The Whispered Rumor
In a quiet corner by the café window, the mellow jazz drifting from the speakers filled the air, and Jeong Seohee stood slicing into a thick slice of cake with obvious glee.
Jeon Chayeon was sipping her Americano, the steam curling up lazily.
“Mmm~! It’s so sweet.”
Jeong Seohee savored the cake with a happy smile, crumbs smearing her lips.
Chayeon watched the whole thing in silence from across the table.
“What happened with the investigation?”
Seeing her set the fork down, Chayeon asked.
“You mean the other cases where someone received a spirit and turned into a woman?”
“Yeah.”
Chayeon took another slow sip of coffee, the black liquid sliding down her throat.
“I’ve been digging around since you enrolled. Checking the academy for any other cases I might have missed, or if anyone from the past had something like that.”
“Did such a case even exist?”
Chayeon leaned forward, eyes wide with curiosity.
“Not for sure, but I’ve heard rumors.”
“Rumors?”
“Yeah. One of the Seven Divine Positions supposedly used to be a man before he received his spirit and became a woman. The source is shaky, though.”
“One of the Seven Divine Positions…?”
Chayeon tilted her head, the words echoing faintly in her mind as if she’d heard them somewhere before.
“Oh, you haven’t learned about the Seven Divine Positions yet?”
“I might have, but I don’t remember. I barely pay attention in class.”
“That’s no good. You really should try to learn.”
Jeong Seohee playfully flicked Chayeon’s forehead.
“The Seven Divine Positions are the seven greatest divine spirits and beasts—literally the kings ruling over all spirits and monsters.”
“So there’s such a thing.”
It clicked now that she’d heard something similar in class.
“Right. The Seven Divine Positions reside inside different vessels, and one of them was a man who became a woman after receiving his spirit.”
“That’s exactly like me. Who is it?”
“The White Nine-tailed Fox, Baegumibo.”
The name hit Chayeon like a thunderbolt. Her eyes widened until they looked like saucers.
“The… White Nine-tailed Fox?!”
“Yeah. The vessel’s name isn’t public, and even though the affiliation is Jindal Academy, there’s nothing documented. She keeps vanishing without a trace, then suddenly reappearing—like a wandering fox. The only thing known is the spirit she carries, one of the Seven Divine Positions.”
As Jeong Seohee spoke, Chayeon called out silently inside her mind.
“Heokgu. You listening? Answer me.”
<>
“Right now, Noona’s talking about the White Nine-tailed Fox, one of the Seven Divine Positions. I’m supposed to hunt him down, right?”
<>
Chayeon’s brain short-circuited.
Wait, what?
Who’s supposed to be hunted?
“Hold on. I know I have to kill the White Nine-tailed Fox to escape this shitty female body, but who’s the one trying to kill me?”
<
This was brand-new information.
So the White Nine-tailed Fox she’d been planning to take out like prey wasn’t the hunter at all—it was the prey herself.
More accurately, according to Noona, he was some ridiculously powerful being.
Chayeon was the one being hunted now.
“This fucking fox bastard…”
<
“Nothing’s changed, my ass. So you ran to me because you were being hunted by this White Nine-tailed Fox guy, and now you’re asking me to kill him for you?”
<
“You damn fox.”
So had Jeong Seohee just wanted to protect herself by telling Chayeon to hunt the White Nine-tailed Fox down?
Was there even a chance he could be turned back into a man?
The thought of such an impossible possibility made Chayeon uneasy, but Heokgu’s voice cut through her thoughts.
<
Relief flickered for a second, but anger surged right back up.
This damn fox spirit never told her anything straight.
Meanwhile, Jeong Seohee noticed Chayeon clenching her fists in frustration and asked worriedly, “Hey… why are you like this? Are you okay?”
Chayeon forced herself to calm down and took a deep breath.
“Yeah, just… chatting with the spirit for a bit.”
“Chatting with the spirit? That’s why you’re all flushed?”
Jeong Seohee looked baffled, but Chayeon only glanced away awkwardly.
“You mean the fox spirit?”
“Yeah.”
Chayeon nodded.
She’d only ever mentioned “fox spirit” before because Heokgu had stubbornly refused to reveal his true identity, and now she finally understood why.
“I looked into that too. Normally you can’t communicate with a spirit unless you’re an exception. The only time you can receive a message is the very first time you receive their power. And even then, you can only pass along the contents, usage, and limitations of the power.”
Jeong Seohee sighed, remembering the rule that spirits couldn’t interfere too much.
“So how are you even talking to the spirit right now? Is it really one, or some other thing pretending to be a spirit?”
Chayeon fully agreed with the worry in Jeong Seohee’s voice.
This guy calling himself a sacred spirit? That was ridiculous.
<
“Shut it.”
Chayeon felt a little irritated, but the thought vanished as quickly as it came.
Heokgu’s voice grew quieter, but Chayeon didn’t care.
“I think you should ask the fox spirit directly. One of the Seven Divine Positions.”
“The fox spirit? You mean Baegumibo?”
