Chapter 31: A New Beginning

I was a broken wind-up toy. Haunted by hallucinations. The monster, the one who was supposed to be gone… she was still there, her breath hot against my neck, her hands gripping my throat. My skin crawled. Even in my own home, surrounded by familiar objects, the terror lingered, a constant tremor in my bones.

I wanted to die. The image wouldn’t fade. The way she played with my hair, her teeth grazing my neck, her tongue tracing the curve of my waist… it all came back, vivid and terrifying, whenever the lights dimmed. I knew it was a hallucination, but the fear, deeply embedded in my soul, was breaking me. I was terrified.

“…”

I sat on the sofa, surrounded by oversized plushies from my childhood, the lights blazing. I couldn’t bear the darkness. I’d lose my mind if I wasn’t careful.

Slide

“Eek…!”
“…It’s okay… It’s me…”

But I wasn’t alone.

“…”
“How are you feeling today…?”

My… my beloved Hyea. My savior. My… I couldn’t find the words to express my gratitude. My guardian, my everything.

“…I’m… okay…”

She never left my side, always asking if I was alright. When she was near, the hallucinations faded, replaced by a profound sense of peace. I couldn’t bear to be apart from her. I’d stop breathing if she left.

“That’s good…”
“……”

Hyea was my fox. Loyal, unwavering. She stayed within my sight, a constant reassurance. I could finally relax, close my eyes, and just… breathe.

Click

“…Welcome home…”
“……”

One day, a woman in white robes visited.

“… “

They talked about things I didn’t understand. The world, some impending doom… I just wanted Hyea to hold me.

“…I’m sorry, Fox, but I need your help.”

But then I heard the words.

“… “
“…I need you. It’s unfortunate, but… there’s no other way.”

Hyea. She had to leave.

“…N-no… No…”

I clung to her, my face contorted with fear, a desperate plea escaping my lips.

“…It’s okay, Semin. I’m not leaving you.”
“…Hngh…”

She held me close, her warmth calming the frantic beating of my heart.

“…It’s worse than I thought.”
“……”

They finished their conversation and the woman left.

“…..”

I clung to Hyea’s clothes, refusing to let go.

“…You need to sleep, Semin.”
“……..”

I ignored her, burying my face in her fur.

“…..”

She stroked my hair.

“…There’s… something… I want to tell you.”

Her voice was soft, a gentle whisper.

“…Semin… I…”

And then… for the first time… I learned about Hyea’s past.

“…I wasn’t… always… a good person.”

“…I… I was born a killer…”

Born somewhere, struggling to survive, her first love lost, the destruction of the Mirror World, her second love sacrificed to maintain the balance…

“…I didn’t want to lose you, too…”

And then…

“…I never wanted to lose you… Not you…”

For the first time, she was the one who fell first.

“…But…”

But even then…

“…This is… my fault, too…”
“……”

The curse. She couldn’t escape it.

“…I… I put you in danger… I was… too weak to protect you… That’s why you’re… still suffering…”
“……”

I loosened my grip on her, pulling away slightly.

“…You can… hate me… I… I deserve it… I’m… I’m a fool…”

She looked away, a deep sadness in her eyes, an expression I’d never seen before.

“……..”

I stared at her for a moment, then…

Hug

“……”

…hugged her again, tightly.

“…Semin…”
“…It’s… okay…”

I didn’t care about her past. It didn’t change anything.

“…I… I should have been… more careful… This isn’t… your fault…”

I closed my eyes, my voice muffled against her fur.

“…And… maybe… the curse is… lifted… You said… you couldn’t see the future anymore…”
“……..”

She looked at me, surprised, then…

“…Maybe it’s just… bad luck…”
“…Semin…”

…she hugged me tightly, her tears falling silently onto my shoulder.

“…So… please… don’t leave… I’m okay… Really… I’ll… I’ll be okay…”
“…Hngh…”

I held her close, my plea whispered against her fur. It wasn’t about what had happened, or what she’d done. I just… I couldn’t be alone. Not now. Not again.

“…”

She cried for a long time, then stroked my hair.

“…Did you know…?”
“……”

She spoke.

“…You… you could have been… a shaman, too…”
“……”

I looked at her, confused.

“…I… I have to go… for a while.”
“…What…?”

She continued,

“…I’m not leaving… Just… running an errand… It’ll take a few hours… but I’ll be back.”
“……..”

I…

“…N-no… No…”

…clung to her sleeve, shaking my head.

“…I’m sorry. But I’ll be back soon. I promise.”
“……..”

No. She couldn’t leave. Not again.

“…Ah… Ah…”

But time, indifferent to my pleas, marched on.

“…Semin…”

The next morning, she stood by the door, dressed to leave, my arms wrapped around her, my fingers digging into her clothes, refusing to let go. She stroked my back, trying to soothe me, then…

“…I’ll be back soon.”

…vanished. Like dust in the wind.

“No…! Hngh…”

I curled up on the floor, my hands clutching my head.

“… “

Even with the lights on, a chilling darkness crept into the room, making me shiver.

