Zero is seen sleeping on a bed. Besides him is Jiyeon, deep in a slumber.

He smiles, caressing her face gently, “Sweet dreams, my child…”

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The N4 team is seen walking with a group of people, but then they stopped, looking at a thick forest.

Ahreum looks at them, “Why did we stop?”

“Ma’am, this is the Jin Forest.”

Eunjung and Hyomin turn toward the newcomer, “What?”

Ahreum seems irritated, “We will rest here for a while. Some of you scout the areas and see if we can find any other alternatives.”

Hyomin insists, “What is Jin Forest? What is wrong with this place?”

“This is a place nobody dares to enter. It is said there is a gumiho staying here, and anybody who enters this place will never appear back. Who knows what’s in here, but I shall not take any risk on these people,” Ahreum answers, looking determined.

Hyomin nods, whispering to herself, “Gumiho, huh? This somehow feels nostalgic.”

Her eyes are concentrated into the forest, and sees a girl looking at her, wearing fully white.

Blink.

Gone.

She looks around, and then shrugs as she joins the team.

Xxxxxxxxxx

CRASH!

“I’m sorry!” said a soldier as he kneels in front of the queen.

From the look of her face, she seems pissed off, just thrown a glass onto the wall nearby.

She stands up, pointing her katana toward him, “I shall not waste any more times. You and your petty armies shall bring those girls alive or your family will be reported dead.”

“Please don’t kill them, Your Majesty!”

“Then you shall do as I said.”

He quickly runs out of there as she sheathes the blade back, sighing, “The clock is ticking and we are wasting more time every single second.”

The queen walks toward the window, looking at the tall buildings right outside of the castle, “Where on earth are you, Danee?”

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Somewhere in a wild west-styled town, the townspeople are running away from the Army as the place is burned into pulp.

As the Army enjoys their duties in making people suffering, one of them loses his head, falls onto the ground.

The rest of the Army sees the decapitated act, started to panic as one shouts, “Where are you!? Show yourselves!”

Each falls onto the ground, losing their heads.

The townspeople jump out of their hiding, looking at how safe their current situation is.

On a mountain near the town, a figure is seen standing on top of it, looking straight toward the place. The figure then disappears from the sight.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The team keeps on walking and walking at the side of the forest, till they hear a voice, “Everyone! Over here!”

Eunjung hears the voice, quickly moves her attention toward the voice, “Jiyeon?”

Far from there, Jiyeon is seen cheerfully waving at the team, “Welcome home!”

Hyomin just stares at her, “That’s weird. I have never seen Jiyeon smiles like that.”

The team finally reaches a huge campsite with so many people in it, where the girl is situated at.

The girl sees Eunjung, Hyomin and Ahreum as she bows at them politely, “Ah, you must be the chosen queens! I am one of the Kings of the rebellion, Rian. Nice to meet you all.”

Hyomin wonders, “I thought all Kings are men. I mean, the name is Kings after all.”

“Nah, the name Kings are given to those who are certified to command a team of the rebellions.”

“Even women?”

“Even women.”

“That is impressive how a girl like you able to join the rank of such!” Eunjung seems excited.

Rian just laugh, “I just have luck by my side, that’s all…”

The two keep on laughing, as Hyomin whispers, “You two match each other…”

Her eyes caught the glimpse of the forest, seen the same white figure.

Blink.

Gone again.

Is she hallucinating?

Ahreum approaches the two, “We are going to rest here for the night. We will be moving tomorrow.”

Hyomin mutters coldly, “I’m sure Eunjung won’t care.”

Her eyes look at her, looking at how she is bonding with Rian.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It is night, and Hyomin could not sleep well, waking up with sweats all over her face.

This place is really hot! Isn’t there any breeze tonight?

Slowly, she walks out of the camp, yawning and stretching.

There is still no wind! What kind of place this is?

Her eyes wander around the wood, looking all around the place.

Owh, the leaves are moving smoothly.

So inviting…

She sees a female in white, waving at her on top of one of the trees.

Okay, she is definitely invites her into that forest…

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

It is day.

Eunjung wakes up, looking at her side.

Owh, Hyomin has already woken up?

