I don’t usually tell stories like this, but since it’s something that everyone should know, I feel the need to tell it. You see, I’m not just your ordinary student, mugging for their exam papers in a big prestigious University of Seoul. It’s situated not far north from the Han River but still far enough to oversee a big lushes forest. Abundant to the University is a diversity of wildlife that would grace the premises with its random entrances and curiosities. Unknown to the students there, they stand between the barriers of the human and demon world and Seoul University happened to be the landmark for that. I don’t really want to go in to too much detail about that since it’s not really important.

Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Yunho, as in Jung Yunho . I’m not much of a student. Neither am I a superhero. I’m just your ordinary everyday university student trying to past my damn finals so I can get a decent job. Unlike every student who tries to hug the leg of the lecturer, I don’t see the need to do it. Well… That’s me. Ah yes, I also have something really secretive that not many know either. Not even my family knows of my occupation and hell I don’t get money out of it.

Unknown to anyone around me, I’m a Shaman in practice. Ok, not in practice for one, I’m more of an, exorcist shaman ninja- strike the ninja part. Yeah, basically I keep your world safe. Period.

School isn’t a blast for one so I look forward to days when lectures and tutorials end early and once they do, you won’t see my setting foot anywhere near SNU for the rest of the freaking day. As usual, I don’t always head for home instead; I linger around, not in the university but along the paths of the forest glades. I’m a nature person for one so I love the outdoors and the greenery that the forest offers.

Have I said too much? Ok, ok here’s the catch- It’s a secret.

Being overjoyed to the‘d’ about lectures ending early, I literally breezed my way out the front gate down the big steps and out of the University.

 Usually student there would take the normal route home, on bike, by car, by shuttle bus, but for me, on foot would be fine. You see my house is not so far from where SNU is. Yes I live alone since I decided to come to Seoul. My hometown is in the peaceful tranquil, KwangJu which I’m now miles away from.

The forest trees seemed to be rather inviting as I padded along the dirt path laced with dead fallen leaves and traces of snow left over from the day before.

It was winter, the start of it but it wasn’t that cold either.

As I continued my slow walk down the path, little fox paw prints decorated the ground. They seemed rather messy and I grinned to myself.  I love the smell of pine in the late evening, especially when work was hectic all day long. Not to mention the hordes of girls trying to peck at your . Did that make sense? No? Ok never mind, moving on.

I spotted a few clumps of bushes move up ahead and chuckled before ping my bag. I bet it caught the attention of the creature behind the bushes because with each rustle of the plastic, the bush shook in the same motion.

Deciding that I shouldn’t take another step forward just because I wanted to tease, I pulled out a plastic bag full of rice crackers and squatted down.

“Hey~ Hey~ I know you love these, that’s why I brought it for you today again~” I cooed.

The bushes rustled and a fox poked its furry head out of them. I grinned and shook my bag once more. It yapped in my direction blinking those large ebony eyes at me causing me to smile happily so I put my hand forward, a piece of rice cracker under my fingers and the other hand calling it silently. C’mon~

It yapped again before dashing straight out of the bushes and right at me.

Right before my very eyes, I watched as tiny golden paws took the form of fiver long slender fingers and pale skin to match, fur receding to take on more flawless skin. What I got was an armful of fun along with nine furry tails wrapped around me.

“Yunnie!!” It squealed hugging my neck and my cheeks like a puppy wanting attention.

“Missed me?” I asked, its soft golden hair which had brown highlights in them.

The fox shook its head and nuzzled my neck happily, purring into the crook.

Yeah, like I said previously, I’m not your average student when it comes to things like this. I probably should give you a tour back in time eh?

-Flash back-

“Jung Yunho issit?” A rather stout man asked with his loud and hoarse voice.

Yunho gulped a little at such an intimidating presence. Well he was the head master of the University after all and all applicants who wanted to enter the University had to go through him in order to gain a spot in it.

The headmaster creased his eyebrows at Yunho staring at him with a face that he called as judging. The boy sat with his fingers intertwined with each other, his palms turning cold as they made their stare down match, if you wanted to call it.

