart instantly calmed.
"Ah, no. It's okay. I don't hate you."
The reason for the distance, the fact that Daeun is a Gumiho, and so on...
So much information suddenly flooded into my head that my reason felt like it was about to collapse from overwork.
But my mouth opened on its own to stop her from crying.
"Sob... really...?"
"Yeah, really. You know I don't lie about things like this."
Even though I'm confused, it's not a lie since I haven't come to hate her, so it should be okay.
"Oooh, I know... Sob, thank you. For not hating me... And sorry, for distancing myself on my own..."
"...No, I'm fine, so calm down."
Fortunately, hearing my words, Daeun stopped crying and gradually calmed down.
"But Daeun-a, those ears and tail. Are they real...?"
"Uung...? Yeah, they're real. I told you I'm a Gumiho..."
Every time I see the perked-up ears on her head and the tail swaying left and right behind her back, I start doubting if I'm seeing this correctly.
It felt as though I might be dreaming right now.
"...Wanna touch, Garim?"
"Huh?"
"If you touch them... maybe you'll believe me, Garim...."
As if she had read my mind, she suggested that I confirm it by touching them myself.
Since it was an offer she made herself... it should be okay, right?
I nodded and cautiously stretched both my hands toward the ears atop her head.
"Hyuhk...!?"
The moment my hands made contact, a lewd moan burst from Daeun.
Startled, I pulled my hands away and raised them in the air.
"Are you okay? Did I... touch them wrong?"
"Ooh, it's fine. I was probably just surprised...."
Saying that, she lowered her head, allowing me to touch her ears again.
I touched Daeun's ears much more carefully than before.
"Hueu, haahk...."
Every time my fingers carefully stroked them, more moans kept escaping Daeun's mouth.
...She really must just be surprised... right?
Hiding my own pounding heart, I continued touching her ears until the fluffy tail swaying in front of my eyes came into view.
'Maybe I can touch the tail too.'
With that thought, I lowered the hand that was touching her ears and very lightly grasped the tail, but
"Hyaaaahk!?"
Along with an incredible moan, Daeun was startled and weakly pushed me backward.
"Hah, hooooo...."
A situation that had suddenly occurred and could only be described as bewildering.
Both Daeun and I maintained our silence, wearing expressions that said we didn't know what to do.
In a situation so stifling it felt like I might die,
Ttiriring~
A phone ringtone sounded from my pants pocket.
Wondering who was calling, I took out my phone and saw
[Mother]
"Ah."
The three letters "Mother" visible on the screen.
Mother, you must have sensed your son was in a difficult situation and personally called me.
Bearing infinite gratitude in my heart, I answered the call immediately.
"Hello."
[Oh, son. Where are you now?]
"I'm in Daeun's room right now."
[Oh my, really? Is Daeun doing a bit better?]
"...She seems to be okay."
[That's a relief~ I called because it's time for dinner, so I wanted to ask when you're coming home.]
Had it already gotten that late...?
At Mother's words, I immediately took the phone away from my ear and checked the time.
[5:52 PM]
It was a situation where several hours had already passed since I left home.
It was understandable she'd ask where I was.
"I'll be home soon...."
[Okay. Oh right, could you pass the phone to Daeun?]
"Got it..."
She already has the number, so she could've called directly; I wonder why she specifically asked me to pass the phone.
Especially since the atmosphere was already quite weird as it is.
"Mother asked to pass the phone... if it's okay, take it."
I just stretched my hand out to Daeun and handed over the phone.
"Mm-hmm, okay."
Daeun took the phone from me and answered.
"Hello-ooo..."
"Oh, hello."
From my side, I couldn't hear Mother's voice at all, so only Daeun's voice came through clearly in the room.
After they exchanged words briefly for a moment,
"Um, Garim. Mother hung up."
After just a few minutes, Daeun placed the phone on the bed and spoke up.
No, if you were only going to say one or two things, why did you ask me to pass the phone....
I simply cannot comprehend Mother's true intentions.
"And, I'm fine now, so you can go home... she said you need to eat dinner too."
"Ah, really...? Are you really okay?"
The question popped out instantly, worried she might burst into tears again like earlier.
To that question, Daeun
"Mm-hmm, I'm fine."
answered more calmly than expected.
....It feels a bit something, but since she said it's okay to go, it must be fine.
"Alright, then I'll get going now."
"Take care. Thanks for coming today...."
I got up from my seat, left Daeun behind, immediately opened the door, and went from Daeun's room straight outside the front door.
And right as I was about to open my house door and go in,
Sreureuk~
Daeun's front door started to open cautiously.
Then, with perked-up ears, only Daeun's head poked out through the door crack before
"Garim. Can you come again tomorrow...? I'll explain that book."
"Ooh, uh-huh. Got it...."
"Th-then.... See you tomorrow!"
She immediately said only what she had to say and then shut the door with a slam.
Even after she went inside, I couldn't tear my gaze away from the front door.
"Haa...."
I went home, holding the white notebook Daeun had given me close to my chest.
Holding onto a feeling inside my heart as if I had woken from a dream.