Hi it’s me again. Since I told you about my little ball of fun, I wonder if you’d look at foxes a different way? I bet you would.

I forgot to introduce my nine tailed angel to all of you. That bundle of fur is called JaeJoong.Anyway moving on, JaeJong loves to do one thing and one thing only when he wakes up. Clamber all over me and drag me out of bed. There, enough said. Attention seeking cutie.

The sun shone from the window seal alongside my bed, warming the edges, urging me to get out of my cocoon of blankets. I groaned lazily squirming to the other end of the bed so the sun wouldn’t warm my body. There I curled up even more gripping onto my blanket still tight and snuggly. I didn’t really notice where JaeJoong was or in what position he was in. All I heard was purring beneath where I was, indicating he’d been sleeping on the floor all night. Typical fox.

I wasn’t sure what time it was because by the time I roused, still groggy, I felt a depression on my blanket followed by a weight on top of me. I mumbled something incoherent feeling a furry tail under my arm.

“Mmm….” I moaned. “Go back to sleep honey.”

I didn’t really pay attention to what actually happened afterwards but the next thing I knew, I had landed on the carpeted floor with a thud. Being a heavy sleeper and not really susceptible to disturbances, I chuckled trying to grab for something to hold on to as my pillow source. I grabbed a tail—I think.

I heard JaeJoong whine above me followed by insistent pawing at my chest.

“Wake up, wake up wake up! Wake up!! Yunnie wake up!”

“Ummmm…. 5 more minutes mommy.” I muttered.

“Yunnnnnnnieee wake up wake up!!!!” He whined tugging at my sleeves.

Seeing that tugging on my sleeve was no use, apparently, he leant forward, his face just inches from mine, breath ghosting across my neck before he lap a line up it. I squawked as I jolted up.

“Ah! What- where-when- how –who—Joongie?” I sputtered, soon realizing that it was just the Fox trying to be funny.

“Hungry.” He pouted.

I groaned, pushing the fox off my body who immediately poofed back into that petite furry golden fox wagging all nine tails. Joongie blinked at me and I blinked back before I found myself cooing at that very simple gesture.

“You are the cutest thing I’ve ever meet in my whole entire life!” I announced picking Joongie up and nuzzling his snout. “Let me wash up and get your breakfast unng?”

The fox nodded happily.

Yeah. That’s about what happens almost every day. I wake up he whines I make breakfast he eats and a lot I might add. Then I head to school and he will see me off right to the entrance of the University. Students wonder why a fox keeps following me around. It’s strange because they don’t seem to notice its other eight tails. Joongie yapps at me which I assume is a ‘bye bye’ in fox language and I’ll bend down to kiss him on the snout. Cuddly enough? Thought so.

As I stepped into the campus, that feeling of stress started to creep to me again. University, though I aced most of my subjects had caused me to develop the ‘University syndrome’. Basically it’s something that bugs you from day to day. You step into the campus you start feeling down and blue and what nots. Ugh.

I watched as hoards of student made their way to the lecture theaters with me strolling at my own pace.  Finding a seat, I sat there on my own. Yeah, it’s though. In this place, it’s ‘every man for himself’ if you get what I mean. No one cares about what you do, just as long as you do it, and do it well. On the other hand, there are politics as well. I won’t elaborate any further or this will just become another preaching session. I wonder if anyone notices me….

“Mind if I join?” A voice from above jolted my thoughts.

“Uh?” I snapped my head up to see another boy, probably same age as me pointing to the empty space beside me. “Ah yeah, sure go ahead.” I shrugged, giving space for him to enter.

Sitting beside me, he set his books down on the right hand side of his position and I was curious enough to notice that he had borrowed a strange book from the library on ‘Vampires’.

I think he noticed my attention on the book as he pushed it to me. “Interested?”

“Huh? Oh, no I was just curious that’s all.” I laughed awkwardly scratching my neck.

The boy smiled mismatched eyes and all. I smiled back seeing it was a polite gesture before turning my attention to the projection on the wall.

“You all should have gotten your lecture notes by now?” The man in his 40s asked waving a stack of paper bound together by a measly staple bullet. Silence.

Assuming everyone had them; the lecturer shrugged and turned to the projection with his laser pen before starting his hour long lecture.

