Chapter 32: The End and the Beginning

“Semin! Over here!”
“Hey, Jiyoung.”

A long time had passed since… everything.

“You’re halfway to fifty, Semin. Time flies.”
“Speak for yourself.”

I was having drinks with my assistant after work, a regular occurrence now. She’d become quite attached, claiming she’d feel bad if we didn’t have our after-work drinks. Maybe she still felt guilty about how I treated her before. I didn’t mind.

It felt… normal. Almost like before. Except…

“Oh, hey.”
“Semin~!”

Tap, tap

…there were more of us now.

Hug

“Ugh… Taeyeon, get off…”
“Heehee~”
“…So unfair…”

Taeyeon and Yura. They insisted on keeping an eye on me, joining me for almost everything I did. I appreciated their concern, but honestly, I was fine now. I’d learned to be more careful.

“Where are the fox and the shaman? They used to join us for drinks!”
“Ah, well… about that…”

But that wasn’t the end of the story.

Jingle

“Jeong Semin! Didn’t I tell you to cut back on the drinking—?”
“Hey! This is a public place, you uncultured fox!”
“…There she is…”

A few days after our talk, Hyea was… human. The curse was finally lifted. Sometimes, she still flickered, like a ghost, but that was just the shaman’s magic, apparently.

“She keeps doing that ever since my liver enzymes were slightly elevated. The doctor said it was nothing to worry about…”
“Pfft, coming from you, ‘nothing to worry about’ is a major red flag.”
“Why are you still clinging to my Semin?! Get away from her, you—”
“Keep your voice down~!”

Taeyeon sat beside me, chatting away, while Hyea sat on my other side, glaring at her.

“Semin was mine first, you know? And you weren’t even in school yet~”
“Oh yeah? Well, you were the one obsessed with Semin’s—”
“Shut up…!”

The conversation was getting… risqué.

“O-okay! Cheers, everyone! Cheers…!”

Clink

I raised my glass, trying to steer the conversation back to safer waters. Thankfully, they joined in, and we had a fun evening, reminiscing and laughing.

“Remember that time, Semin, when you…”
“Ahahaha! Seriously…!”
“……”

It was good. Life had been… happy, since… everything. I’d recovered fully, physically and emotionally. My relationships had healed, my business was thriving.

And then…

“…Let’s get out of here.”
“……”

Hyea, her face flushed, her eyes soft and inviting, took my hand, whispering in my ear.

“I’m heading out, guys.”
“Okay~! Be careful~”
“Goodnight… Ugh…”

We left the bar, hand in hand, and headed… not home… but to a motel.

“… “

Neither of us spoke, our movements guided by the alcohol, a silent understanding passing between us.

Slide

“…Mm…”

As soon as the door closed, Hyea’s hand slipped inside my shirt, cupping my breast.

“Ah… Mm… Haa…”
“…This always feels… good…”

She leaned her head against mine, her lips gently nibbling my ear.

“Hee…”
“…Mm…”

She pushed me gently onto the bed.

Thud

“Haa… Mm…”

The room was dark, the only light coming from the bedside lamp. Hyea was the only thing I could see clearly.

Slide

“Mm… Haa…”

I wasn’t fully recovered. The trauma lingered. But the lingering fear was replaced by the tingling sensation of her fingertips on my skin.

“…Stick out your tongue…”
“…Haa…”

She tilted my head back, her fingers tracing the curve of my jaw, her lips brushing against mine.

“…W-we should… shower…”

I mumbled, suddenly self-conscious about the sweat clinging to my skin.

“…What if I don’t want to…?”
“Huh…?”

Hyea wasn’t in the mood for delays.

“Ah… W-wait…! Haa…!”
“…I love this look on your face… so sweet…”

And so, like always, with the lustful fox in my bed…

“Haa…! Mm…! I love you…!”
“…I love you, too… More than anything…”

…we made love.

And we would continue to, forever.