FOX IN A SUIT

Chapter 10: Unexpected Encounters

"Hi, young lady. What's your name?" Jiyeon asked the woman sitting calmly in the passenger seat. She thought it was crazy that a young woman who seemed so capable didn't know how to take care of herself. Jiyeon couldn't believe the bar would let the student in. She would have gone up to that bar by herself if Detective Oh hadn't been with that group of guys earlier.

A young woman took a quick look at Jiyeon. "A-Aya, that's my name," Minwoo said when she couldn't think of another name.

As Minwoo, who was still in woman form, awkwardly got out of the car, Jiyeon watched. Her expression became anxious as she saw his body language, which betrayed a noticeable feeling of hurry and discomfort.

"What is going on?" When Jiyeon asked, her voice was tinged with worry. "What's wrong?"

As a woman, Minwoo shook his head weakly, and his eyes were filled with a desperate look. "Officer, I really can't go to the hospital right now." It was clear in his speech that he begged, "Please take me home."

"It looks like you're not feeling well. You should probably go to the hospital right away."

"I promise you, officer, I'm fine," Minwoo said, getting a little annoyed by Jiyeon's persistent questioning. "Why don't you just trust me?"

"What?" Jiyeon asked with her eyebrows raised. "It looks like you're doing some sneaky things to avoid going to the hospital."

Jiyeon stopped, and there was a hint of doubt in her eyes. "Certainly not. Just that... I like being in the comfort of my own house better. I'd rather sleep," Minwoo said in a low voice.

Before making a final choice, Jiyeon thought about it for a long time. He couldn't say a word because he could feel Jiyeon's doubt.

He started acting like he was going to throw up, which scared Jiyeon.

"Hey, please don't throw up in the car that I just spent hours cleaning!" Jiyeon said it without thinking twice.

Jiyeon stopped the car, while Minwoo claimed to be sick again. She appeared to be so terrified that the mere thought of her vehicle becoming filthy was sufficient to drive her insane.

"Okay, I'll take you home before you ruin the car. If you throw up here, I have to clean this again for hours."

Although she didn't know what was going on, the intensity of Minwoo's action made her make a decision. Her words were, "This is crazy."

Inside the car, there was a lot of stress and unease that came from not saying anything. As Minwoo looked out the window, his hands moved tensely in his lap as he seemed to be having an inner battle.

They hurriedly got out of the car when they got to Minwoo's apartment building, and his sense of urgency was clear. Watching closely behind, Jiyeon's worry grew with each passing second.

Jiyeon couldn't help but notice that Minwoo's small, well-kept apartment didn't have any personal touches, which seemed to go against the idea that a woman lived there. It looked like every detail was carefully planned out, like a dance routine.

"Do you have anyone living with you?" Jiyeon asked, intrigued.

Before continuing, Minwoo stopped, his eyes filled with doubt. "My... brother," he said, easily slipping the lie out of his mouth.

Even though Jiyeon raised an eyebrow and sensed a hint of dishonesty, she decided not to look into it. She carefully took note in her mind of every detail of her surroundings as she looked around her flat.

When he was in his female form, Minwoo seemed to be getting antsier by moving quickly and without planning to. He nervously played with the things on the coffee table, but it was clear that he was thinking about something else.

"Is everything all right?" Jiyeon asked in a soft but interested voice.

Minwoo agreed with a nod, but his eyes showed that he was upset. He replied, "Yes, I'm feeling a bit overloaded," his voice strained.

Jiyeon watched him carefully, her detective senses active. Something seemed off, and she was determined to figure it out.

Minwoo caught her just as she was about to leave to follow Detective Oh to Kim Ji Sung's house.

"Excuse me, officer, but I can't stand being by myself right now." Minwoo begged, "Please stay with me until my brother comes back," his voice filled with desperation.

Being a detective and worrying more and more about Minwoo put Jiyeon in a tough spot. She finally gave a nod and decided to stay for a while because she felt sorry for her.

As soon as Minwoo went into his room, Jiyeon knew something wasn't right. She was sure that Aya was hiding something, and she was determined to find out the truth.

Minwoo was freaking out as he looked through his room for a way to hide who he really was. Seeing the link between the Enigma Puzzle and his power to shift made his mind race.

Minwoo hid the puzzle piece in a magical bag with a fast pulse, feeling its high energy. With each passing second, his need to hide who he really was grew stronger, and his mind was racing to find a way out.