“Y-yes, I am he.” Yunho faltered a little.

The man cleared his throat. “I see here in your transcript that you want to enter this University because you want to find a job in Seoul. Is that right?”

“Yes sir.” Yunho nodded.

Interviews were hard but this was outrageous.

“So tell me dear boy, what makes you think you can be the top few percentage to graduate from this University?” He asked with an indifferent voice.

“Um…” Yunho squeezed his fingers. “I’m hardworking and I don’t-“

“Hardworking, did I hear that wrongly?”

“No sir.”

“I have lots of applicants telling me they are hardworking and when I look at them, they make me piss in my pants for laughing too hard because they slack!” He spat.

“I’m not them.” Yunho dared.

“Oh? And why not?”

“Because I have determination and perseverance- and I own a black belt in Hapkido.” Where did that come from? Yunho blurted and hid his head under his hands when he heard the head masters’ booming laughter.

“Hapkido?” The headmaster asked still laughing heartily. “I like you boy, you’re funny.”

Yunho just stared confused at him before he himself started to laugh awkwardly. He scratched his head wondering if his accidental blunter would cause him his position and just as the headmaster’s laughter died down, Yunho’s head started to palpitate again.

It was rather tense in the room, but it died down when the headmaster turned to face the boy.

“I don’t usually say this to all the applicants who come for the interview but my dear boy, I like your spunk.”

Yunho nodded slowly, still not comprehending much of what was just said. “What does that mean sir?” He asked bravely.

“It means you get a spot in the University.” The head master smiled for the first time in the interview. “But it doesn’t mean that you can take this opportunity to slack like the rest of them bastards. I catch you, and your spot will be terminated immediately. Is that clear?”

“Crystal.” Yunho nodded vigorously. He shot out of his chair and bowed so many times his back would have killed him afterwards. “Thank you! Thank you so much sir!”

The headmaster clicked his tongue and zoomed Yunho out of the room.

That night, the boy clung to his ‘successfully applied’ slip with a smile on his face. So going to Seoul was a good idea after all. All in a day’s work.

He turned around to peer at his alarm clock. 1 Am. A small bottle with a four leaf clover was placed beside it- something from his mom to give him good luck, if it was true. He rubbed the rims and grinned before he placed the slip on his bed before heading out to the balcony that over looked the forest grandeurs.

The breeze caressed his face and it felt fresh. He finally made it to a prestigious University for once in his life time. He remembered how he was always a failure during his childhood days, being rather clumsy and naïve. No more.

As he peered into the peaceful forest, something glowed in his direction garnering his attention. Squinting his eyes, he tried to get a better look of it but to no avail as the glow continued to flicker and it seemed as though it was moving through the bountiful forest. Deciding it was no use just standing there; he lifted himself off the balcony and landed feet first on the ground below. He turned around to see if he had caught any attention because leaping off the 3^rd floor of a hostel and landing unharmed would be a really weird thing. Fortunately no one noticed so Yunho ran straight for the light.

As he leaped over the bushes and duck under the few jutting branches, he reached under his pocket and pulled out two black slips of paper with wordings and windings written onto them. He skidded to a halt when the assumed that the glow was coming from up ahead.

Peering out from behind the bush, he caught a glimpse of his first creature of the forest. What he expected wasn’t very much what he thought off.

Two golden ears twitched at the slightest sound the forest made. Silky golden hair flowed to shoulder length along with nine long graceful tails that merely swished slowly like the wind was lapping against them.  Yunho crept nearer, furrowing his eyebrows. He’d heard of such a creature from his trainee days as a shaman/exorcist. Creatures that had shape and likeness to a fox, which had nine long tails that could easily be manipulated to attracted and kill. On top of that, they had the ability to phase into human form and live amongst humans unnoticed, unseen, unheard. A creature that possessed both beauty and speed, coupled with unearthly senses- Gumiho.

