Nameless Beast
Nameless BeastThe most important rule for a gumiho is to never let your true form be exposed to humans, even more to the exorcists. Yan knew this rule well, and he had been careful enough for the past three hundred years to avoid any unnecessary conflict. But then again, the fact that a mere servant boy caught him once should alert him enough. He should have gone into hiding afterwards, instead of pushing his luck and stayed in that Lord’s mansion out of greed.
After all, not all humans have the same pure heart as that servant boy Wonshik.
“Demon, begone!” yelled the exorcist as he threw his talismans. Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to dodge all the attacks with his human form, he reverted back to his fox form and tried to escape. Screams and shrieks filled the air as the Lord and servants’ faces paled in horror.
“Finally you show your true form, filthy beast!” yelled the exorcist again. Having enough confirmation that his opponent was indeed not a human, he drew his holy sword out.
Yan thought that it’s the end of the line for him. He really regretted not fleeing earlier. After all, if what he wanted was for Wonshik to stay by his side, he could always ask him to run away together, couldn’t he? But Wonshik loved his family more than anything and his family had been serving the Lord for generations. And if Wonshik didn’t want to go with him, Yan felt that he wouldn’t go either.
In the end, Yan realized that he brought the current situation by his own greed.
He was ready to accept his fate, preferring to have a painless death rather than struggling and suffering before dying in that exorcist’s hand either way. But then, an unexpected thing happened.
Wonshik threw himself to hold down the exorcist, screaming about how he shouldn’t kill Yan, and gave the gumiho enough time to escape.
And there he was, in the depth of the forest, hiding himself while weeping over his own cowardice. He finally managed to escape, but at what cost? He abandoned the only human who could accept him for whatever he was… the human he had pursued for years and unable to let go for the longest time.
“In the end, I’m still a filthy fox who only knows how to save my own tails,” wailed Yan as he mourned, knowing that the Lord would probably punish Wonshik severely for his disobedience.
There’s a slim chance that the Lord would show him mercy and let him live, and in that case Wonshik would probably wait for his return so they could finally flee together. But looking back at how things had unfolded, Yan decided to stay hidden, treasuring his life more than a boy who had a higher chance of dying rather than living.
So hiding he was, while watching the seasons come and go for many, many times.
By the time Yan was fed up watching the same cycle repeating itself over and over again, he was finally faced with a change in his boring routine.
A human child trespassed into his territory.
Yan was hungry. The forest provided him with fresh meat and blood, but it’s not enough. The flesh and blood of a human would always be the tastiest to him.
Wearing his finest smile, he lured the human child to his lair, and devoured him whole.
From that day on, he assumed the identity of Cha Hakyeon, a human child with sun-kissed skin and parents who loved him without any doubt. All he needed to do was to hit his head hard enough to bleed, and pretended to have forgotten everything when the pitiful parents came to pick him up.
Fortunately, it’s not the first time he pretended to be a human child, so ‘growing up’ wasn’t a big feat for him. Although he had to learn about the human habit, customs, and knowledge again from zero, he managed to master everything splendidly. He was also wise enough not to fully show his full capability, in case that it would draw too much attention. Just as long as his new parents praised him, it was enough. He didn’t feel the need to chase the top position.
Still, for a fox that had known the luxurious life for centuries, he ended up desiring more. Hakyeon’s parents were okay, and they could afford to send Hakyeon to a prestigious school, but that’s not enough for him. He wanted to live in luxury. He wanted to be able to get whatever he wanted, instantly, without having to look at the price tag.
“Mom, Dad, may I enroll in a music department for high school?” asked Hakyeon one day. He had done his research. In the modern era, it’s no longer weird for rich women to ‘support’ young men and provide them with riches. There was no sure way to do it, but he found that wealthy women liked young men who could perform on stage. He’s the master of acting, and dancing was one of his top abilities as well. All he needed to complete his performance skills was music— whether it’s to play musical instruments or singing.
“Why so suddenly? I thought you’re more interested in dancing?” asked his father.
“I am interested in dancing, but I think I can learn that by myself in my free time since I’m already good at it. But I don’t really have any skill regarding music, so I want to learn more about it. I think it’ll be a good boost for my dancing skill too,” replied Hakyeon. His father laughed, then nodded solemnly.
“I always know that you are very wise for your age. Very well, we’ll enroll you in an art school. But remember, this is your own choice, so be responsible and study well,” said his father. Hakyeon beamed brightly and gave him a slight bow.
“Thank you very much, Dad! I promise to study well,” said Hakyeon.
In the spring that year, Hakyeon was enrolled in the art highschool, getting into the musical theatre department rather than applied music because he thought that he could survive better that way. And true to his earlier guess, he was exceedingly good at it.
The only person who could rival him was the quiet and mysterious Jung Taekwoon. Hakyeon heard that he used to be in the national’s football club back in middle school, but he was injured so he couldn’t continue being an athlete. Yet all those years being a sportsman gave him a hot body, high stamina, and great lung capacity, so he had a good base to do well in the musical theatre. He turned out to have a beautiful and strong voice too, so that’s a high plus point for him.
Still, Taekwoon lacked one thing that Hakyeon had: he’s extremely shy and had the tendency to push people away. Although both of them were charming in their own ways, Hakyeon knew how to accept praise and return them politely. With Taekwoon, he’d just blush and run away. Many considered his behavior to be rude, so he’s not liked as much as Hakyeon.
Hakyeon wasn’t really interested in Taekwoon, though. For him, Taekwoon was just like one of those servants who happened to be good at something, but not good enough to buy them freedom. Taekwoon was a good actor and singer, but not good enough to be the star of the stage.
Days passed by comfortably for Hakyeon, and suddenly it’s time for the new academic year. Hakyeon and his friends went to check on the new students, wondering if there’s any interesting ones. They were on their way to the first year’s floor when he almost bumped into a fellow student.
“Oops, sorry!” said the student as he quickly bowed and continued on his way. He seemed to be in a hurry, half-running along the corridor without looking back at all. And yet still, Hakyeon had a glimpse of his face, and that’s enough to make him stand stunned.
That student had the exact same face as the servant boy Wonshik.
Still, he didn’t immediately jump to find this student. He told himself that he’s probably wrong, his eyes could play tricks on him, and there’s no way someone with the exact same face suddenly showed up centuries later.
But he got the confirmation he needed when the recruitment for the traditional music and dance club began.
“My paternal family has been a gayageum player for generations. I want to learn about other instruments, and also the dances, so that I can incorporate them into my performance,” explained the student, who according to his application form was named ‘Kim Wonshik’.
Not only his appearance, his name was also the same.
“Can you try playing a song, or maybe freestyle something?” asked Hakyeon boldly. Wonshik looked surprised, probably because he didn’t expect to be asked to play something immediately. After all, the application did say that they wouldn’t hold any audition; just a simple interest would be enough.
“Ah… Okay. I’m still learning, so please forgive me if it’s weird,” said Wonshik as he stood from his seat. Helped by another club member, Wonshik prepared the gayageum and then played a children's song. The sight of him playing gayageum brought Hakyeon back to centuries ago, making him feel the heartache he hadn’t felt for the longest time.
As he accepted Wonshik’s application, he set his determination to make Wonshik his again.
Unfortunately, just like how Wonshik entered his life once again, the person who ruined it also appeared.
“I’m signing up because the fool from before is signing up. We’re like twins from different parents after all,” said the handsome student named ‘Lee Hongbin’.
Just like how Hakyeon could never forget the face of the human who saved his life, he would never be able to forget the face of the human who tried to end it. If the Wonshik from his past reincarnated as the underclassman Wonshik, then the exorcist from that time must have reincarnated too as Hongbin.
Hakyeon really wanted to shred the application form to tiny pieces and kicked Hongbin away, but that would be against the club’s policy to turn away new members. Besides, other members seemed to be charmed by his look. Hakyeon hated to admit it, but Hongbin really was handsome. If he didn’t have the memory of his older version yelling at him while swinging his holy sword at him, he would probably be swooned as well.
It was the first club meeting of that year. With new members that still didn’t know much about how to play traditional instruments, the instructor asked the senior members to help them. Hakyeon saw this chance to get closer to Wonshik, and wasted no time in pairing himself to Wonshik.
“Hakyeon, can you assist Hongbin instead? Wonshik has already grasped the basics, so he can assist Seungwoo,” said the instructor.
“If Wonshik is going to assist a fellow new member, can he assist me instead?” asked Hongbin immediately.
“You two have been friends for a long time, right? That’s not good. You need to mingle with other members too, new and old,” replied the instructor. Hongbin visibly pouted, but the instructor only chuckled at that.