Chayeon would have been fine with it if she’d never heard the name, but now that she knew someone was hunting her, she wanted to avoid the encounter at all costs.
They’d meet sooner or later, but she needed proper preparation first.
“No.”
Jeong Seohee shook her head, dismissing the worry.
“Baegumibo is so elusive it’s almost impossible to meet. But Jindal has another fox among the Seven Divine Positions besides him.”
Chayeon’s ears perked up.
“Another fox among the Seven Divine Positions?”
“The strongest of the Seven Divine Positions, Heokgumibo, is here at Jindal.”
Chayeon’s eyes blinked rapidly.
The strongest…?
…Heokgumibo?
What the hell was this now?
***
Chayeon and Jeong Seohee were still talking when Arena Kawada, sitting a few seats away, pulled off her mask and sunglasses and stared at her own ears in disbelief.
The distance made it hard to hear every word, but she’d caught the phrase “become a woman” clearly.
She remembered the conversation she’d eavesdropped on at the clothing store the other day.
“Teacher, please don’t forget that I’m a guy.”
She’d thought she’d misheard.
After all, how could someone as cute and pretty as Chayeon be a guy? It didn’t make sense.
But the meaning had slammed into her again.
Become a woman… so that meant—
“Jeon Chayeon is actually a guy!?”
The girl she’d always thought was female wanted to become a woman.
So this was just cross-dressing?
Arena trembled from head to toe, shock rippling through her.
“A guy? That face, that body… is a guy?! No, wait… I just learned something way bigger than a secret, didn’t I?”
She’d thought she could use this weakness, but learning the full truth left her uneasy.
“…No, stay calm, Kawada Arena. Don’t forget the humiliation from that day. The target is Chayeon.”
She had to exploit every advantage.
She’d just found the biggest weakness of Jeon Chayeon.
That face, that figure, that voice… and he’s a guy!
His body? Well, she could accept that.
Thinking back, Chayeon had worn the female uniform on the very first day.
He’d dressed up on purpose.
That was huge.
She could use this to blackmail Chayeon and make him pay for his sins of deception.
Make him apologize in front of everyone.
‘Once I expose it, we’ll be a little closer… we’ll train swordsmanship together, I’ll help him… of course I’ll catch up to him in no time, so I’ll be the one giving help! Hmph!’
While Arena let her imagination run wild, the conversation ended and the two girls stood up.
“See you tomorrow.”
“You don’t have to walk me home, do you?”
“If I walk with you I’ll be late.”
“Sorry, I totally forgot the report was due by midnight. I’m late too.”
“You should head in quickly.”
“Yeah, take care!”
As Jeong Seohee’s figure disappeared, Arena used her signature instant teleportation, one of her abilities.
She didn’t care much about the witch outfit since she was mainly a swordsman, but her teacher was famous at the academy for the variety of magic she could use.
Still, there was something off about her—always keeping people at a distance and a hint of arrogance that made her hard to approach.
‘What’s the relationship between Chayeon and Teacher Seohee?’
The question crossed her mind, but she quickly forgot it.
The important thing right now wasn’t that.
She followed Chayeon out of the café at a careful distance.
She’d heard Chayeon muttering to himself as he walked ahead, like he was talking to someone.
‘Monologue?’
Chayeon switched from angry grumbling to quiet, drained muttering in a flash.
He looked totally aloof and cool in class, but up close he seemed a little unstable.
‘There’s more to him than I thought.’
Chayeon’s embarrassed face when Jeong Seohee had grabbed his hand outside the café flashed through Arena’s mind.
‘Surprisingly… cute? What the hell? Snap out of it, Kawada Arena!’
While she argued with herself, Arena watched Chayeon reach the girls’ dormitory and head inside.
She slipped in after him quickly.
Arena had noticed that Chayeon never used the elevator, even though the rooms were on the sixth floor. It didn’t make sense, but right now it worked in her favor.
As Chayeon climbed the stairs, Arena chased after him at top speed.
“Chayeon!”
“…Huh? Lu… Arena?”
Chayeon nearly called her by her usual nickname before correcting herself.
She’d finally realized after a month of torment that Arena’s name was strictly off-limits.
Chayeon’s eyes widened as Arena marched up the stairs.
“What are you doing here at this hour? Training isn’t—”
“You!”
Arena stood right in front of him and pointed her finger straight at his face.
“You’re a guy!”
Chayeon’s eyes bulged in shock.
Seeing that face, Arena knew her guess had been right.
“How did you—?”
“Surprisingly honest, huh?”
Arena’s bluff was deflated, but she kept a proud expression and continued.
“Hmph! What do you think I am? I knew you were a guy the moment I saw you! Don’t underestimate a woman’s instincts!”
She puffed out her chest, then added with a triumphant tone.
“If you don’t want your secret to get out to the others, you have to listen to what I say from now on!”
“No, it’s not a secret—”
“What?!?”
Chayeon’s deadpan reply made Arena jump in surprise.
“You think that threat will work?”
“Threat? What threat…”
“If it’s not a secret, why are you dressing like a girl?!”
“…Huh?”