The Seonho's Devotion
Yeo-won let out a small sob, and Cheong-sil rushed over in alarm. The little fox approached right in front of her, looking her over anxiously as he asked.
“Human, does it hurt-seumnidayo? Where are you injured-seumnidayo?”
“Sniff, no… it’s nothing like that.”
When Cheong-sil asked with such worry, her emotions surged even more fiercely.
She wanted to wipe her tears, but her hands were bound, so they simply kept flowing without end. It was pure relief.
Her hands and feet were still tied, and it was a tense situation where she had no idea when Jae-young—who had gone outside—might return. Even so, just having Cheong-sil beside her seemed to loosen the knot in her chest.
She told herself she had to stop crying, yet the tears refused to cease. She bit her lip hard, shaking her head, struggling to hold them back, but the bead-like drops continued to spill.
This was no time for tears. She needed to pull herself together and find a way to escape—quickly.
Cheong-sil, who had been quietly watching the childlike Yeo-won sniffling, suddenly climbed onto her lap.
“It’s all right-seumnidayo. Cheong-sil is right here by your side-seumnidayo. You won’t be scared anymore-seumnidayo.”
Lick, lick. Cheong-sil carefully licked the corners of her eyes as though soothing a child. The gesture looked strangely familiar.
She was moved by the tender act, but what shocked her more was Cheong-sil’s mature demeanor. The surprise was so great that her tears dried in an instant.
To think such words could come from Cheong-sil, who had always seemed so clumsy. This was the same Cheong-sil who hadn’t even understood the meaning of a “promise.”
While Yeo-won remained stunned and speechless, Cheong-sil hopped down from her lap and began gnawing at the rope binding her wrists.
“We must escape first-seumnidayo. That fellow will return soon-seumnidayo.”
Her heart plummeted. Reality crashed back in. Yes—this was no time for tears.
Yeo-won began struggling urgently again. But no matter how long she fought, even if she struggled for years, she would never break such a sturdy rope.
“Cheong-sil, can’t you cut it with sorcery?”
“It won’t work-seumnidayo. I’ve already used up all the spiritual energy Lord Shin-wol gave me-seumnidayo.”
“Then I’ll give you mine.”
“…That won’t work either-seumnidayo.”
“Why not?”
“Lord Shin-wol said no-seumnidayo.”
Deciding his claws were useless, Cheong-sil began chewing the rope with his fangs, gnawing steadily. It seemed more effective; she could hear the fibers beginning to snap. Yet the pace was agonizingly slow. At this rate, Jae-young would surely return.
“This is an emergency! And I’m the one offering my spiritual energy—what does Shin-wol have to do with it??”
“He does-seumnidayo.”
“No, why exactly?”
Yeo-won asked in frustration, but Cheong-sil gave no reply and focused solely on severing the rope. If Cheong-sil was refusing to answer at all, Shin-wol must have given him extremely strict orders. Did that mean she couldn’t offer even a single speck of the spiritual energy within her marble?
“It’s fine-seumnidayo. Cheong-sil scattered a magic pouch nearby-seumnidayo, so he won’t be able to come until he finds it-seumnidayo.”
Yeo-won’s lips parted, then pressed shut again. She didn’t want him to think she was complaining even while receiving his help. Impatience and helplessness twisted across her face as she chewed her lip.
Since Cheong-sil was doing everything he could, she had to do something too. Yeo-won drew a steady breath and tried to regain her composure. Thanks to him, her mind felt clearer than before.
“Cheong-sil, what exactly is that ghost?”
“It is an Eodukseoni-seumnidayo.”
An Eodukseoni—the shadow monster from those old Korean ghost stories? Her head spun with confusion, but she accepted it quickly. With talking fox pups and Gumihos already part of her reality, one more shadow spirit wasn’t shocking.
Yeo-won slowly searched her memory. She racked her brain to recall the characteristics of an Eodukseoni she had seen in dramas and online, then asked again.
“Where are we?”
“I don’t know-seumnidayo. Cheong-sil followed the human’s presence, so I only know it is a mountain-seumnidayo.”
“A mountain? Surely not Inwol Mountain?”
“No-seumnidayo. If it were Inwol Mountain, Lord Shin-wol would have already erased it-seumnidayo.”
At the name Shin-wol, Yeo-won cried out desperately.
“That’s it! Shin-wol! Couldn’t we ask Shin-wol for help? If it’s you, Cheong-sil—!”
The gnawing sound stopped abruptly. Cheong-sil’s tail drooped at once, his whole body shrinking in on itself. Yeo-won asked hastily.
“What’s wrong? Is it too difficult?”
“Well…”
Cheong-sil glanced at her expression before answering in a tiny, crawling voice.
“I sent a message at least-seumnidayo…”
Why did he sound so timid about having sent it? Unease flooded her.