He gripped onto his talisman and shifted further forward when his feet cracked a branch that so coincidently lay next to him. He jerked on the spot and cringed as he watched those golden ears, twitch to a halt.

The fox snapped its head backwards, trying to source out the direction of the sound and stood up before backing away slightly into the forest causing Yunho to leaped straight out of the bush he was hiding behind, hands taut with the two slips.

“You’re not getting away.” Yunho pointed out before snapping his wrist sending the charm in the direction of the fox.

Of course it dodged easily and fled in the opposite direction and Yunho gave chase. Years of training were coming in handy and he could easily catch up with the creature but something wasn’t right as he watched the Gumiho stumble along the roots of the trees jutting out from the floor and tumbling to the side.

Yunho pushed forward hands ever ready at their ‘seal’ position.

“Don’t kill me.” It whimpered taking Yunho by surprise.

“W-what did you just say?”

“D-don’t kill me…” The fox repeated itself curling up into a ball against the tree, revealing its bleeding leg and bruised feet. “Don’t kill me, don’t kill me.”

For a while Yunho couldn’t help but stare at the injured Gumiho in front of him, begging a human not to kill it and withering in pain.

“I’m supposed to put you away.” Yunho mumbled crumpling the talismans in his hands.

“I don’t want to die.” It whispered quietly, gripping onto its leg.

Yunho sighed deeply. The last thing that he needed was to go soft on something that would probably harm people after it was healed but his heart couldn’t take it being the soft and kind hearted boy he was.

Chucking the slips to the side he shuffled forward, stretching out his hands only to watch the fox cringe and curl up even more, shivering against the trunk of the tree.

He exhaled apologetically placing his hand on the fox’s leg. “I’m not going to kill you.”

Big ebony eyes just blinked at him confused wondering if he was telling the truth or not.

With that, Yunho tore the side of his sleeve turning it into a make shift bandage before wrapping the cloth around the fox’s injured leg. Then he placed a palm on the injured portion to stop the throbbing.

The fox inched forward a little, lips drawing into a tiny smile. “Thank you.”

What? A Gumiho thanking me? Oh dear… What have I gotten myself into.

“You’re… welcome.” Yunho replied looking away.

-End of flashback-

Well yeah it’s not so much of a drama really but I got myself into a situation where I saved something that I should be sealing. Thank my kind nature /Cringes/

As I carried the fox in my arms back home, it occasionally peered up at me before nuzzling my clothes with its head which I find it too adorable. Yes, I have a weakness for fluffy and furry animals if you consider a Gumiho as an animal.

Habits are becoming of me since I met the little fox in my arms. I sound like some fluffy cuddly kind of guy but trust me, I’m not.

As we neared my home, the fox literally leaped out from my arms before running towards the steps of my apartment. I chuckled happily as it stood at the steps yapping for me to hurry up.

Hurry up hurry up!

Not gonna happen. I stuck out my tongue causing the fox to pout; if foxes could pout. In so doing it scampered off the steps and decided to run rounds around my leg and nipping at my jeans, pulling them to make me walk faster. I would say it has a load of strength even for a small furry creature. The little gumiho wrapped all nine tails around my leg and dragged me further forward urging me to hurry up, in so doing causing me to trip over with the fox in my arms.

“Aigoo…”I sighed shaking my head.

If you told me falling over would solve the problem, the fox nudged my arm with its forehead whining at me insistently to get up. If that didn’t help, it leaped onto my chest, arms and legs over me staring into my eyes with his gleaming eyes, my cheek.

“Hurry up, hurry up, hurry-“

“Joongie!” I cried snapping up, sliding him off my chest and onto the floor.

He stared at me blinking before tiling his head.

“????”

“Paw.” I commanded.

==============================================================================================

Ahhhh!! >< My very very very 1st chapter after SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO darn long haitus.

OMG my second time doing fluff... I think this is even more fluffy than the previous one /Dead/

Comments please! And if you wanted to DL my previous work "Sweet seduction" I have a post for it ^^

No proofreads for this chapter ><

Love,

DragonKnightYunJae