“…Haa… No… No… Why… Why are you doing this to me…? Why… You said… you wouldn’t leave… Don’t leave me… Please… Stay with me… Hold me… Please… Ah… No…!”

I woke up slumped against the wall, drooling.

“… “

I was shaking, even though it wasn’t cold.

“…Haa…”

I stood up, my legs trembling, and walked to the sofa, my mind a fog.

Flop

“…Hyea… Hyea…”

I buried my face in a plushie, whispering her name. She promised she wouldn’t leave…

It felt like the monster could emerge from any shadow, grab me, drag me away, inject me with something…

“………”

I was terrified. The fear consumed me, pulling me into a dark abyss.

Buzz

“… “

The phone rang.

“… “

I flinched. No one called me. Who would…?

Buzz

“… “

I walked towards the phone, slowly.

“… “

And saw the name.

“…Taeyeon…?”

Sim Taeyeon.

Slide

I reached for the phone, then stopped, my hand hovering over it. A sudden wave of anxiety washed over me.

What if… What if it was like before? What if getting close to them…

Ding-dong

“Eek…!”

The doorbell rang.

“… “

I walked towards the door, carefully…

Trip, crash

“Oof…!”

…and stumbled, falling to the floor. But even the pain couldn’t distract me from the fear. I stared at the intercom screen.

“…….”

No one there. It must be the shaman, checking on me, like Hyea had asked. I rushed to the door and opened it.

Click

“…Huh…?”

A more familiar face.

“…Hey…”

Han Yura.

Hug

“…”

She hugged me, her small frame pressing against mine.

“…What… They said… you were kidnapped…”
“…Uh…?”

And then, words I hadn’t expected.

“…I cancelled all my flights… because of you… You idiot…”
“……..”

She was an international interpreter now, wasn’t she? But how… how did she know?

“Jeong Semin!”

Tap, tap, tap

A voice echoed from the hallway.

“Why didn’t you answer your phone?! Seriously…! You have to tell us when something’s wrong!”

Sim Taeyeon. In uniform.

“I… I was in charge of your case… How did you get out…? Are you okay?! Did she… Did anything… happen…? I should have known… that b*tch…!”
“……”

A police officer. Taeyeon was a police officer.

“…You would never… get involved in something like that…”

Yura muttered, stepping back, her hand still on my shoulder.

“I’m… so sorry… We were too late…”
“…Ah… Um…”

And then… the tears came.

“…Waaaaah…!”

I hugged them both, the relief, the exhaustion, the sheer… gratitude… pouring out of me.

They hadn’t forgotten me.

“Th-thank you… Sob…!”

“…Slurp…”

Yura made me some hot coffee. I sat down, trying to calm down.

“You should have told us. Jeong Hyeji… she’s been acting weird for a while now… making those strange concoctions… It was all for this, wasn’t it…?”
“…Mm…”

Taeyeon scolded me gently. I looked down, ashamed.

“…It’s okay.”
“…Mm…”

Yura patted my head. I smiled.

“…Oh, right. Semin, you quit your cafe, didn’t you?”
“…Oh… yeah…”

We were laughing and chatting like old times, when Taeyeon said,

“…You should… check your messages.”
“Hmm…?”

She showed me the comments section of my cafe’s social media page.

“…Huh…?”

Hundreds, thousands of comments. I can’t start my day without your coffee. I miss your signature drinks.

“…What…?”

If it had just been a few comments, I would have dismissed it as… fanfare. But this…

“……”

And then I saw the last comment.

“We know you were falsely accused. Come back, CEO! We miss your passion!”

Something… something inside me… something frozen, dormant… it stirred. My vision cleared.

“…Thank you.”

I smiled. I meant it.

“Thank you… both of you.”

I was grateful.

***

“See? I told you it would work.” , said the shaman
“…You’re a terrible person.”, I told her

Hidden in a corner of the room, unseen, unheard… another reunion.

“That was a cruel plan. You’re a monster.”
“Heehee~ But it worked out in the end, didn’t it~?”

The shaman had summoned me, asking for help with guiding lost souls. And then she’d mentioned a way to heal Semin. She’d told me to leave her alone.

“…Tch…”

How could I? It tore me apart. But she was a powerful shaman. I trusted her. And… it had worked.

“…So you’re the one who told Taeyeon?”
“…Maybe~ Maybe not~”

She was still as infuriating as ever.

“…You should just… ascend already.”
“What?! I’m still alive!”

I pulled out a candle, threatening to exorcise her. We ran around the room, chasing each other, when…

“…Hyea…?”
“…Who’s the fox cosplayer…?”
“…I like her white robe…”

…our disguises faltered, our spectral forms flickering into view.

“…..”

I stared at the shaman, dumbfounded, and then…

“Heeheehee…”
“…You little…!”

…she grinned. She’d done it on purpose.

“I’m sending you back to the gods today!”
“Meow! Fox bites human!”
“Hyea…!”
“What was that…?”
“…I don’t know…”

And so, our long and winding saga came to a… somewhat chaotic end.

Tomorrow… will be a brighter day.