Hakyeon also felt really dissatisfied with the current arrangement. He’d rather let Wonshik assist Hongbin, since that would allow Hakyeon to avoid Hongbin. But there they were, stuck with partners they didn’t like.
“If you’re upset because you fail to flirt with Wonshik, don’t take it on me,” mumbled Hongbin after Hakyeon criticized his posture once again. Hakyeon’s eyes were wide. He didn’t realize that he was that obvious.
“And if you still have the energy to protest, just do as I told you!” hissed Hakyeon. Hongbin clicked his tongue, but he did fix his posture like Hakyeon told him to.
At the end of that day’s session, Hongbin just had the audacity to pull Hakyeon aside. He grabbed Hakyeon’s wrist hard and stared right into his eyes with a serious expression.
“Since I’m a good kid, let me give you this advice; stay away from Wonshik. Don’t do anything funny to him. I don’t know you well yet, but I can sense that you’re up to no good,” warned Hongbin fearlessly.
Hakyeon glared back at him. Although Hongbin looked exactly like that exorcist from his past, he knew that Hongbin was nothing like that exorcist in terms of strength. He’s just a normal high school kid with no spiritual power or whatsoever to kill him.
“Since I’m a good kid too, let me give you this advice; piss off. I’ll do what I want, and you have no right nor power to stop me,” warned Hakyeon back.
They were glaring at each other so hard there could be flame burning between them, but thankfully one of the club members called them before any violence happened. Hongbin quickly ran after Wonshik, but not before making a gesture of ‘I will be watching you’ to Hakyeon.
Hakyeon scoffed and thought that Hongbin wouldn’t be too much of a trouble for him.
Hakyeon was wrong.
He completely miscalculated the fact that Hongbin had known Wonshik since forever, and just how annoyingly persistent he could be. For whatever reason Hakyeon couldn’t comprehend, Hongbin always managed to interrupt every single chance for Hakyeon to be alone with Wonshik. Even worse, Wonshik seemed to be that dense to not realize all the efforts Hakyeon had put just to talk to him in peace without Hongbin’s presence.
“You two seems very close. Should I start saving my allowance to prepare for a celebration?” commented Wonshik one time, after Hongbin ruined yet another Hakyeon’s effort to flirt with Wonshik.
Both Hakyeon and Hongbin looked at Wonshik like he’s crazy.
“Where is that coming from? Are you joking? That’s not funny at all,” said Hakyeon.
“Hey, I think you should check yourself to the doctor. There must be something wrong with your eyes or your brain,” said Hongbin at the same time.
Wonshik chuckled and muttered ‘cute’ at how the two spoke at the same time, while Hakyeon and Hongbin glared at each other for that.
“Okay, okay, I understand… Nothing to celebrate, nothing to celebrate,” said Wonshik with a wide grin as he opened the door to the music room.
But his smile quickly faltered when he realized that the room wasn’t empty. There was a boy on the piano, singing in full power as he played. The gentle yet powerful voice hypnotized Wonshik, making him stand still at the door with a slack jaw and wide eyes.
While the scene looked magical for Wonshik and confusing for Hongbin, it felt like a waking nightmare for Hakyeon. After living for centuries as an actor, he understood all sorts of expressions a human has. The one that Wonshik had on his face at that time was one that Hakyeon feared to see most when it’s not directed to him.
It was the look of awe and adoration.
Sudden loud keysmash diverted Hakyeon’s attention from Wonshik, and he saw how Taekwoon had stood up in horror upon realizing that he was no longer alone.
“Ah, sorry for intruding—”
Wonshik didn’t have the chance to finish his apology as Taekwoon quickly gathered his stuff and rushed out from the room, shoving Hakyeon away in his hurry. Feeling a sudden spark of irritation, Hakyeon used a bit of magic to untie Taekwoon’s shoelace, causing him to trip. He fell spectacularly to the floor, spilling some contents of his bag, but he’s quick to gather them up again.
“Hey, you okay? That was a hard fall,” asked Wonshik who quickly knelt down, trying to help Taekwoon. But Taekwoon ignored him, simply snatching the notebooks Wonshik helped to pick up and quickly stood again, practically running away from the scene as Wonshik was in daze about what’s actually going on.
“That’s Jung Taekwoon from my department. Don’t mind his behavior; he’s always like that,” said Hakyeon.
“Always clumsy?” asked Hongbin.
“Always rude,” replied Hakyeon lightly.
“I don’t think he’s rude,” commented Wonshik as he slowly stood, eyes still fixed to where Taekwoon ran away. “He’s just… I don’t know, nervous?”
Hakyeon thought that Taekwoon probably was, but he’s not going to say it. Their department was going to have an exam on solo musical performance, and each person was required to perform a musical number complete with the costume and makeup. It sounded simple enough, but there’s one point that could cause panic for someone as shy as Taekwoon: they’re going to hold the performance in the gym building, where any student from the entire school could come and watch their performances.
Even worse, the teacher announced the gym thing after all students had submitted their song of choice. Performing in front of the whole class was one thing, but performing in front of random passersby in the gym was a whole other game.
“By the way, you said he’s in your department, right? Are you in the same class as him?” asked Wonshik.
“No, he’s in the other class. Why do you ask that?” replied Hakyeon.
“I want to properly apologize for startling him,” said Wonshik. He looked purely concerned, and it made Hakyeon feel even more irritated.
“If I were you, I won’t bother. He’s unapproachable. Just be thankful that he didn’t punch you back then,” said Hakyeon.
“He doesn’t look like a bad guy, if you ask me,” commented Hongbin. Hakyeon could clearly see the unspoken ‘unlike you’, and he was really tempted to hit him.
“Right. I'll apologize to him after school,” said Wonshik.
Hakyeon really hated the idea of Wonshik meeting with Taekwoon again, but he guessed that it would be inevitable as long as they stayed in the same school. Besides, Taekwoon would probably give him a cold shoulder just like he always did to everyone else, so letting Wonshik meet Taekwoon again would probably be the best idea to get them apart.
If anything could go worse for Hakyeon that day, it’s the fact that he had completely miscalculated about how friendly and persistent Wonshik could be.
Hakyeon had just exited his own classroom when he saw Wonshik entering Taekwoon’s classroom after the school hour had ended. Hongbin wasn’t with him, so Hakyeon got really curious. Quietly, he peeked inside to see how it went.
From what he could see, everyone in Taekwoon’s class had gone away, leaving the two alone. Most likely, Taekwoon had waited for everyone to go home so he didn’t have to go through crowds, just like he always did. But Wonshik was probably waiting for him at the shoe locker, and when he didn’t see him for a long time, he ended up visiting the classroom.
“Excuse me, Sunbaenim. Uh, we kinda met this afternoon?” greeted Wonshik slowly. Taekwoon, who was previously staring out from the window, quickly turned and faced Wonshik with the similar surprised look he had back in the music room.
When Taekwoon looked like he’s about to make a hasty exit again, Wonshik quickly bowed down and said loudly, “I’m sorry for surprising you earlier! I didn’t know that there’s someone in the room and I wasn’t trying to scare you or anything! Please forgive my rudeness!”
Taekwoon was stunned. He seemed really lost about what to do, but he knew that he wanted to go home. So, in order to dismiss Wonshik, he simply nodded.
“Ah, um… Yeah. Okay,” said Taekwoon softly, when he realized that Wonshik probably couldn’t see him since he was bowing that deep.
Upon hearing Taekwoon’s reply, Wonshik stood up straight again and smiled thankfully to Taekwoon. That had Taekwoon felt taken aback.
“By the way, Sunbaenim, your voice is really great. I mean, I’m sorry for listening without your permission, but your voice is just… Wow. It really moves my heart,” babble Wonshik away, still with a huge smile on his lips, “Your voice is powerful, yet it has a certain softness as well. Your pitch control is also awesome! And—”
“But it’s not enough,” cut Taekwoon softly, yet sharply. Wonshik halted immediately when he heard that, his smile fading out as Taekwoon came to realize that he voiced out his thought, loud enough for a stranger to hear it.
“Why?” asked Wonshik slowly, as if he didn’t want to offend Taekwoon with his question. Taekwoon bit his lips, pondering about whether or not he should say anything to a complete stranger like that. But Wonshik wasn’t forcing him to speak, or dismissing his question even when Taekwoon took too long to answer.
Wonshik simply kneeled down, tilting his head so that he could see Taekwoon’s face better.
“In musical… in musical theatre, just having a good voice isn’t enough. I have to act too, and it’s… difficult. I can’t do it,” replied Taekwoon slowly.
“But you want to, don’t you?” asked Wonshik. Taekwoon stared at him with wide eyes. “You want to become a musical actor, right? I mean, why else do you enroll in that program if you don’t want it?”