A feeling of fear came over him as he tried to change into the same girl Jiyeon had seen before. It was hard for his body to adapt, and to his disappointment, he changed into a completely different lady. Sweating ran down his forehead, a physical sign of how quickly time was passing him by.

Minwoo grumbled under his breath, "Come on, come on." His hands were shaking as he desperately tried to get control back. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't get back into Aya's form.

Minwoo talked to his followers as he opened the window. One of the birds approached him, and he asked for a favor. Suddenly, Minwoo looked warily at the woman lying on the bed, which made his stomach turn. Keeping his distance from Jiyeon's eyes was important to him because he couldn't stand the thought of her seeing him like that. Even though he was going through a lot of trouble inside, he found the strength to give off an air of calm and confidence.

Carefully checking on the woman's look and making sure everything was in order, Minwoo hoped in silence that Jiyeon would fall for the lie. His actions were necessary right away because he knew that any delay could make her suspicious.

At that time, the door slowly opened, letting Jiyeon in. Astonished, she looked at the shocking scene in front of her with wide eyes. Immediately, her detective instincts kicked in as she quickly raised her gun.

"You?" Somewhat shocked, Jiyeon's voice was mixed with shock, and her eyes got smaller as she watched what was happening.

While Minwoo was trying to stay calm, his heart was racing. He stuttered, "Detective!" as his mind tried to put together a logical reason. "Why are you here in this strange place?"

As she kept her gun pointed straight at Jiyeon, her face stayed blank. She asked boldly, "What are you doing here?"

His mind was racing as he desperately tried to figure out what was going on. He stumbled and pointed to the woman lying on the bed, saying, "This is my home. She's my stubborn sister."

"She's your sister?" Jiyeon asked with a worried look on her face.

Holding Jiyeon's gun's end tightly, Minwoo applied pressure to move it down. Before looking at the woman lying on the bed, Jiyeon took a big breath. She then turned her attention back to the man standing in front of her while keeping the gun close by.

So she asked, "Were you here when we got here?"

After locking the bedroom door, Minwoo told Jiyeon to go straight to the living room.

He smiled at the female police officer. "I was sick, so I went to sleep."

Jiyeon was astonished. To get Jiyeon's attention, Minwoo coughed.

"Thanks for bringing my stubborn sister and..." When Minwoo started to talk, Jiyeon cut him off quickly.

"You think you're incredible!" Jiyeon yelled.

"Whoa!" Minwoo was clearly shocked when Jiyeon suddenly leaned in closer to him. The smell that hit him was shocking. He asked, "What are you doing?" smartly, avoiding Jiyeon's repeated approaches.

"You smell like booze too. It looks exactly like your sister's," Jiyeon told him, her intense eyes fixed on him. You had a drink with your sister and then left her, right?

"What?" Minwoo reacted strongly.

Looking away from Minwoo with a frown, Jiyeon sat back down on the couch.

"Because you are with her, the bar let that student in. Brother, you're such a bad influence," Jiyeon said, making her anger clear. "Your sister is still a girl, a child, and it looks like you didn't care much about her safety."

Minwoo grimaced. He effectively persuaded Jiyeon that the woman pretending to be asleep was, in fact, his sister. He didn't believe the charges she made against him, especially since they came from a human.

"Detective, you're making assumptions about me," he disagreed.

Minwoo had a sister named Aya, who was also kind. He remained steadfast in his commitment to his sister, refusing to leave her side, even though she was just as half gumiho.

"The reason I made my decision is good," Jiyeon replied. "From the time we met, there was something about you that made you stand out from everyone else. I couldn't help but be interested..."

"What?" Minwoo yelled in surprise. "I'm an evil person." Minwoo looked at Jiyeon and asked.

"You need to go to the station tomorrow," Jiyeon told her as she got up from her seat.

"There's no way I would even think about doing that!" Minwoo asked.

Jiyeon said, "The amulet is lost because of you."

"Why me?" As Minwoo thought, their voice was full of confusion and anger. "You were the one who gave that jewel to the woman. Are you blaming me for your mistake? I'm surprised." Minwoo said.

"If we hadn't crossed paths that fateful night, the events that followed would have been very different. Although I know my efforts are pointless, I have to act like I'm still looking for the amulet."

"What is your reason for looking for an amulet? Why not confront the thief?"

Jiyeon furrowed his brow. "Do you know the thief by any chance? Do you know about the Fox in a Suit?"

He answered directly, "Oh, I'm quite familiar with him."

Unease overcame Jiyeon, who frowned. This man might be able to help her catch the sneaky Fox in a Suit.