“But?”
“Cheong-sil’s sorcery is still immature, so I’m not sure if it reached Lord Shin-wol properly-seumnidayo…”
Ah. Yeo-won squeezed her eyes shut. Too many emotions tangled together, leaving her speechless for a moment.
“…Can you defeat that Eodukseoni, Cheong-sil?”
Cheong-sil shook his head.
“Then did Shin-wol order you not to leave my side?”
“At first he did, but later he changed his mind-seumnidayo.”
Cheong-sil hesitated, then spoke slowly.
“…Lord Shin-wol said humans are fragile-seumnidayo. They have no sharp teeth or thick hide, so they die so easily. That is why he came to protect you-seumnidayo.”
Having said that, Cheong-sil returned to tearing at the rope. Watching him whimper yet diligently rip away strand after strand made her chest feel tight and raw. Emotion surged, heating the corners of her eyes.
“…You said you can’t win.”
“Instead of being good at sorcery, Cheong-sil has very tough hide-seumnidayo.”
The matter-of-fact words felt like they were carving into her heart. Yeo-won asked softly.
“…Why are you going this far for me?”
“Because Cheong-sil is a wonderful Seonho who knows how to repay kindness-seumnidayo.”
“…”
“Just a little more and it should break-seumnidayo.”
Yeo-won lowered her head. Shame and humiliation crashed over her like a tidal wave.
It had only been once. What was that single occasion?
Even then, she had only shielded him out of simple pity. After that, she had tricked Cheong-sil and run away, treated him like a child, occasionally found him annoying, and hadn’t hesitated to lie just to shake him off.
At that very moment, the rope constricting her hands snapped free.
“It’s done-seumnidayo!”
Cheong-sil smiled brightly, panting with his tongue lolling out. The corners of his mouth, where his pink tongue protruded, looked strangely dark. When Yeo-won reached out to check, she saw that the gums around his fangs were torn and bleeding.
“You’re bleeding from the mouth.”
“This much will heal quickly-seumnidayo! More importantly, we must escape at once-seumnidayo!”
Cheong-sil bit her sleeve and tugged. Yeo-won, stumbling along, scooped him up and hugged him tightly to her chest.
She buried her face in the fluffy fur and breathed deeply. A warmth as gentle and kind as Cheong-sil himself enveloped her.
It was a moment when every second mattered, yet she had to say these words.
“Thank you for helping me. Because you came, Cheong-sil, I wasn’t scared at all.”
Stroking the sleek fur, Yeo-won smiled with genuine tenderness.
“You will become a wonderful Gumiho. One who is kinder and stronger than anyone else.”
Cheong-sil’s eyes blinked, then pure joy flooded his golden gaze. He puffed up his fur in delight and leaned into her touch.
“Now, let’s escape together.”
Yeo-won picked up the candle from the floor and opened the door. Outside was so dark she could see nothing beyond a single step. The tree branches swaying in the gloom confirmed it was indeed a mountain, just as Cheong-sil had said, yet a strange, creeping discomfort seemed to seep from every shadow.
Yeo-won tightened her arms around Cheong-sil and began walking forward with what courage she could muster.
Meanwhile, Jae-young was tearing through the entire mountain in search of Cheong-sil’s traces. The scent of the wild creature that had clung to Yeo-won was scattered everywhere.
He thought it was perfect timing. He could catch that fox and use it to threaten Yeo-won.
Jae-young followed the scent, ransacking the mountain, but strangely he found nothing.
It felt as though he were circling the same spot, chasing something without substance. The realization struck him, and he stopped dead. His bloodshot eyes widened as he began scanning the surroundings.
There—on top of a paulownia tree—sat a multicolored pouch radiating strange energy. Jae-young snatched it instantly and looked inside.
The pouch was filled with orange animal fur. Cheong-sil had squeezed out the last of his strength to scatter his own fur across the mountain.
No wonder he couldn’t get a fix on him.
“A mere wild animal resorting to petty tricks.”
Jae-young threw his head back and cackled, but his expression hardened in the next instant. His body creaked, joints popping one by one, as his head snapped toward the container where Yeo-won had been bound.
It seemed she had escaped the container. Yet Jae-young only trembled with pleasure.
After all, this entire mountain was the Eodukseoni’s domain. The harder she struggled to flee, the deeper the darkness would swallow her.
The wild animal’s interference had been an unexpected variable, but it was actually welcome. He hoped she would thrash with all her might alongside her only hope. Only then would her terror reach its peak.
The corners of Jae-young’s mouth twitched, then stretched grotesquely toward his ears. Blood trickled from his eyes.
“Hmmm… hide well. Wouldn’t want your hair to show.”
Humming a cheerful tune, Jae-young swaggered into the waiting darkness.