Taekwoon opened his mouth to reply, but he just couldn’t find the right words, so he closed it again. Still, his expression probably showed something he wanted to say instead, from the way Wonshik smiled gently at him.
“I’m Kim Wonshik, by the way. First year, from the Applied Music Department. Although you said that just having a good voice is not good enough, I think that it’s a good start. I’m sure you can perform Tod’s Last Dance nicely,” said Wonshik, still smiling.
“H-how do you know?” asked Taekwoon.
“That’s what you’re singing in that music room, right? From the musical Elisabeth?” asked Wonshik back. Taekwoon nodded slowly, and Wonshik’s smile seemed to grow wider.
“I don’t know if anyone has ever said it to you, but… You’re really handsome, Sunbaenim. Your eyes and nose are sharp, but your overall face line is really soft—it’s a nice balance, just like your voice. I think it’s one of your good starting points as a musical actor too,” said Wonshik. Upon hearing that, Taekwoon immediately turned away, hiding his face as much as he could with his arms.
“Stop that,” muttered Taekwoon.
“Ah, sorry, I’ve gone too far, haven’t I? I’m sorry, I don’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. But I’m serious when I say that your voice and your face are nice,” said Wonshik again. Taekwoon turned back at Wonshik again just to give him a neck chop, making Wonshik bewildered at the gesture. But even more than that, Wonshik noticed just how red Taekwoon’s face was.
“What? Sunbaenim, are you embarrassed?” asked Wonshik. That earned him another neck chop, before Taekwoon loudly dragged his chair back as he stood. He grabbed his bag in a hurry, and rushed out of his class.
Realizing that Taekwoon ran away, Wonshik quickly stood and chased him, but not too far.
“Sunbaenim!! I’ll look forward to your Last Dance!” shouted Wonshik. Taekwoon ran faster after hearing that shout.
Wonshik was grinning like a fool, utterly struck by Taekwoon’s cuteness. Feeling that he had accomplished his mission that day, he went home while thinking about how to befriend Taekwoon.
After what happened between Wonshik and Taekwoon that afternoon, Hakyeon was thinking hard about how to separate the two of them. He knew Taekwoon since their first year, so he knew just how shy he was in front of new people. It only got worse as the time passed, and Hakyeon could confidently say that Taekwoon was a lost cause.
But Wonshik managed to talk to him, to have a proper conversation with him. If it didn’t show Hakyeon that Taekwoon was also interested in Wonshik, then Hakyeon didn’t know what that was.
True to Hakyeon’s fear, he saw Wonshik coming to Taekwoon’s class several times. And every single time, they’d just exit the classroom together. The first time it happened, Wonshik was the one who asked him to go somewhere else. But after that, Wonshik only needed to appear at the door, and Taekwoon would simply leave his seat to go with Wonshik.
“Oh, that first year kid? I think I saw him with Taekwoon once. It seems that they’re having lunch together at the rooftop, since no one wants to go there?” said one of Hakyeon’s friends from Taekwoon’s class.
“I saw them too in the music room several times. Taekwoon is probably preparing for the exam, right? I think that first year is helping him or something,” said another.
“I think that first year is his cousin or something? I mean, Taekwoon barely even talks to us although we’ve been his classmates since first year, right?” said another one.
Hakyeon could only feel fear and uneasiness. His own move wasn’t making any progress, and yet Taekwoon could get close to Wonshik that easily.
“Hey, Club President. Wonshik can’t make it today; he said he has to help a friend for something important,” said Hongbin when it’s time for club activity that afternoon.
“Is he still at school?” asked Hakyeon.
“You seem to know what he’s actually doing… Well, your guess is right, but I won’t say where they are now,” said Hongbin with a shrug.
Hakyeon felt a surge of irritation, and he quickly put down the instrument they’re going to use that day and rushed to the door. But before he could go far, Hongbin held his wrist firmly.
“Where are you going?” asked Hongbin sternly.
“What do you care, huh? You always ruin my chance to get close to Wonshik anyway,” hissed Hakyeon.
“Because you smell like trouble. But it’s different with this guy,” said Hongbin. Hakyeon yanked his hand away forcefully, making Hongbin almost fell face first to the floor.
“Don’t stop me or face the consequences,” threatened Hakyeon as he glared at Hongbin. He could feel his own anger overflowing from every vein in his body, and he could see Hongbin startled and shivering at his threat.
Without turning back, Hakyeon hurriedly rushed to the music room. He planned to barge in and drag Wonshik to the club room, but the scene he saw when he arrived made him freeze.
Taekwoon was performing his musical number with more passion than before, and Wonshik wasn’t taking his eyes off him even for a bit. He already knew that Wonshik liked Taekwoon, but from the way Taekwoon shone under Wonshik’s attention, Hakyeon knew that the feeling wasn’t one-sided.
It hurt much more than knowing that he had left the servant boy Wonshik to die in the Lord’s mansion.
With heavy steps, Hakyeon walked back to the club room. But on the way there, he saw Hongbin running towards the music room, most likely to stop him anyway. He looked mildly surprised to see Hakyeon coming back alone, stopping and taking a deep breath.
“I’ll give you some credits for not causing a scene,” said Hongbin.
“I’ll hit you if you dare to talk rudely to your senior like that again,” grumbled Hakyeon as he kept on walking. Hongbin just casually joined him, still breathing heavily.
“Aw, come on, I’m praising you, Sunbaenim,” replied Hongbin teasingly.
They returned to the club room in silence, and proceeded with the club activity as usual. When it’s time for them to go home, Hakyeon found Taekwoon and Wonshik at the shoe locker, with Taekwoon smiling wider than he ever was in front of others.
“Wonshik!” called Hakyeon, causing both Wonshik and Taekwoon to turn towards him. Taekwoon’s smile disappeared instantly, replaced with the usual nervous expression.
“This is the copy of the song we learned today. Make sure you practice it when you have free time. You can contact me for the club room’s key if you need it,” said Hakyeon as he handed a photocopied music sheet to Wonshik with a small smile. He then turned towards Taekwoon, who seemed to flinch a little.
“I heard that you’re going to perform as Tod from Elizabeth musical for the exam. What a coincidence; I’m going to perform as Rudolf. Mine’s from The Last Kiss, though,” said Hakyeon with a smile too, although the one he showed Taekwoon was more poisonous. “Let’s do our best.”
“What song are you going to perform?” asked Wonshik to Hakyeon.
“An Ordinary Man. I’m sure my performance will be more than ordinary, though,” said Hakyeon confidently. Wonshik nodded in agreement.
“You are extraordinary after all, Sunbaenim. But I’m sure Taekwoon-hyung’s performance will be extraordinary too,” said Wonshik cheerfully, naturally, like he didn’t even have to think about it.
And it made Hakyeon’s smile falter a bit, especially when he saw how Taekwoon ducked his head over the praise as he poked Wonshik’s waist in retaliation. But on top of it, he noticed how Wonshik still regarded him formally, while he already sounded casual enough with Taekwoon.
“Well, we have to watch it to be sure, right? The exam is held at the gym, so all students can watch it. You and Hongbin should come,” said Hakyeon.
“Okay. I’ll tell Hongbin that you invite him,” said Wonshik with a nod. He then bid Hakyeon a goodbye and walked home with Taekwoon. It seemed that their houses were in the same direction, and Hakyeon could see just how fast the smile returned to Taekwoon’s face once he was left with Wonshik alone.
Hakyeon clenched his jaws and made a silent vow that he’d take Wonshik back from Taekwoon.
What Hakyeon knew so far was Wonshik got smitten by Taekwoon through his musical performance, so he just had to perform even better than Taekwoon. He practiced harder until the exam day came, determined to get the best score and Wonshik’s full attention.
When the exam day arrived, Hakyeon managed to pull a smaller number than Taekwoon for their performance order. He smiled a little, feeling winning already. He thought that if Wonshik saw his performance first, he’d be too smitten to concentrate on Taekwoon’s performance. He was really confident with his plan.
His confidence got even better as he performed. He saw how everyone couldn’t take their eyes off him, and how loud the people clapped for him. He even got a standing ovation, and he could see how it made other students even more nervous to perform after him.
Hakyeon stayed at the side of the stage when it’s time for Taekwoon to perform. He wanted to watch it himself; the fall of his biggest rival. The sight of Taekwoon’s trembling hands before he stepped onto the stage already made his lips twitch up, and he really couldn’t wait to watch everything crumble down for Taekwoon.
What Hakyeon didn’t expect was for Taekwoon to completely change on stage. He actually took advantage of how he looked sinister whenever he’s overly nervous and channeled it into his character as Tod. Because of that, even when he was trembling hard due to fear, it looked like he’s trembling in anticipation instead.