She walks out of the camp, looking around. Where is she?

Searching all over the place, she still did not see her.

She finally stops, seeing Ahreum running toward her, “Hey, have you seen Hyomin?”

She shakes her head.

“One of those men said that both Hyomin and Rian have gone missing today.”

The two then look at the trees as Ahreum sighs, “Damn those girls…”

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hyomin keeps on walking and walking inside the forest with a dazed face, till she finally stops, feeling her shoulders got hit by something.

She turns around, looking at Rian, “What?”

“Why are you entering this place?” Rian asks her.

Hyomin finally realizes her surrounding, “H-how did I get in here?”

“Last night you just went into this forest. I thought you are sleep walking, but that doesn’t look like so…”

They hear something rustling nearby as she pulls her toward the tree.

Checking the place out, they can see a family of foxes with some cubs playing with each other.

“Fox?”

“Gumiho,” Hyomin mutters, “They are Gumiho…”

“How did you know?”

“I…I just know…”

The mother fox suddenly realizes their presence, growling at their tree, “Who’s there!?”

The mother sniffs a bit as she screams, “Human!? No, Gumiho! Ex-Gumiho!”

Rian looks at Hyomin, “You are…?”

The mother fox quickly jumps toward the tree, moving past them and looks at them, “What are you doing in here? You didn’t smell from around here!”

She keeps on sniffing till she mutters, “You used to be a Gumiho, no?”

Slowly, the mother fox turns into a middle-aged woman, with nine tails still sticking behind them, “Then you and your human friend shall be our guest! Please, come in!”

“Come in?” Rian wonders of such question.

A home is seen nearby, startling her, “That isn’t there before!”

“Illusion.”

The two enter the place, looking at the traditional-looking house.

The cubs enter the place happily, one by one turning into small kids, joining their mother.

The two sit near a round table as the mother looks at Hyomin, “So, tell me, how long you took to get all 1000 livers?”

Rian looks at Hyomin’s face, who in turns looking bad, hesitating to answer, “Pretty long…”

“You are so young. I’m sure you get so many naughty men before.”

Hyomin is getting hesitate to answer, deciding to only nod.

“Why not just share your experience with us? We still need livers to become human. It is so hard to find a man who would actually fall for you and not struggling to give us their liver.”

BANG!

Hyomin stands up furiously, gritting her teeth before sighing a long sigh, “I’m sorry. I’m not supposed to be in here. I have a job to do…”

As she is about to walk out of there, the mom suddenly speaks, “You know, recently I have seen so many men ended up from the sky into here, and all of them are delicious. But all the men have escaped, and I need only one more liver to become a human.”

“And then what?”

The mom looks at her.

Hyomin is angered, “After so much hardwork in becoming a human, what would you do next? You have already killing so many people at this point. Can you just live your life without knowing what human can truly do without you killing them off just like that?”

“You…”

“My sister has gone through so many hardwork in getting 999 men’s trust and love so they would give her their liver willingly. And the 1000^th man is dying out of cancer, even go as far as giving up his own life to let her live. It took a miracle for her to find another donor, and it took more than a miracle for him to keep on living.”

“Well, isn’t that a pleasant gift?”

“For what? She has learned about love at this point, not willing to just take his heart and keep on living with guilt in her heart. Maybe because love is so stupid, but at least she has nothing to regret for. Unlike me who suffered the consequences of living lower than a fox all this time.”

“Is living as a human is that bad? Human has so many fun things to be done! They even get to mingle around, unlike us that only live alone each day.”

“From the start, the herb is just a curse. And it will remain as one forever, even after being a human.”

Hyomin walks out of there, followed by Rian.

The mom looks pissed, “She lives too long with human, even thinking like one…”

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hyomin and Rian keep on walking, till they step outside of the forest.

Eunjung sees her and quickly runs toward her, “Hyomin, where have you been?”

“Just walking around.”

Ahreum looks at her, “It is too dangerous in here. Don’t just walk around the place when you have no idea where you are.”

“Sorry…”

Rian cheerfully answers, “Don’t you worry! I am right beside her! No harm can come toward us!”

But then she can hear something moving from behind.

