back for the weekly update! the comments decreased - was something not good about the last part? ;u; do let me know if something bothers you!

woogyu finally start their journey together! let the ship sail! #woosh

warning: mention of an attack with casaulties

Sunggyu didn’t waste any more time and got moving. This time the machines didn’t beep when he pulled all the cables off. Sunggyu figured it was the witches doing as well. He had no time to wonder about it and instead ripped off the ugly white clothing they had forced on him. The gumiho slipped into the clothes she had given to him. He scrunched up his nose in distaste. They were weird looking clothes like the humans in the forest had worn. It was probably the current fashion but Sunggyu preferred wearing robes. The pants were too tight for his liking and the shirt was an ugly yellow color.

Sunggyu slipped out of the room in a hurry and checked the floor. He didn’t see the white-clothed people from before who had given him that weird medicine. He was still feeling a little light-headed from the drugs but at least the gumiho could walk without falling over again. Sweet scents filled his nose as he tried to find Jumon’s. Sunggyu pursed his lips. If the witch was right, the medicine was dulling his senses at the moment. His stomach churned when he thought about how sweet the humans would smell when the drugs wore off. Drool gathered in his mouth when the thought entered his mind and Sunggyu shook his head. Ignore the hunger. You can fight it, like you’ve done over the past years. Think about Jumon only. Woohyun.

He found his soulmate after a few turns. The young man looked up when Sunggyu walked over to him. His eyes widened slightly and he looked around, as if to check Sunggyu wasn’t alone. “Uh... Are you feeling okay, sir? Is it okay for you to walk around already?”

The gumiho stopped in front of him, taking a moment to fully observe his human in the bright light from the ceiling. Jumon was possibly more beautiful then he remembered, but maybe his memory of the other man had faded too much over the years. Despite his strong love, Sunggyu had been unable to change the way time played with one’s memory. Some moments were clear as day in his mind and others he wasn’t sure about anymore. Just one thing he knew for sure – Jumon was back at his side and Sunggyu wouldn’t loose him again, danger or not.

He resisted the urge to kiss Woohyun but his stare was probably intense enough. The human shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. Sunggyu caught a slight blush on his cheeks and smiled. Woohyun felt flustered and looked away. “I- uh - my friend is terribly sorry for the accident. He left already but if you want-“

Sunggyu felt all the hairs on his neck and arm stand. He froze at the sudden feeling of dread and looked around. Everything seemed normal, well, at least as normal as this strange and foreign world could look to him. “We’re out of time, I fear. You must leave the hospital as quickly as possible and take Woohyun with you.”, Sunggyu remembered her words. He grabbed Woohyun’s forearm without another word and pulled him along.

The man stuttered in confusion and held onto his backpack with his other hand. “I- What are you doing? Where are we going? If you’re angry-“

Woohyun kept talking but the gumiho wasn’t listening. Frantic steps led him from one corridor to the next until the anger inside of him exploded. “Witchcraft! I demand to know where the exit is!”

The young man next to him was startled for a moment, but then pointed behind them. “The exit is the other way, sir.”

Sunggyu growled quietly. He felt like using his fox fire to burn down every wall in his way, which probably wasn’t the wisest idea. “Show me. And stop calling me sir. I’m Sunggyu.”

It was annoying him that Woohyun kept putting distance between them with the constant ‘sir’. Sunggyu wanted him to say his name. He missed the way Jumon had said it – lovingly and soft like a summer breeze. The memory of it made his chest tighten. He knew it had been stupid of him to expect meeting Jumon with all memories intact. He had always imagined them running into each other’s arms, crying and holding each other tightly, exchanging confessions and easing the terrible longing in their hearts. But this man didn’t know Sunggyu and it pained the gumiho more than he wanted to admit. Wasn’t this just a stranger with Jumon’s face? Tears clouded his vision.

“Ouch!” At the exclamation, Sunggyu flinched and looked at the other man. Woohyun grimaced. “It hurts.”

Suddenly, he was aware of how hard he was grabbing the human’s arm and quickly tore his hand away. “I’m sorry...”

Woohyun rubbed the spot his fingers had dug into. His gaze seemed almost fearful when he glanced up at him, but then it changed quickly. “Why are you crying? It...It didn’t hurt that much.”