And at the last part, he made full use of his lung capacity and pitch control perfectly. That earned him a round of applause from the viewers and teachers, and Hakyeon had to admit that it also made him tremble.
After an awkward salute, Taekwoon rushed out from the stage. Hakyeon, too, left his spot and tried to look just where Taekwoon went. When he found Taekwoon right outside the gym’s door, he froze at the sight.
Taekwoon was holding Wonshik tightly while still having a full-body shiver, and Wonshik held him back with a proud smile on his lips.
“You’re doing awesome, Hyung. You’re amazing,” said Wonshik as he softly pat Taekwoon’s back.
Hakyeon felt bitter.
He couldn’t stand looking at them any longer, so he returned to the backstage and waited until the rest of the students finished their performances. Several people greeted him and praised his performance, and Hakyeon thanked them politely. But all he could feel was bitterness, because none of those people was Wonshik.
Even after all the performances ended and he was called on stage again to receive the best performance award from the teachers, he still felt bitter. He smiled and thanked everyone like usual, but he didn’t feel like winning anything at all.
If this is how it goes… I’ll have to seperate them by force.
With that thought in mind, Hakyeon set up a new plan. Rather than just passively watching, Hakyeon tried what he did best: deceiving people. While a very long time had passed since his first encounter with humanity, they hadn’t changed much at all. Humans were still easy to be tricked, and just a little spark could cause a wildfire.
From what Hakyeon could observe, his plan worked well. As the result of the false rumor he spread, Taekwoon avoided Wonshik like the plague, even when he’s on the verge of tears.
But Hakyeon’s plan didn’t work as smoothly as he thought. He happened to witness Wonshik and Taekwoon’s conversation when he went for an errand for a teacher that day.
“Hyung, please don’t run away from me again,” pleaded Wonshik as he held firmly to Taekwoon’s upper arms. Meanwhile, Taekwoon was trying futilely to free himself from the grip.
“No. Go away,” muttered Taekwoon.
“At least tell me why! I need to know the reason. I don’t want to leave you just like that,” demanded Wonshik. Taekwoon only shook his head violently, refusing to talk.
“Is it because of the rumors? Hyung, do you really think that I believe that you can threaten someone or beat them up until they’re hospitalized? Well, maybe you can, but I know that you won’t,” said Wonshik. Taekwoon was already tearing up, and he was getting really fed up with that rumor.
“Who cares? Everyone believes it! And they even said that I’m going to ruin you—”
“Ruin me, how? You’re nice and kind, and I like to be with you. If people are going to talk about me behind my back, so be it. But I’ll defend you. They don’t know you like I do,” cut Wonshik firmly.
“But—”
“Hyung, I believe you. Even if the whole world is against you, I’ll still believe you. I’ll figure out how to stop the rumors, but please don’t turn away from me. Let me be by your side and help you,” said Wonshik. Taekwoon was speechless, only sniffling and sighing as he stopped struggling. Wonshik seemed to feel Taekwoon’s surrender too, as he loosened his grip.
“How if… How if I lie to you? How if they’re telling the truth while I lie to you?” asked Taekwoon softly, voice cracking from tears.
“Then I’ll believe in your lies, every single one of it,” said Wonshik firmly. With that, Taekwoon fully broke into tears, pouring out his worries as he held Wonshik. And Wonshik said nothing, just holding him back reassuringly.
With bitterness filling his heart, Hakyeon went away.
The next day, he went to find Wonshik during lunch break. Taekwoon seemed to take an absence that day, since he found Wonshik having his lunch with Hongbin instead. He knew that it’s impossible to shoo Hongbin away so he didn’t even try.
“Wonshik, you’re close with Taekwoon, right?” asked Hakyeon.
“Yes, why?” replied Wonshik.
“Even with all the bad rumors surrounding him, are you still close with him?” asked Hakyeon.
“Taekwoon-hyung said that they’re all false rumors and I believe in him. So, yes, I’m still close with him,” replied Wonshik.
“Do you like him that much?” asked Hakyeon. Wonshik blinked several times, not ready for that kind of question. “Do you like him?”
“I… guess so,” said Wonshik softly as he turned his sight down. It seemed that he had just realized how he actually felt for Taekwoon, and Hakyeon felt dumb for accidentally helping him like that.
“What if Taekwoon doesn’t?” asked Hakyeon again. Wonshik returned his gaze to Hakyeon, this time with a small smile on his lips.
“I wouldn’t even dream that he’s going to return my feelings in any way, so… Yeah. And if he were to like someone else… Well, I have no right to say anything. But I’ll learn to let him go, since that’s the least I can do for him,” said Wonshik.
That had Hakyeon silenced.
It made Hakyeon think again about the things he had done simply to make Wonshik close to him. Even when he knew that Wonshik didn’t like him the way he liked Wonshik, he still pursued him anyway. He even resorted to dirty ways, but even that didn’t change the way Wonshik thought about Taekwoon or about him.
“Club President, can I talk privately for a sec?” asked Hongbin as he stood from his seat. Wonshik was obviously grinning and elbowing him playfully, still believing that there was something between his childhood friend and Hakyeon no matter how many times they denied it. Hongbin only rolled his eyes and shook his head as he led Hakyeon to one of the quietest stairs.
“I’ll go straight to the point; you’re the one who spread those rumors, aren’t you?” asked Hongbin sternly, although he kept his voice low so that no one could eavesdrop on them.
“Yes, that’s right,” replied Hakyeon straightforwardly. Hongbin scoffed and ran his fingers through his hair.
“Seriously, do you not know when to stop? You hurt Taekwoon-sunbaenim, and in the process you also hurt Wonshik. And you know what? Wonshik still regards you as his nice senior; that’s why I talk to you privately like this. Do you know how much it’ll hurt Wonshik if he knows that you did it and it’s because you like him too much to let him go?” blabbered Hongbin without even stopping to let Hakyeon speak or anything.
“I know. And now I also know that I must stop, for his sake. Happy?” replied Hakyeon bitterly. Hongbin narrowed his eyes at Hakyeon, obviously still couldn’t completely trust Hakyeon’s words about stopping his pursuit.
“No. Until you make things right again, I’ll keep you away from Wonshik and Taekwoon-sunbaenim. I don’t trust you,” said Hongbin. Hakyeon scoffed and rolled his eyes.
“Who do you think you talk to? Don’t worry; I’ll fix everything I’ve caused. That’s the least I can do for Wonshik,” said Hakyeon.
“If things get worse, remember that I won’t hesitate to ruin you too,” threatened Hongbin.
Hakyeon was really reluctant to do it, but he had promised Hongbin to fix everything. Although he’s a deceitful fox, he still could keep his promise when he made one. It needed a lot more effort, but eventually he did it. The rumors were cleared out, and Taekwoon was no longer being shut out.
“I keep my words, so have a bit more faith in me now, brat,” said Hakyeon as he assisted Hongbin on the new instrument they learned.
“Then as a token of my trust, I’m inviting you to my grandparents’ house for some spring cleaning. Wonshik and Taekwoon-hyung are coming too,” said Hongbin nonchalantly.
“Ew, sounds more like a torture. And you’ve become friendly with Taekwoon now, huh?” replied Hakyeon.
“Wonshik likes kind people who help others in need; consider this your chance since my grandparents are very old and need lots of help. Also, do you want to be called ‘hyung’ or something?” said Hongbin.
“Dream on. Only if Wonshik called me ‘hyung’ you can call me that as well,” grumbled Hakyeon.
“Hey, Wonshik!” called Hongbin loudly, making Wonshik turn to him instantly. “Club President said he wants to be addressed as ‘hyung’!”
Hakyeon was very close to causing fatal harm to Hongbin. Very close.
Hongbin was loud enough for the whole room to hear what he said, and from then on all the younger club members no longer addressed him as ‘Club President’. But if there’s a silver lining in all that, Wonshik also had started to talk more casually to him.
When Hakyeon met Taekwoon on the spring cleaning day, Taekwoon already looked much more confident than before. He still didn’t smile as wide as when he’s only with Wonshik, but at least he smiled and his voice was loud enough to be heard.
“Welcome, welcome! Please come in and immediately get to work so we can get it done sooner too,” greeted Hongbin as he quickly guided everyone to what seemed to be a storage building.
“Is that how you greet all your guests?” quipped Hakyeon.
“Nope, just my free laborer,” replied Hongbin wittily. Wonshik was laughing his heart out while Hakyeon resorted to violence, pressing Hongbin’s neck hurt enough to make him scream but not enough to break his neck.
“I’ve regretted coming here already,” grumbled Hakyeon.
