The Uninvited Fox
The Annals of King Jungjong — Year 6 of Jungjong's Reign (1511, the Year of the Metal Sheep) [Veritable Records of Jungjong, Volume 13, Fifth Month, Ninth Day, Year 6 — First Entry] — A Strange Beast Appears. At night, a beast resembling a dog emerged from behind Munsojeon Hall and headed toward the front shrine. The palace servants found it strange and gave chase, but the creature leapt over the western wall and fled. Orders were given to track and capture it, yet it could not be found.
The historian comments: The royal sleeping quarters are no place for wild beasts to enter. The previous night the pine trees in the royal garden burned, and on this night a beastly omen appeared. When strange omens occur repeatedly over several days, there must be a cause.
… … …
The royal historians reported to the king. "A dog-like beast was sighted at Munsojeon Hall. It entered the sleeping quarters, and the pines in the royal garden caught fire. This is no ordinary beast — we believe it to be a yokai. It would be wise to summon all Force Arts practitioners and Taoist masters across the realm to eliminate this dog yokai at once."
The king decreed: "There has never been a yokai sighting in Hanyang before. How can you be certain that beast was a yokai? Do not speak so definitively." The proposal was denied.
The historians pressed again. "Even if yokai have never appeared in Hanyang, the testimonies of those who saw the beast at Munsojeon match the accounts of those who have witnessed yokai."
The king decreed: "Where were the Force Arts practitioner Lee Ju-mae, guardian of the palace, and the Taoist master Oh Jung-hwan of the Taoist Association? What were they doing?"
The historians replied: "The moment the dog-like beast was sighted, Lee Ju-mae and Oh Jung-hwan immediately deployed to hunt it down, but they failed to capture it."
The king decreed: "Even they could not catch it. This is clearly the work of a yokai, not a mere wild beast. Summon every Force Arts practitioner and Taoist master in the realm."
* * *
I was an uninvited outsider. An outsider had no business crashing a meeting where the fate of the nation was at stake, so it was decided I would wait at the hotel.
"The moment I bring up the agenda, government agents will storm your hotel room to verify the facts. So please don't panic, Miho. Just cooperate quietly."
That was the plan, roughly. First, the director would raise the issue during the meeting. Naturally, that included everything about me — the blue-glowing nine-tailed fox, the Jomagu, the truth behind the formless shadow and the goblins. The director intended to tell the attendees honestly that I was waiting at the hotel, then propose summoning me to the conference room.
"Got it. They're not going to start shooting the second they see me, right?"
"They… probably won't. It's not just me vouching for you. Force Arts practitioner Ha-neul and…"
"The Taoist Association is also vouching for you. And I mean the Association itself, not me personally. The government won't be able to treat you carelessly either."
…That was a little heavy. When you thought about it, these people were betting their entire lives on me. If things went wrong, they could be branded traitors to humanity and rot in prison for the rest of their days.
I nodded at the director. "I'll trust you. I'll wait here."
"…Good. Then I'll be off, Miho. See you soon."
"Catch you later, Miho!"
"Don't go around the hotel rooms eating people while we're gone."
…Like I'd ever do something that insane, you lunatic. I understood the situation perfectly. I'd just sit quietly. Breathe. And wait.
* * *
"Haaah…"
When Lee Ha-neul let out a long sigh, the director gave her a gentle smile.
"Worried about Miho?"
"Of course I am. What if she causes trouble while I'm gone… Haaah. What if she's crawling around the hallway on all fours barking at people…"
"…That was the nature of your concern?"
The director looked dumbfounded. Maybe he was the only one actually worried about what was about to happen. The most tense person in the room wasn't Hojun or Lee Ha-neul — it was the director himself.
Hojun poked his nose with a bored expression and said, "Loosen up, Director. Same goes for you, Ha-neul. Honestly, I'm not that worried."
"Right? I was half-skeptical too, but after talking with Miho yesterday, I realized there's nothing to worry about."
The director asked why bringing a yokai named Miho into the conference room wasn't concerning. Both answered at the same time.
"She's more human than most humans."
"Miho is a person."
The director accepted their answers.
* * *
The conference room was bustling with preparations. Given the gravity of the matter, there was a mountain of things to prepare. Baek Nam-hoon, the meeting's moderator, let out a sigh.
Baek Nam-hoon. Minister of the Yokai Hunter Department. A Force Arts practitioner. As Korea's only government-certified Force Arts master, he had reached the pinnacle of Force Arts. If you asked for the strongest Taoist master, nine out of ten would name Hojun. If you asked for the strongest Force Arts practitioner, nine out of ten would name Baek Nam-hoon.