“Pssst.” I heard from the boy.

I turned to give him my attention.

“Yeah?”

“You understand what he’s talking about?” He asked in a whisper.

“Not really, quantum physics isn’t just about lectures. He doesn’t really do a good job of clearing doubts and delegating knowledge to his students so I study on my own.” I replied softly.

The lecturer cleared his throat causing us to turn to his direction. He wasn’t looking out way so I turned back to him.

“How long have you been in SNU?” I muttered.

“2 years, you?”

“We’re on the same page here.”

“Oh that awesome!” He hissed under breath. “I haven’t met a year 2 student yet. All of them are all year 3 student where I came from.”

“You study with the year 3 mob?” I asked surprised.

“Not exactly. My elective requires me to.”

“I hate electives.”

“Tell me about it. What electives are you taking?”

“Veterinary.”

“That’s kinda rare.” He pointed out when the lecturer cleared his throat again. This time he was looking at us and both he and I jerked up back to our proper sitting positions.

The lecturer continued his mundane speech and the boy passed me a piece of paper –‘talk to you later’.

“Hey!” I heard from behind me.

I turned to see the boy from the lecture running up to me and smiling.

“Hey.” I replied in return.

“We didn’t introduce officially.” He grinned, mismatched eyes again, sticking out his hand. “Name’s Shim, Shim ChangMin.”

I opened my mouth in acknowledgement shaking his hand.  “Jung Yunho, pleasure.”

“You were saying about Veterinary?” He asked continuing my topic from previously.

“Ah, not quite, I’m just interested in animals and how to take care of them that’s all. It’s an elective after all.”

The boy nodded in agreement.

“Speaking of animals, I heard that there’s a fox roaming our campus recently.” He laughed jokingly which made me tense up all of a sudden. Fortunately he didn’t notice my change in posture.

I laughed, trying to rub it away. “Oh really? I didn’t know.”

“Yeah, I heard it’s not any ordinary fox though.” He replied smiling and I swore I saw a hint of blue in the boys’ eyes. Must be over thinking.

I hummed in agreement but I didn’t want to say more because the fact that he actually knew the existence of Jae wasn’t so simple after all. This boy wasn’t what he seemed to be and I didn’t intend to stick around him too much.

“Ah! I have to get going!” I pointed out as I grabbed the rest of my books from the locker.

“See you tomorrow!” He smiled, charming and mismatched and all boyish. I swore there was something going on.

Well yes, before I actually reveal who ‘Shim ChangMin’ actually is, you still have to go through my grandmother story to find out. Maybe the hint was giving earlier; you just have to read in between the lines.

Fortunately for me, as I stepped out of the campus, JaeJoong wasn’t anywhere around the campus grounds.

Increasing my pace, I took the same route home- through the forest when two palms covered my eyes and a cheeky giggle tickled my ears.

I wrapped my fingers around those long ones and tilted my head slightly.

“Who is this?”

“I don’t know.” The voice sang in my ears.

“Really?” I asked, playing along.

“Really.” He repeated.

“I’ll turn around and hug you if you say you don’t know again.” I laughed.

“I really don’t know.”

Clicking my tongue I spun around landing my palms on a slander waist line, jerking him forward. “I told you I’d do it.”

Joongie stared at me with those big doe eyes before wrapping his arms around my neck, purring along the line. I rocked him slightly wondering if he’d missed me even for those five and a half hours in the campus. The only thing I wonder about is what he does when I’m not around. Sleep?

I didn’t have the time to ponder anymore when the Gumiho grabbed my hand and tugged me into a run along the path of fallen leaves. Snow had started to fall since it was the middle of the season. Our feet, ok my feet made crunching noises in the snow that had gathered on the ground and Joongie’s just made foot prints. The route we ran through reminded me of the night where our paths met. It was the very same winter day, except back then I was about to put him away. It brought back nostalgia and I wondered how long we’d been like this. Two? Three years maybe?

I found myself swept off my feet and onto a thick branch over handing the icy stream that ran out and away from the forest. He sat beside me giggling because I had a mini shock though heights don’t exactly scare me. We just sat there staring into the running water. He took the opportunity to lean against my shoulder, hugging my waist. Yes, that’s Joongie for you.

