Julie stared at Moon Byul, her breath slowed in awe of her golden orbs. How did she get in this situation? She needed to say something, or else she felt like she'd be a goner. 

Moon Byul's phone buzzed as a text came in. On her nine tails, she was doing the best she could not to lash out on this human. Before anything, she abandoned the growing rage and left while checking her phone. 

“Moon, someone's onto me. I'm headed to the parking lot, where 62 is.”

The message made Moon Byul pick up a faster pace to the parking lot. In a matter of a few minutes, she reached the area and scanned it for the familiar face of 53.

Then the faint lavender scent came to her. She moved her feet, following the light trail to find 53 talking to a man in a suit. 

Moon Byul recognized the man well, but she had no time for chatter. 

“53,” she called out to the agent. 

“Moon.” Yerim's eyes lit up as the gumiho approached. “You're here.” 

“Whatever it is, save it for later. I'll take care of things here.” 

“Right.” Yerim nodded her head, feeling the thick tension in the air as 62 stood there speechless. “We're going back to headquarters.” 

“Can you check on Blue Circle International while you're at it?” Curiosity and suspicion was eminent in Moon Byul's request. 

Yerim raised a brow in response. “That is what I had in mind. Do you know Eric Kim?” 

Moon Byul thought the name was familiar. She shook her head and replied, “No. But I met someone who seems to be related.” 

“Name?” Yerim's eyes landed on the stain on Moon Byul's shirt. 

“Taeyeon Kim.” Moon Byul followed 53's eyes and cleared . 

62 opened the car trunk and rummaged it as silence settled in the atmosphere for a second. Tossing a black shirt to Moon Byul, he signaled 53 to get inside the car with a jerk of his head. 

“We're heading back now, Moon.” Yerim returned her gaze to Moon Byul's sharp expression. 

“Hmm.” Moon Byul gave the agents a nod of approval. 

The black car moved backwards, then turned to the right and straight out of the place. A layer of the parking lot's grey paint came off as Moon Byul kicked the ground. She took her suit off and made her way to her car for a change of clothing. 

Eric set aside his glass when Taeyeon appeared at the corner of his sight. He fixed his suit, with the bright lights deeming it two shades of blue brighter than it actually was. 

“What did I say, Eric?” 

Taeyeon's tone declared the welling irritation from how things turned out. The crowd had begun to dissipate and leave, but she had yet to give her brother a well-deserved scolding. 

“No screw-ups,” Eric answered. “I know, Taeyeon. And I did as agreed.” 

“You failed.” 

Eric clenched his fist at the remark. His sister had the most straightforward way of angering him. From the depth of his irises, a candescent green threatened to take over. He ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated and wishing he could hit something in his sister's place. 

“It's not my fault Julie ran to him. You have no idea how much that woman annoys me.”

Taeyeon said nothing. She tilted her head, her lips laced with a taunting smile. 

That face. Eric braced himself as Taeyeon placed her palm over her chest. 

“Taeyeon, don't,” Eric growled. He spoke through clenched teeth, an excruciating pain tormenting him. Deep within his flesh, he felt his heart being gripped by an iron hand. 

“Taeyeon..” His facial muscles began to contract, her canines sharpening. The hand in her heart was bent on twisting it. Every vein in his body tightened and broke through his skin. For the first time in a while, every corner of his being moved to tremors, a phantom earthquake wrecking his mind. “S-stop it..” 

Taeyeon put up a ghostly grin. Her eyes pulsed a dark purple, the same hue as the glow in her hand. “That's what I thought, Eric.” 

Eric took big breaths and recompose himself. As he fixed his clothes, he darted a glare towards his sister. “I swear, Taeyeon—” 

“Eric, Taeyeon,” Taehyung called out of nowhere. The two snapped towards him, both with a reposed facade. Instead of words, he gestured with his eyes, letting the siblings witness the reappearance of Moon Byul on the scene. 

Eric frowned at the instant change in Taeyeon's expression. How on earth did his sister have the ability to go from being a torturous witch to a lovesick idiot in less than a second? He had never had this urge to strangle Eun-yul to his death. It irritated him even more when he noticed that his sister had gone back down to the gumiho. 

Taehyung shrugged his shoulder and walked closer to Eric. “She ordered me to get back at your ex.” 

“Julie is not my ex,” Eric retorted, annoyed. He turned his attention to Taeyeon instead and laughed at his sister's foolishness. 

Moon Byul searched the place for any trace of Yongsun. At the back of her neck was an odd suspicion that someone was watching her. She glanced up, trying to find observant eyes. There were none. Her feet carried her in and out of the bathroom, around the lobby and past Eric and Taehyung.

The scent was strong. Her jaw clenched when she picked up what seemed to be the distinct smell of a werewolf. It dawned on her, that if those men she walked by were wolves, then they must have caught wind of the lavender. Good thing Yerim got away in time.

After walking around and failing to find the vampire, Moon Byul decided to go back to the parking lot. There, she might happen to run into Yongsun leaving.

That feeling again. Someone was stalking her, she knew it. As she passed by a parked vehicle, she caught a figure following her on the side mirror. With a swift turn, she walked to a corner and concealed herself behind a car.

Taeyeon bit her lip as she lost sight of Moon Byul. She walked across the area, craning her neck to every direction in search of the gumiho. Her efforts were in vain, she concluded, when she only found Julie Han standing by her car in distress. She sighed and rolled her eyes in spite of the woman. Turning around once more, her mind wandered to the possibility that Moon Byul had left.

“Damn it, seriously..” Julie mumbled into the quiet air. Her eyes were stuck on the slashed tires of her car, fickle thoughts in her head. Whoever did this must have had some sort of a death wish.

“Hey.”

A voice, one that ran deep and held absolute authority. Julie glanced towards the owner, with which shock overcame her.

“It's been how many years, kid?” 

Moon Byul's remark pulled Julie back to reality. She leaned away from the window and looked at the woman. Seeing her in a black shirt earlier only strengthened her memory of him.. Her.. Whatever. 

“It's Julie.” 

Moon Byul threw Julie a quick glance, her eyes a gold luster in the dark tunnel they traversed. 

“Right. Julie.” She returned her focus to the road. “How's your brother doing?” 

Julie crossed her arms and asked without hesitation, “Who are you? What are you?” 

The inquiry placed a faint smile on Moon Byul's lips. She applauded the human's straightforwardness. Direct questions deserved direct answers. With the same nonchalance, she replied, “I have many names. As for the what, I'm a gumiho.”

“What's a gumiho again?” Julie had the eyes of a curious child. It was then that Moon Byul realized the human was not a native of the country. 

“A gumiho is a nine-tailed fox spirit of the mountains,” Moon Byul answered. 

“You..” Julie was on the process of absorbing information. The current situation felt too surreal dorm the right words to leave in the right order. “You met my father.. In the past. How?” 

“I need to mention my ability to change..” Moon Byul lifted her palm over her face, golden dust settling and grazing on her skin. Her appearance shifted into that of a man, one who had a few streaks of grey on his hair and noticeable wrinkles. 

“This was the face your father met. I became his associate under the identity of Moon Jae-yul.” Her voice deepened even more after the transformation. 

Julie nodded her head, unable to think of what was most appropriate to say. 

Moon Byul noticed the puzzled stare and disbelief on Julie's face. She raised her hand again, returning to her appearance as Moon Byul-yi. 

A long rule of stillness came after the revelations. Julie cleared as she clasped her hands.