Another Tale Of A Nine Tailed

Chapter 8: Gumiho

Yi Yeon waited in the living room until Woo Bin finished vomiting. The plush fox looked at him with his button eyes and Yi Yeon cocked an eyebrow. „And you are?" he asked and picked up the plush doll.

„Don't touch that!" Woo Bin hissed and ripped the fox out of Yi Yeon's hands. He hugged it tightly, while looking at Yi Yeon with suspicion in his swollen eyes.

„Where's Yi Jeong?"

Yi Yeon shrugged. „I found his clothes in a forest. I lost his track. I'm sorry.. I hoped he would be back."

„You're saying you believe he's running around without his clothes? What do you mean you lost his track? Are you a track hound, too?" Woo Bin was angry and scared at the same time.
Holding on to the fox helped him to not shake too much. He wanted answers and he didn't.
All kinds of thoughts rushed through his head. Yi Jeong's dead body somewhere buried in the woods. Him naked in the trunk of a car, tied up, scared and about to get sold to the mafia.
Woo Bin's mind was way too imaginative when it came to real life horror. It was his job to make up scenarios like that.

Yi Yeon eyed the plush fox. „What's the meaning behind that toy?" he asked, keeping his voice calm. Woo Bin looked like a ghost and he wasn't sure how he would take what he was assuming about Yi Jeong.

„What? I think there are more important things to talk about now. We should call the police.. Maybe he's still alive, we have to find him..before.."

„Oh, I'm sure he's alive. I'm not sure if he's well, though. If he transformed without being prepared or knowing what's happening to him, that might be an unpleasant experience. He is probably very confused, maybe dangerous, even.. Maybe he has no idea how to change back."

„Trans...what? What exactly are you trying to say?" Woo Bin asked and Yi Yeon looked at the fox again, then back to Woo Bin, whose eyes followed the look and he laughed out loud.

„Are you seriously trying to tell me my boyfriend transformed into a fox? Like a werewolf?" Woo Bin took his mobile phone, opened Google maps and handed it over to Yi Yeon. „You type in exactly where you found those clothes. And I swear, if I find out that you did this to him, I'll make sure your wife will find nothing but your bloody clothes."

Yi Yeon sighed and followed the order. He couldn't blame Woo Bin for the way he acted.
He also didn't want to show him how little of a chance he would have.
In this moment, he was pretty scary, though, for a human.

Yi Yeon stood up and returned the phone. „You know... a Gumiho has only one mate for his whole life. I'm so glad he found you. I also saved my number. You can call anytime." he smiled and patted Woo Bin's shoulder.

„Out... NOW!" Woo Bin yelled and slammed the door behind Yi Yeon. He didn't want to hear any of this bullshit anymore. He dropped back on the couch, buried his face in the sweater and dug his fingers into the fabric. All the tears he held back until now burst out and he started sobbing, uncontrollably.

Yi Jeong was dead.. He just knew it. There was no other explanation. He would never see his face again, never hear him laugh again, never wake up next to him... Something terrible has happened to his boyfriend and he hadn't been there. Yi Jeong was all alone.

What if someone was after him, like the guy on the parking lot...

Yi Rang was alone when he died.. Only the thought that Yi Jeong could have shared the same fate was killing him inside.

Woo Bin had no idea how long he was lying on the couch, crying. He must have fallen asleep at some point because when he woke up, it was getting dark again. He felt empty and exhausted but got up anyway.
He checked the spot where Yi Yeon found the clothes and frowned. That forest was a good 5 hours away with the car. There was no way Yi Jeong could have gotten there by foot and the theory that someone kidnapped him and buried his body in the woods became even more realistic.