Still, despite all his grumblings, Hakyeon did his best to help. He’s strong enough to lift some heavy stuff, and with a little bit of magic he managed to shoo away all bugs from the storage building so that Wonshik wouldn’t have to be startled every now and then. But he’s still mischievous enough to use a bit of his magic to make Hongbin tripped on stray boxes several times.
“By the way, where are your grandparents? We’ve come to their house but we haven’t greeted them yet,” asked Wonshik.
“Grandma’s probably making some refreshments for us. One of us should help, I guess,” replied Hongbin.
“I’ll go,” volunteered Hakyeon immediately, after putting down one of the heavy boxes. Hongbin raised an eyebrow, but Hakyeon quickly said, “What? I’ve worked hard over here, I deserve some rest and early refreshment.”
“Fair enough. From the back door, go to the right. And wash your hands first before handling any food or drink,” said Hongbin.
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” said Hakyeon as he went.
When Hakyeon entered the house, he wanted to immediately go to the kitchen, but then he heard some noises from the room on the left. Thinking that someone probably had fallen and needed help or something, he turned towards the noise’s source instead.
“Excuse me, is everything okay?” asked Hakyeon as he reached a closed room. Another noise that sounded akin to painful whine was heard again, and Hakyeon quickly opened the sliding door in worry.
“Excuse me—”
A branch of leaves filled Hakyeon’s vision as it was shoved to his face. He didn’t know what’s actually going on, but his whole body felt like it was burning. An animalistic wail ripped out from his mouth, but he didn’t even realize that he did it.
“Grandpa! Grandma! Hakyeon-hyung! What’s going on—”
Hongbin had rushed into the house first when he heard the uncanny wail, and he had a very bad feeling about it. What he had in mind when he entered was either one of the three had an accident or saw a huge rat or something.
He totally didn’t expect to see a gruesome figure in front of him.
The beast had Hakyeon’s face, but his eyes were golden yellow and his mouth was pulled back to reveal a set of sharp fangs. A pair of pointed ears grew on top of his head, and his limbs were covered in platinum fur. From the back of his slightly hunched figure, a set of tails grew out and swished angrily. His hands and feet had also transformed to be paw-like, with sharp claws drawn out dangerously.
“What’s going on?” asked Wonshik, who had rushed in along with Taekwoon. They both saw the beast and gasped in surprise, and Hongbin instinctively spread out his arms to protect the two of them.
“Stay back! That’s… that’s a gumiho!” yelled Hongbin. He tried to think about just how to escape the situation, how to protect his friends and his grandparents, but nothing came to mind.
“Hakyeon-hyung?” called Wonshik slowly. The beast flinched a little at that name, and that’s enough confirmation for Wonshik.
“Hyung, you’re a gumiho? Ah… that explains how you get that extraordinary charm…” commented Wonshik, like he wasn’t talking to a Hakyeon-faced beast but just a normal Hakyeon.
The beast’s expression softened down a lot. He remembered how the servant boy Wonshik said the same thing to him the first time he found out. That Wonshik and the current Wonshik really were too similar to each other.
But he had no time to reminisce about the past, since Hongbin’s grandfather had come out with a holy sword in hand. Hakyeon remembered it being the very same one pointed to him many years ago, and he growled at it.
“Begone, beast!” yelled the old man as he staggered to attack the beast. It was easy to dodge, and he quickly transformed into his fox form to increase his speed and agility.
Knowing that he had ruined his cover again this time, he immediately fled. His plan was to hide in the mountain he used to hide at, and waited for a few more decades until it’s safe to go out again.
As he ran past Wonshik, he knew that he would regret this untimely farewell too.
Once he reached the safety of his hideout in the mountain, he reverted back to his human form. Even without a mirror, he knew that he had taken the shape of ‘Cha Hakyeon’. He could no longer remember how to turn into ‘Yan’ or any of his previous forms… or even his original human form.
“This is ridiculous,” he chuckled as he shook his head, “I don’t even remember the name I was born with.”
A beast without a name or face.
That is who I am.
“No, I’m not letting you search for that beast, and that’s final,” said Hongbin sternly.
“Don’t be rude! He’s Hakyeon-hyung, not a beast!” protested Wonshik.
“Do you have buttons for eyes?! Goddammit Kim Wonshik, I know you’re not exactly smart, but I don’t know that you’re blind as a bat too!” shrieked Hongbin. He’s completely out of his patience.
When Hongbin saw Hakyeon’s beast form that day, he finally understood why he never felt good about Hakyeon. Sure, he’s said to be the descendant of a famous shaman or exorcist or hunter whatsoever, but Hongbin himself didn’t exactly inherit all those spiritual powers. All he got was a sharp instinct and that’s it.
If Hongbin was a lot stronger and his sight was much clearer, he wouldn’t even let Hakyeon get close to all of them.
“Still, I don’t think that he’s up to no good. Your grandfather was doing a purification ritual, right? I think he’s just accidentally slipped out of his human form; no harms intended,” said Wonshik again, still unbelievably positive about it.
Hongbin was really astonished how he could stay friends for so long with such a thick-headed person.
“Wonshik. Let me share this common information to you. If a beast who can transform into a human form still retains their beast form, it means that they’re still a beast. That means, they still eat fresh blood and flesh—in the good case, animals, but in the bad case, humans. Now, are you still convinced that he won’t harm us?” explained Hongbin.
Wonshik was silent and Hongbin was relieved that his childhood friend finally got it.
“Well I ate raw fish too sometimes,” commented Wonshik with a shrug.
If Hongbin was a lot stronger, he would really want to fling Wonshik across the room.
“It’s not—You know what? Forget it. I’ll go hunt that beast down, and you’re not allowed to follow me. Period,” said Hongbin as he stood up, planning to go through those old books his ancestors left about beast hunting and whatnot. Surely there was a thing or two about killing a gumiho.
“Hongbin—”
“What the hell is it now?!” yelled Hongbin, thinking that it’s Wonshik trying to argue with him again, but instead he saw a startled Taekwoon. He felt bad immediately.
“Ah, sorry for yelling at you, Hyung… I thought you’re that idiot Wonshik,” apologized Hongbin.
“Well, from the way you yelled at Wonshik, I’m sure you’ll yell at me about what I want to say…” said Taekwoon. Hongbin let out a long sigh.
“If it’s about finding that beast—don’t you dare to say that it’s Hakyeon-hyung, no no—then I’ll have to calmly tell you now that you can’t do it. Just leave it to the professionals,” said Hongbin.
“But you’re just a high school kid like Taekwoon-hyung and I!” argued Wonshik.
“Who allows you to speak, Larva?! Also, although I’m a high school student, my family has been in this whole beast hunting and exorcism thing for generations. It’s the same as your family being a gayageum player for generations,” said Hongbin, his patience running thinner as time went on.
“And yet here I am, being a regular high school student who happens to be kinda good with gayageum instead of, like, a royal gayageum player. You can’t do this alone, Hongbin. Not when you’re just a regular high school student who happens to be kinda good with supernatural stuff. If you don’t want us to find Hakyeon-hyung, that’s fine, but let us help you somehow,” said Wonshik.
Hongbin stared at him judgingly, then gave out a long exhale.
“That is the dumbest yet smartest thing I’ve ever heard coming out of your mouth,” commented Hongbin. “Fine. You can help me find that beast. Just don’t forget that although it has Hakyeon-hyung’s appearance, it’s still a dangerous beast. Understand?”
Both Wonshik and Taekwoon quickly hugged Hongbin in gratitude, making him almost regret his decision.
Deciding among themselves that they’re going for a beast hunt was easy. The problem came when Hongbin got a call from Hakyeon’s father, asking why he couldn’t contact his son ever since he came to fulfil Hongbin’s invitation.
Hongbin couldn’t tell him the truth about Hakyeon being a gumiho, but he couldn’t exactly say that he simply ran off somewhere over some argument or something. In the end, it was Hongbin’s grandfather who took the phone from Hongbin and said, “Your son has been kidnapped by a gumiho, and my grandson is about to find that beast and kill it.”
There was a long pause before Hakyeon’s father started calling Hongbin’s grandfather senile, and Hongbin just couldn’t take how rude he was to his grandfather. He took back his phone from his grandfather and said, “Well, sorry then for trying to tell you the truth. Now excuse us, we have a beast to hunt. Do pray that he hasn’t eaten your son yet.”
Hongbin tapped the end call button more forcefully than he intended, and he thought that the whole thing made him aged 10 years already.
“So… what should we do?” asked Wonshik.
“Let’s find that beast first. I’ll think about the rest later,” said Hongbin as he pocketed his phone.
With the help of Hongbin’s grandparents, the three of them got ready for their search. To Hongbin, his grandfather entrusted him a holy sword that had been inherited in their family for centuries. It’s said that his ancestor defeated a gumiho who seduced the landlord with that sword, so hopefully it could help him too.