The gumiho flinched and swiftly wiped his eyes. He shook his head shortly. They had no time for this. “The exit. Hurry.”

Woohyun blinked in confusion a few times but then finally he started moving. Sunggyu kept up with him, always glancing around in case anything dangerous appeared. He wasted a lot of time by running into the other direction. Of course there was a possibility of the witch having tricked him for her own amusement, but somehow the fox felt like it wasn’t like that. He had felt a sense of urgency from her before she disappeared. Sunggyu was content somehow that there was something even she was afraid of, but it was honestly a bit frightening as well.

He felt relieved when he spotted the exit of the building. Why did people even bother building big houses like that? Did they think of themselves as kings? Not that a hospital was a bad place to spend money on, but why was everything in this era so big? Woohyun stopped in his steps but Sunggyu grabbed his arm again and pulled him outside with him. He flinched when the impressions outside the building assaulted him. There were too many things at once – the buildings, the people, the big monsters moving past them and the smells. Sunggyu froze and tried taking it all in at once. It seemed impossible. He looked at the moving monsters with a mix of fear and rage. They all seemed to have different colors and for some weird reason people were in them. They didn’t seem to notice the two of them though and made no move to attack them. Maybe they weren’t hostile after all.

“Are you okay?”

Sunggyu glanced at Woohyun who gave him a worried look. He breathed heavily and loosened his grip once more. “I-I’m fine.”

“You look pale. Maybe you should stay in the hospital a while longer?”

A loud noise made him jump and Sunggyu pressed his back against a wall, expecting an attack. Woohyun looked at him from the side. The corners of his lips turned upwards. “Hey, calm down, that was just a car horn. Why are you so frightened?”

“A car...horn?” Sunggyu knew what a horn was and he knew what it sounded like, but what was a car horn?

“Come on! It’s not like you’ve lost your memory or something!” Woohyun said jokingly.

The gumiho stared at him silently. He figured acting like he lost his memory was as good a story as any. He could only hope Woohyun had as much sympathy and empathy as Jumon. It seemed to be that way since Sunggyu saw the man’s amused expression fade and turn into pity. “Oh. That’s... Did it happen because of the car accident? I’m so sorry...”

Sunggyu did his best to look as sorrowful as he could, which wasn’t that hard as soon as he thought about his, their, situation. He stepped away from the wall and tried stepping closer to Woohyun but another man almost ran him over. They bumped into each other and the gumiho grunted when he was pushed aside. The scent of blood suddenly filled his nose and he frowned. He heard Woohyun ask something but his attention was on the man who had bumped into him. He didn’t turn back even once, walking deeper into the hospital with determination instead. Sunggyu felt his hairs stand up again. He grabbed Woohyun’s hands and pulled him down the small set of stairs.

“Hey, hey! Where are we going now?”

That indeed was a good question. Sunggyu remembered the talk he had listened to while eavesdropping to Woohyun and his friend. “Seoul.”

The other man pulled his hand free and they stopped again. Sunggyu frowned. He wanted to get as far away from the hospital as possible. “Okay, stop for a second. First off, why are you pulling me along? Second off, do you plan on walking all the way? You don’t look like you own a car or like you have any money for a cab, sorry. I just...I think you should take things more slowly, seeing how you’ve lost your memory and all. The hospital can help you find someone who knows you. Maybe that Jumon guy you mentioned before you collapsed? Were the two of you in the forest together?”

He pursed his lips at the questions. Was Seoul far from here? What was a cab? Or did he mishear and the human meant crab? Did humans ride crabs now? That seemed like a terribly strange idea. Sunggyu didn’t have to fake a pained look when Woohyun mentioned Jumon. “He died a long time ago. Jumon, I mean. I remember that much.”

“Oh...I’m sorry.” The younger man apologized again.

“I’m from Seoul, I think. It probably sounds strange coming from someone with memory loss but I...I have to go there.” Sunggyu lied and gave the human a short, apologetic smile. “Shouldn’t you take responsibility since I’ve lost my memory because of your friend? Please help me.”

Jumon had never been able to reject a soul in need. When Sunggyu had first met the man, he had believed him t