“Aren’t you hungry?” I asked randomly.

Jae nodded.

“I knew it.”

JaeJoong didn’t need to be told twice because he was already digging through my haversack for my bag of rice crackers. Foxes have keen noses.

I sighed as he nibbled happily on the snack, patting his golden hair. It didn’t last very long though because his twitching ear stood perfectly still abruptly, followed by his head as he snapped it to the side to pick out a sound I couldn’t hear.

“What is it?” I asked.

Joongie growled for the first time in years and I knew something was wrong, so I hung my bag on the branch adjacent from us and reached into my pockets for my ‘lucky charms’ but Jaejoong had already disappeared from my side and bounding above the trees before vanishing under the canopy of trees.

I followed suit landing on one of the lower branches trying to locate him when I heard a yap and then a whimper before I spotted the little Gumiho dashing straight for me and into my arms burying itself into my bosom.

“Joongie?” I asked watching it peek out from under my coat.

Unsatisfied with what happened earlier, the furry fox leaped out of my arms and onto the ground baring its fangs- If you call small little canine teeth, fangs, and all nine tails frizzy and at standing on end when a figure stepped out from behind the trees and I immediately froze on the spot.

Mismatched eyes.

Joongie yapped again trying his best to ‘scare’ away the intruder.

“C-changMin?” I gasped, before picking Joongie still trying to be aggressive and all but not helping. The fox wiggled in my hold.

“Yo~” He smiled.

“W-what are you doing here?” I asked hiding Jae behind me. Joongie kicked my with his paw.

“I come here to calm myself.” He answered me with a grin playing on his lips.

“Oh. Hahaha~” I forced a laugh. Joongie nipped at my belt and kicked my again.

Of course he wasn’t one to be ignorant about the creature I was hiding behind my back. He leant to the side to take a peek and I shifted Joongie to the side.

“What’cha got there?” He asked curiously taking a step forward.

“Nothing.” I lied through my teeth.

Joongie yapped insistently before squirming out of my hold, causing me to drop him. He poked his head between my legs and ran out of the gap charging towards the boy only to stop at his feet wagging his tail.

“Uh...” I asked.

“Oh Hi there hyung long time no see~” ChangMin chuckled bending down and patting Joongie on his furry head.

“H-hyung?” I asked.

Joongie yapped again.

“I don’t get it.” I rubbed my temples. “Someone tell me what’s going on before I get a migraine.”

ChangMin laughed and returned to normal height. He pointed to himself and I watched his hair color shift from dark brow to a light sheen of gold. His eyes turned cyan blue and when he smiled, fangs. Ok…. I forgot about reading in between the lines.

“Alright I give up.” I swore.

Joongie shifted to human form.

“Yunnie this is MinMin- the Vampire.”

ChangMin tsked.

“Hyung, don’t call me that, it’s embarrassing.”

“But-“

“Guys!” I interrupted. “Whilst I appreciate the warm reunions and all, I’m still trying to figure out who scared the crap out of Joongie.”

“Not me.” ChangMin shrugged.

Neither did he realized that he’s questions would be answered in an instant as a large snowy tiger like creature leaped out from the abundant trees in a roar, just between Jae and ChangMin.

“Baekho!” I cried, grabbing my charms as it charged for me, ignoring both the Gumiho and the Vampire, claws protracted as it leaped for me in a ferocious rage.

“Yunnie!!”

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The little creature book 101 :

Baekho - (西方白虎, Xī Fāng Bái Hǔ) White Tiger

During the Han Dynasty, people believed the tiger to be the king of all beasts. According to legend the tiger's tail would turn into white when it reached the age of 500 years. In this way, the white tiger became a kind of mythological creature. It was said that the white tiger would only appear when the emperor ruled with absolute virtue, or if there was peace throughout the world.

There are no other characters in this chapter. BaekHo is the direct translation for White tiger if you read chinese ^^

Phew!! I'm done with this chapter... It's 7 pages long and I think I ran off a little before that XD!

Meet ChangMin~ The new comer to the FF!

He's a Vampire kekekeke~~

Comments please!!

Love

DragonKnightYunJae