“If you can’t find him before it gets dark, just return home and try again another day,” said Hongbin’s grandmother as she held their hands.
“Don’t worry, Grandmother. We’ll do our best to stay safe,” said Wonshik.
In the end, they couldn’t find Hakyeon before sunset. They had to return home and made a promise to gather at Hongbin’s grandparent’s house again on the next day.
Surprisingly, Hakyeon’s father somewhat showed up as well. Although he still could hardly believe that a gumiho actually existed and kidnapped his son, he still agreed to help them find Hakyeon.
“Has Hakyeon-hyung ever gone missing before? It doesn’t have to be recent, though; just whenever you can remember,” asked Hongbin as they got into the car. Hakyeon’s father had offered to drive them around, rather than having a group of kids wandering on their own, especially since Hongbin carried a sword with him.
“How is it going to help? But that aside, he has never gone missing. This is the first time it happens,” replied Hakyeon’s father.
“Well… I’m just suspecting that maybe the gumiho had targeted Hakyeon-hyung before, but he got away or something…” said Hongbin with a shrug. He still couldn’t say that the Hakyeon they knew was actually a gumiho. If the real Hakyeon had ever gone missing, there’s a probability that it happened around the gumiho’s lair or something.
“Maybe he’s ever gone on a camping trip or something? Went into the woods alone?” asked Wonshik. He had done his study from the book Hongbin’s grandfather lent him.
“Sometimes we went fishing on the weekend, but I never left him alone,” replied Hakyeon’s father.
They went silent. They really didn’t have a slightest clue on where to search first, and it’s frustrating.
Their car stopped at the red light, and they watched the cars pass in silence. There was an ambulance passing quickly, and Hakyeon’s father suddenly remembered something that happened far in the past.
“When Hakyeon was 5, we went on a picnic in a mountain near my late grandmother’s house. My wife and I were too immersed in setting up the food we took our eyes off from Hakyeon, and suddenly he was gone. We searched for him, then on the next day a local found him fainting near the main road far from our picnic location. His head was bleeding, but the wound wasn’t deep. When he asked where he went, he said he couldn’t remember. The doctor thought that it’s probably from head trauma, so we let them monitor Hakyeon for a bit more. But other than the missing memory of where he went, nothing seems serious. We simply brushed it off and were thankful that at least our son is fine,” explained Hakyeon’s father.
“Can you take us to that location?” asked Hongbin. Hakyeon’s father nodded, and continued driving when the light turned green.
Although they had searched around the place Hakyeon’s father showed them, they still couldn’t find any trace of Hakyeon yet. The four of them ended up staying at the nearby inn, planning to continue the search in the next morning.
“Hongbin, what do you think?” asked Wonshik after they all had dinner. Hakyeon’s father went out to smoke, so Wonshik thought that it’s a good time to discuss what actually happened.
“I think that it’s very likely that gumiho-Hakyeon took the real-Hakyeon’s place in that incident. Real-Hakyeon probably got lost in the woods and accidentally got into gumiho-Hakyeon’s territory, and later gumiho-Hakyeon took his place and returned while pretending to forget what happened,” said Hongbin.
“So, the real Hakyeon…” Taekwoon couldn’t finish his words.
“Probably dead. If he wasn’t dead when he and the gumiho switched places, he’s probably dead now. If not, how can that gumiho stay undisturbed in the Cha family for more than a decade?” said Hongbin. Taekwoon was already pale to begin with, but Hongbin’s words managed to make him look even paler.
“If the switch really happened when he was 5… The Hakyeon-hyung we know has always been the gumiho, right?” asked Wonshik. Hongbin shrugged.
“Probably. Did you remember what I told you when we signed up for that traditional music club? I’ve had bad feelings towards Hakyeon-hyung since the first time I saw him, and my instinct is often right. So, yeah, I’m sure that the Hakyeon-hyung we know has always been the gumiho,” replied Hongbin.
“Will you be mad if I say that… Since the Hakyeon-hyung we know has always been the gumiho, regardless of the fact that he’s a human or gumiho, he’s still Hakyeon-hyung anyway?” asked Wonshik. Hongbin narrowed his eyes, contemplating whether or not he should inflict damage this time.
“Yeah, I’ll be mad. The fact that he’s a gumiho remains, regardless of how we know him as a human named Cha Hakyeon,” replied Hongbin.
“So… Are you going to kill him? Because he is a gumiho, regardless of how we know him as Hakyeon-hyung?” asked Wonshik again. Hongbin gritted his jaw. He really didn’t like having to answer that kind of question.
“I’ll figure it out once we’ve found him,” said Hongbin diplomatically.
Not long after that, Hakyeon’s father returned so they didn’t continue their discussion. Instead, they only talked about how they should try searching the area where Hakyeon was found in the past. After they took their turns showering, they decided to call it a night.
As sleepiness slowly creeped in, Taekwoon carefully scooted to Hongbin beside him. “Hongbin, can I ask you a favor?” asked Taekwoon quietly. Hongbin cracked an eye open and turned towards Taekwoon.
“What is it?” replied Hongbin just as quietly.
“Don’t kill Hakyeon. Gumiho or not, he’s our friend,” whispered Taekwoon. Hongbin scowled, then let out a soft sigh.
“I was about to take this secret to my grave, but screw it now,” mumbled Hongbin. He slowly slid away from his mattress, then gestured to Taekwoon to follow him. Taekwoon seemed a bit unsure, but he followed Hongbin anyway. The two of them carefully slipped out from their room, and Hongbin led Taekwoon to the nearest stairs to talk.
“You do remember that there was a time after the musical exam when suddenly a bad rumor about you spread out in our school, right? The one that just as suddenly disappears too,” asked Hongbin. He still tried to keep his voice low, so that there would be a lower chance of someone eavesdropping.
“Yes, I still remember… Hakyeon did it, right?” replied Taekwoon.
“Yeah, so, Hakyeon-hyung was the culprit—Wait, you already know?” said Hongbin, interrupting himself because he was too shocked. Taekwoon nodded as he rubbed his cold arms.
“It’s not a hard guess. I noticed his angry glare whenever I was with Wonshik, and the gossip implied that I manipulated a male junior to be my… yeah. I put my observations together and pull a conclusion from those,” explained Taekwoon. Hongbin let out a long sigh and scratched his not-itchy scalp.
“Does Wonshik know?” asked Hongbin. Taekwoon shook his head.
“Not that I know of. I never told him. I mean, he seems to look up to Hakyeon, so I… I don’t know, I just don’t want to ruin their friendship or whatever, although I still don’t feel comfortable with Hakyeon,” said Taekwoon.
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, the one who cleared those rumors was also Hakyeon,” said Hongbin. Taekwoon nodded.
“I figured that too. That’s the only explanation I can think of,” said Taekwoon. Both of them fell in silence, and Hongbin pursed his lips before he spoke again.
“But even knowing all that, you still don’t want me to kill him?” asked Hongbin. Taekwoon shrugged.
“Hakyeon is… narcissistic, egoistic, and he could be tremendously jealous when it comes to me and Wonshik. But he is also kind, charismatic, and responsible. He did fix his wrongdoing when he realized what he did was wrong. I may still hold a grudge on him over that false rumor, but that’s not enough reason for me to want him dead. I don’t believe you want him dead either,” explained Taekwoon. Hongbin scoffed.
“I might want him dead because he’s a gumiho, and because I don’t like a menace like him at all,” said Hongbin flatly. Taekwoon smirked a little, but he was quick to cover it with a cough.
“It’s cold. Let’s return,” said Taekwoon.
They returned to the room quietly and slid back into their respective mattress. Hongbin could faintly hear Wonshik stopped snoring and mumbled about Taekwoon’s cold arms, although Wonshik was quick to snore loudly again.
As Hongbin let sleepiness greeted him, he once again pondered about whether he had enough resolve to kill the gumiho or not.
Whether it’s some mystical happening or a simple bad luck, somehow they managed to be separated from Hakyeon’s father when they entered the forest. The good thing was that the three of them managed to stay together, but the bad thing was Hakyeon’s father got Hongbin’s holy sword. Hongbin let the old man carry that sword since it’s heavy and Hakyeon’s father seemed reliable. But with them being separated from probably the only weapon that could protect them from the gumiho, Hongbin started to freak out.
“Relax, it’s just Hakyeon-hyung. He probably won’t eat us,” said Wonshik as he patted Hongbin’s back.
“How can you guarantee that?! It’s almost a week since he ran off from my grandparent’s house! He could be starving and waiting for some fresh meat to be eaten!” yelled Hongbin.
“Yelling isn’t helping. Maybe we can just go back,” suggested Taekwoon.