Looking behind them, they can see the roots and vines are moving toward them as Rian and Ahreum quickly take out their swords, “Be on guard!”

The whole forest swallows them all, including the soldiers at the camp along with the camp itself.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hyomin has no idea what really happened, but she do remember that those roots are covering the environment around her and the vines are pulling her deep into the forest.

She tries to stand up, moving out of the roots, walking toward one direction.

She really has no idea what had happened, or where she even at right now.

“Hyomin…”

She looks to her left, seeing Rian slowly walks toward her with some difficulties, “Good, you are safe!”

“Where’s the others?”

“I have no idea…”

Suddenly the tree behind her is moving as Rian pulls her away from her spot, “Look out!”

The tree swings its trunk, nearly hitting the two but somehow fell off of it, falling onto the ground.

A figure appears in front of her, looking at the two, “Eunjung is looking for you! Quick, before she kills those two!”

Unable to answer any question, the trees around already start to move, causing them to actually run away from there.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

“Arrgh, this is so annoying!”

Eunjung is shooting flame out of her horn, screaming in anger.

They are captured by so many barks, vines and roots, forming a room for them.

Every time one bark is burned with a hole at the spot, more barks cover the spot.

Ahreum kneels down, feeling the roots below them, “These trees are sentient.”

“Sentient?”

“They are holding us hostages.”

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Outside, Hyomin and Rian finally arrive at the place as she takes out her blade, smashing it onto the trees, “Damn it! What’s with these trees!?”

A female voice is heard, “Just like what I’ve thought, you are working with those rebels. You do realize how humans have been scared of us, gumiho before?”

“Not all of them!” Hyomin shouts all around the place, “Some actually feels sympathy to us! Some even love us so much, they are willingly to risk their life to be with us! Humans are not as bad as you thought!”

“LIES!”

The woman in fox-looking garb jumps down onto the ground, “HUMANS HAVE BEEN CHASING AFTER US! ONE BY ONE, THEY ARE KILLING US! THEY INVADE OUR HOME AND YET THEY TREAT US AS THE ENEMY OF THE WORLD!”

“You have been living in the woods for years, what do you know about humans? Have you ever walk outside of this place? Have you ever just look at human outside? They are not as bad as you think! They are able to open their arms, welcoming you guys as part of them!”

“LIAR!”

More roots are about to hit them, but black smoke appears in front of them, burning the roots, killing them.

The trees surrounding Eunjung and Ahreum die as well, letting the two go.

“Hyomin!” Eunjung runs toward her, “Are you okay?”

She just nods.

The woman screams in anger, turning into a fox with nine tails, charging toward them.

“Oath of the Queen!”

“Oath of the King!”

The three queens wear their battle suit as Rian wears a golden suit.

The fox jumps around the place and charges toward them in a really fast speed, hitting them in each corner.

The fox then jumps above them, going to hit them from up but then something hits her, making her to fall nearby.

Rian then pulls out her sword, charging toward the fox, slashing her once. Ahreum and Eunjung do the same once.

Hyomin takes out her chain, smashing the knife part onto the fox several times, before smashing her with the pickaxe part right onto the head, knocking her out.

She stands up, trying to fight back but the female figure that saved Hyomin and Rian before appears headlocking the fox from behind, before slashing with her blade and disappears, leaving the body on the ground.

“Omma!”

Her cubs move toward her lifeless body, trying to shake her body and cries.

Hyomin kneels down, looking at her.

Eunjung is standing still, looking at the figure, “That girl…it couldn’t be…could it?”

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The female arrives at the same mountain she was before as she takes out a USB and puts it on the slot on her waist.

“De-throne of the Queen.”

Her form reverts into her civilian form, showing herself as Hwayoung.

“Hey!”

She turns her back toward Kyu, who is looking at her, “Having fun killing people?”

She then disappears.

End.

So, Hwayoung is back. Isn’t she is supposed to be dead?

Next: The confrontation of two best friends. Jiyeon has finally returns and now Hwayoung demands a fight between the two with the power of Second Chance. The queen is enraged with how long she has to wait for her plan to move on so she decides to attack QBS, who is still moving toward their destination. The three received a help from an unexpected help.