Baek Nam-hoon had no interest in politics. However, no one was more suited to be Minister of the Yokai Hunter Department than him, so he had reluctantly taken the position. Until the day before becoming minister, he had been an active yokai hunter. Rather than entering politics, he had been more interested in training successors. In fact, he had taken in one disciple and raised her with great care, but unfortunately, while she possessed talent in Force Arts itself, she had no talent for actually hunting yokai. His disciple had ultimately faded from public memory without ever shining.
…That is, until recently. News arrived that his disciple had defeated a powerful yokai estimated to be Rank 2. He had been half overjoyed at his disciple's remarkable performance, and half suspicious.
'Ha-neul is a talented Force Arts practitioner, but she's not at the level of defeating a Rank 2 yokai.'
'There's something.'
'Something the Jirisan Yokai Hunter Office is hiding.'
What gave him certainty was none other than the "Formless Shadow" incident. The existence of a "mysterious helper" in the defeat of the Formless Shadow had become an open secret known even to the public.
The purpose of this meeting was to prepare countermeasures against the powerful yokai expected to appear in the future, but the main objective was to uncover the identity of that "mysterious helper."
Fortunately, Lee Han-ul, director of the Jirisan Yokai Hunter Office, his disciple Lee Ha-neul, and the Taoist master Hojun of the Taoist Association — all those directly involved in the incident — were attending the meeting. Baek Nam-hoon intended to interrogate them directly. After all, he was a capable minister with cold charisma. Even if they were his beloved disciple, there would be no mercy in his questioning…
"Master!"
"Ha-neul! It's been a while!"
Wham!
Baek Nam-hoon's tension melted away completely at the appearance of his beloved disciple.
"So, you defeated a Rank 2 yokai? Well done, well done!"
"Ehehe… I didn't do it alone. Actually, there's something I need to tell you about that…"
"Tsk, Ha-neul, haven't I always told you? Have confidence! Who are you?"
"Baek Nam-hoon's disciple."
"That's right, Baek Nam-hoon's disciple! As my disciple and no one else's, you must have confidence!"
…No matter what anyone said, when it came to his beloved disciple, he was a hopelessly doting master willing to stake his life.
"By the way, what's that huge club?"
"This? It's a goblin club. You can channel energy into it and use spirit speech… It's a mysterious club like that."
"Hoho, if you lie to your master, I won't let you get away with it, Ha-neul."
"It's real! I'll explain everything once the meeting starts. Ah, Unnie Ye-seul! Long time no see! Master, I'm going to say hello to some other people."
"Go ahead."
* * *
The directors of yokai hunter offices from across the country. A total of ten Force Arts practitioners and Taoist masters. The Minister and Vice Minister of the Yokai Hunter Department. High-ranking government officials. Military personnel and four-star generals. Preparations for the meeting were complete.
The meeting began with identifying the problem. Baek Nam-hoon looked around the room and spoke.
"Over the past month, yokai estimated to be Rank 2 or higher have appeared simultaneously in multiple locations. This is clearly an abnormal sign and a national crisis."
Beep. When he pressed the remote, an image of the "Blue-Glowing Nine-Tailed Fox" appeared on the screen. Murmurs spread through the room — even just looking at the photo carried an inexplicable sense of pressure.
After calming the commotion, Baek Nam-hoon continued.
"The blue-glowing nine-tailed fox. It appeared in Jirisan. National certified Force Arts practitioner Lee Ha-neul was dispatched. The blue-glowing nine-tailed fox was eliminated by Lee Ha-neul. There were injuries, but no fatalities."
Clap clap clap clap clap. People applauded Lee Ha-neul and Lee Han-ul.
"…Next, the Jomagu. This too appeared in Jirisan and was eliminated by national certified Force Arts practitioner Lee Ha-neul and the personnel of the Jirisan Yokai Hunter Office. No fatalities."
Clap clap clap clap clap. Once again, people applauded Lee Ha-neul and Lee Han-ul.
Baek Nam-hoon shot Lee Han-ul a sharp glare. Seeing the cold sweat on his face, it was clear. As expected. He was hiding something.
"Next. The Formless Shadow."
When the photo of the Formless Shadow appeared, the people who had been clapping fell silent at once. One of the Force Arts practitioners began to sob.
"…I offer my condolences for the deceased. The Formless Shadow. It was eliminated by the Taoist master Hojun and the 'mysterious helper.'"
Beep. When Baek Nam-hoon pressed the remote, the screen turned off. He continued.
"Now, let us begin the main meeting."