“Hold on. I bring our baseball bats. It’s better than being weaponless,” said Wonshik as he ped his bag, pulling out a pair of bats and handed them to Hongbin and Taekwoon. Hongbin let out a long sigh.
“Okay. Better than no weapon. Do you bring sticky notes and a pen? I want to give some enchantments,” said Hongbin.
“No sticky notes, but I got paper labels,” replied Wonshik. He dug into the bag and pulled both things and handed them to Hongbin. Hongbin gestured to Wonshik to turn around and kneel so he could use his back as a table to write enchantments, before sticking them to the bats.
“Won’t be as good as a holy sword, but this should do for self-defense. Let’s go back,” said Hongbin as he returned the stuff he borrowed to Wonshik.
“Wait, we only have 2 bats, while there are 3 of us,” said Taekwoon.
“I have this,” said Hongbin as he pulled out what seemed to be a string of copper coins from his pocket. “Supposedly it can turn into a sword if it’s held by someone with a high spiritual level or something, but at least I can use it as a whip.”
After making sure that everyone got a weapon, they began to track their way back to the main road.
But even after walking until their legs felt numb, they couldn’t find the main road. Hongbin really got a bad feeling about it.
“I have bad news and good news,” said Hongbin as he patted Taekwoon and Wonshik’s shoulders to stop them from walking further.
“What’s the bad news?” asked Taekwoon.
“Seems that we’ve entered the mystical something-or-other area that makes us walk around in circles instead of exiting this forest safely,” replied Hongbin.
“And the good news?” asked Wonshik.
“That means, we’re probably close to where that gumiho is,” replied Hongbin.
“That’s great! Let’s hurry find him,” said Wonshik happily. Hongbin let out a long, tired sigh.
“I should’ve said I have two bad news…” mumbled Hongbin.
“But where should we go if we’re just going around in circles like this?” asked Taekwoon. The three of them fell in silence, but Wonshik was obviously glancing towards Hongbin. Hongbin glanced back at Wonshik, and folded his arms.
“Wonshik, take your gut feeling. Seems that mine is useless since I want to return instead of looking for that gumiho,” said Hongbin. Wonshik seemed lost, but then he got a brilliant idea.
“Okay,” said Wonshik as he held his bat vertically against the ground. He then released his hand, letting the bat fall and pointed to a direction. “Let’s go this way then,” said Wonshik as he led the way. Hongbin and Taekwoon didn’t say anything, just obediently following him.
There were people approaching his lair. He could sense it, and his first reaction was to be panicked. He was sure that no one should be able to locate his lair, but apparently he was wrong. Just like how little Hakyeon could get lost into his territory, any human also could. Knowing that his current hideout was no longer safe, he thought that he had to quickly escape and find somewhere else to hide.
When he was at a distance away from the cave, he heard a familiar voice calling for a familiar name.
“Hakyeon-hyung! Where are you?!”
He froze. That’s Wonshik’s voice. He waited a little to make sure that he wasn’t just imagining things. The same voice called for him again, along with a voice he recognized as Taekwoon’s, and a voice he recognized as Hongbin’s scolding the other two.
Not wanting to be found, he turned around and ran back towards the cave. Still, be it a coincidence or fate, he crossed paths with the people he didn’t want to meet the most.
“Hyung!” shouted Wonshik enthusiastically.
He quickly transformed into his fox form and dashed into the cave. Wonshik followed him, still calling out Hakyeon’s name as Hongbin and Taekwoon called Wonshik’s name instead. He found a hidden nook inside the cave and slipped into it, hoping that Wonshik would pass.
“Hakyeon-hyung!!” yelled Wonshik as he got ready to run into the cave in front of them.
“Stupid!! Don’t just get into the cave carelessly!!” yelled Hongbin as he hit Wonshik hard. Taekwoon was still too busy catching his breath to scold either of them, but he still had enough energy left to slap their necks.
“I vote for us to get inside the cave,” said Wonshik, earning another slap from Hongbin.
“It’s dangerous! I’m not risking getting us all killed,” rejected Hongbin.
“Hongbin’s right. It’s too dangerous to just come in without preparation. I suggest that we should just try to lure him out,” said Taekwoon.
“With what? Food? We don’t even have enough for ourselves!” snapped Hongbin. Taekwoon was silent, scrunching his brows as he tried to think. Meanwhile, Wonshik already stuck his head inside the cave, trying to look for any sign of Hakyeon.
“Hyung! Please return with us! We can always make up excuses for your disappearance, so you don’t have to worry! And your secret is safe with us!” said Wonshik.
“Your parents are worried. Please come back,” added Taekwoon.
There was no response yet.
“We don’t care if you’re a gumiho, Hyung. It’s not like you suddenly become a different person. I mean, since the first time we met, it has always been you, right? Gumiho or not, you’re our dear friend,” said Wonshik.
“Hakyeon, I… honestly, it’s still hard for me to like you as a friend. I’m not going to lie. But at least, I don’t see you as my enemy, or someone that I want to be gone from my life. I know you can be… very mean, sometimes. But that’s… That’s human. Funnily enough, it’s very human. You’re human, Hakyeon,” said Taekwoon.
Hongbin let out a deep sigh and rolled his neck, looking really annoyed. But he, too, slowly came closer to the cave’s entrance.
“Hei, gumiho hyung. I’ll be frank; I don’t like you. No, I didn’t like you. Since the first time we met, I knew that you smelled like trouble and you are indeed a trouble. But other kids are troubles too—even Wonshik. So, no, I don’t want to kill you, I don’t want you to leave, and I don’t want to lose you. Let’s go back. We can use your gumiho magic to make people forget about this little tantrum you have,” said Hongbin.
There was still no answer from inside the cave, and the three of them sighed heavily.
“Is it really useless…?” murmured Hongbin. But then Taekwoon stuck his head inside the cave once again.
“Wonshik will be miserable without you,” said Taekwoon.
Silence. Then, a small rustling sound was heard.
“No, he won’t… He has you,” answered Hakyeon softly from somewhere inside the cave.
“Are you stupid? If he’s content with just me, he won’t even be here to search for you!” yelled Taekwoon back immediately. Hongbin immediately pulled him back, worrying that his insult would make Hakyeon refuse to go out even more.
“Hyung. Hakyeon-hyung. I need you. Please return,” coaxed Wonshik.
There was silence again, but then they heard incoming footsteps from inside the cave. Slowly, but surely, Hakyeon stepped out from his hiding place. He looked dishevelled, but mostly fine. His expression seemed like a mix of regret and longing, but it only needed Wonshik’s cheerful smile to turn it into a relief.
Just as Hakyeon got out of the cave, they heard a loud rustling at the side and they all got alerted since it could be a wild animal. Hakyeon carefully stood in front, knowing that he’s the strongest of them four, although his power and strength had been depleted significantly.
More rustling was heard, but then they sighed in relief when Hakyeon’s father showed up.
“Dad!” called Hakyeon.
Hakyeon’s father looked glad to see Hakyeon, but then his expression darkened and hardened in a second.
“How dare you… to call me like that when you’re not my son,” said Hakyeon’s father as he unsheathed Hongbin’s holy sword and pointed it at Hakyeon. “I heard what those boys said. You killed him. You killed him and I raised you without knowing that you’re not my son!!” he wailed.
He raised the sword and swung it towards Hakyeon, but Taekwoon, Hongbin, and Wonshik were quick enough to pull out their weapons to block the attack.
“Run!!” yelled Wonshik. Hakyeon was startled, but he quickly turned around and ran away.
Hakyeon’s father, seeing how the gumiho escaped, pulled back the sword and got ready to chase him. Taekwoon was the first one to stand before the old man.
“Stop! Don’t hurt him!” yelled Taekwoon as he pointed the baseball bat at Hakyeon’s father.
“Move, kiddo! Didn’t you hear from your exorcist friend that it’s a beast who uses my son’s face?!” yelled Hakyeon’s father back.
“Beast or not, he’s my friend!” yelled Taekwoon. The old man’s expression turned dark and cold, and that made Taekwoon shivered in fear.
“I see… You’ve been bewitched by that beast…” he murmured. Taekwoon could sense danger, but he couldn’t move his body since he was too afraid. But right before the old man managed to hit him with the sword’s scabbard, Wonshik had pushed Taekwoon away and shielded him with his own body. The sound of the hardwood meeting with Wonshik’s back was louder than Wonshik’s painful yelp, but that didn’t stop Hakyeon’s father from hitting him twice more.
“Stop it, old man!” shouted Hongbin threw himself to stop Hakyeon’s father from hitting Wonshik. But the old man easily shoved him away, and gave him a firm kick as well.
“You, you, you… All three of you have been bewitched!!” he shouted. He raised the scabbard to hit Hongbin, but then he stopped as if something had just clicked in his mind.
“Right… You’ve been bewitched… It’s only right if I finish you three first…” he mumbled.
With a dark, murderous sight, he raised the holy sword instead.
It didn’t feel right.
Although Wonshik himself had told him to run, it didn’t feel right at all. It felt like the regretful day when he ran away from the Lord’s palace, trying to save his own life without thinking what would happen to the servant boy who helped him escape. He stopped and gathered his thoughts, trying to calm his opposing feelings. One side wanted him to run away again; to hell with regret and conscience. But the other side wanted him to go back, to protect those kids, although it could endanger his own life.
“I need you.”
He cursed under his breath and quickly turned around.
“I must’ve been crazy,” he mumbled, “I’m so ing crazy.”
When he got back to where he ran away from, he felt like his heart dropped to the ground. Wonshik was writhing on the ground with Taekwoon in his arms, while Hakyeon’s father was raising the holy sword at the barely conscious Hongbin.
Anger boiled up his blood, and he quickly shouted, “Stop!!”
The old man froze, not because he wanted to, but because the gumiho used his magic power to stop him. His golden eyes were burning with rage, and he bravely got closer to them as he maintained his hold on Hakyeon’s father.
“Although I’m very thankful and indebted to you for taking care of me this whole time, I won’t show you mercy if you dare to lay a finger on my friends,” he threatened.
“Finally… you show your true nature… monster…” wheezed the old man. He clenched his jaws, feeling how his anger boiled even more.
“I ate your son because I was hungry when he happened to pass by. If I were a wild bear, you’d blame yourself for neglecting your child rather than blaming me for eating him,” he hissed.
“But you; you’re not even hungry. You just want to kill these weak children, for what? For pissing you off? Now who is the real monster?” he continued as he choked the old man, looking furious enough to kill.
But then, he felt a tug on his leg, and saw Hongbin there.
“Hyung… Don’t be a monster…” said Hongbin softly, desperately.
Hongbin’s words dissipated his anger, turning his golden eyes back to brown. He looked at Hongbin with regret-filled eyes as he released the old man, and his mouth was open to say an apology for scaring Hongbin like that.
But before any word could come out from his mouth, Hakyeon’s father swung the holy sword, slashing down the beast who took his son’s form. Blood splattered everywhere, painting everything red.
“HAKYEON-HYUNG!!” yelled Hongbin. Enduring his pain, he quickly dragged himself closer to him. There was a deep wound along his torso, gushing out blood with every breath he took.
“Hyung!!”
“Cha Hakyeon!!”
Wonshik and Taekwoon also stepped closer, with Taekwoon supporting Wonshik’s weight. His view was swimming, but he could see the concerned face of the three teenagers… and heard a painful wail from the old man.
“I’m so sorry!! I’m so sorry, my son!!” the old man wailed, repeating the words like a broken record. Although he knew that the one he slashed wasn’t his real son, the fact that he had spent at least a decade caring for this fake son remained.
“Hey… You’re a gumiho, right? You’re supposed to be nearly immortal, right? Can’t you heal yourself? What can I fetch to make you feel better?” asked Hongbin. He was in tears, fearing for his dear friend’s life. It felt odd, especially remembering how Hongbin warned him to stay away from them several times when they first met.
“No… It’s fine…” he replied weakly.
“Like hell this is fine! You are bleeding! That sword is supposed to be useless if the spiritual power of the wielder is weak! But why are you like this?!” babbled Hongbin.
He carefully raised his hand and caressed Hongbin’s cheek. It was such a shame that he could only begin to appreciate Hongbin’s beauty when he was on the verge of death.
“Because it carries the resentment of your ancestors… I know one, who looked just like you. That head almost killed me. I hated you when we first met because of that,” he admitted.
“What’s the use of telling that now? Stupid fox,” protested Hongbin, who was crying despite the harsh words.
“Wonshik too…” he said as he turned towards Wonshik, “I like you because centuries ago, there’s a servant boy with the same name and same face whom I liked as well. I can’t even tell whether I like you for who you are, or simply because I can’t forget that servant boy…”
“Hyung, stop talking. Your bleeding will get worse,” said Wonshik.
“You, though,” he said as he pointed at Taekwoon, “I hated you for being better than me. No one has ever been better than me before. I hate to lose.”
“Then live. As long as you’re alive, you can win again,” said Taekwoon.
He only chuckled at all those.
“I’ve lived too long,” he said, “But this is… probably the first time I feel so human.”
He glanced up to the sky peeking up from behind the leaves. He could faintly hear the wind and the earth calling him home.
“To spend my last moment with the people I love… it’s not so bad.”
With that whisper, he turned into speckles of lights, carried away by the gentle breeze.
Seasons passed, and suddenly it was spring again. The air was warm, and the new students looked very eager to enter the new chapter of their lives.
“Please join our Traditional Music Club! No auditions required; just bring your enthusiasm and willingness to learn! Our Vice President is also a total hottie!” shouted Wonshik as he handed out their club flyers. Hongbin smacked him with the ones he held, looking really annoyed.
“Why should I wear this ridiculous ‘Vice President’ tag while you, our Club President, don’t even need to wear one?” protested Hongbin.
“Because our selling point is you, Bean. Smile and wave,” replied Wonshik with a bright smile. Hongbin smacked him once again.
“Hey. Sorry I’m late; the Department Head called me earlier,” said Taekwoon. He had promised them to help handing out the flyers, but the discussion about university scholarship came first.
“Which university scouted you, Hyung?” asked Wonshik as he handed some of the flyers to Taekwoon.
“Well… I got offers from several universities, so I’ll have to discuss it with my parents first,” replied Taekwoon.
“Wow, that’s impressive! As expected from the top student of the Musical Theatre Department,” complimented Hongbin. Taekwoon’s expression turned gloomy as he heard the praise.
“If only Hakyeon were still here…” mumbled Taekwoon. Wonshik and Hongbin went silent too, as they remembered the aftermath of that incident.
After Hakyeon dispersed into tiny lights and blinded their sight, they mysteriously returned to Hongbin’s grandparents’ house. The days they spent searching for Hakyeon seemed to be missing from the old couple’s mind, and they claimed that the three of them spent their time helping around the house instead.
They went home confused, but promised to meet again at the park near their school on the next day to discuss what had actually happened.
When they gathered again, all three of them voiced the same strangeness they found. Hakyeon’s contacts disappeared from their phone despite not being erased. Hakyeon was missing from all the pictures they took with him, and his solo pictures were only left with the backgrounds. Taekwoon went to their school’s website and he found that all the awards that Hakyeon had won for their school were gone. He also dug the videos of their musical assessment and he couldn’t find Hakyeon’s performance video at all.
Out of curiosity, and to test whether their theory was right or not, Taekwoon called someone he knew to be Hakyeon’s friend since middle school.
“Cha Hakyeon? I’ve never heard that name. Why?”
The answer left them speechless, and Taekwoon hurriedly apologized before ending the call. Still finding it hard to believe, Wonshik called their club instructor and asked about the same thing.
“What do you mean ‘Cha Hakyeon’? Our Club President has always been Seo Eunkwang, right? Who is this ‘Cha Hakyeon’?”
Wonshik simply apologized and ended the call as well. Seo Eunkwang was their Vice President, but somehow the instructor remembered him as the President instead.
From what they understood, everyone aside the three of them had forgotten about the existence of ‘Cha Hakyeon’.
To make things even worse, they saw news about a mentally unstable man being detained on the mountain road near the forest where the incident happened. Although the name and face were censored, they knew that the man was Hakyeon’s father. He was screaming about how he had killed his own son, and the investigation found human bones in a nearby cave that were believed to be the remains of his son who disappeared more than 10 years prior. Still, the old man kept on claiming that a gumiho did that, and what he killed was a gumiho that looked exactly like his son.
Taekwoon, Wonshik, and Hongbin knew that Hakyeon’s father was telling the truth. It seemed that other than the four people who were present during the death of gumiho-Hakyeon, no one remembered and nothing had a record of him.
Whether it’s a curse or not, they didn’t know. What they know for sure was that they wouldn’t be able to help Hakyeon’s father in any way. It was the divine punishment for him, and for them as well.
“Well, if Hakyeon-hyung were here, he’d congratulate you and tell you to step up your game. He’d also recommend you to take the best university from the offers, no matter how far away it is,” said Wonshik with a proud smile.
“Yeah, he totally would. He’s no longer here, and no one else remembers him, so let’s do our best in his place. That’s the only way for us to honor him,” said Hongbin.
Taekwoon smiled and thanked the two of them.
“Let’s do our best, for the Cha Hakyeon we know and love.”
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