“Chiho’s going to pass out.”
“Why would I? If anyone’s passing out, it’s Yoha. God is watching over me, so I’m never scared.”
“From what I saw last time, you’re scared too. It’s just that Yoha screamed so much it covered you up.”
“I’m not scared at all. I could go by myself, honestly. This is ridiculous.”
“Hyung, you heard that, right? This time Chiho says he’ll do his mission alone.”
“Yeah, yeah, I heard. I’ll make sure to pass that along to the planning team.”
At the manager and Seungheon’s perfectly synchronized routine, Chiho began to tremble. Watching their bright, carefree faces, Yoha grew increasingly lost in thought.
He couldn’t even remember how the encore stage ended that day. His mind was filled with nothing but thoughts of shamans.
Exorcists, monks, shamans….
Who in this day and age would be afraid of them? Unless you were some bottom-tier Wia, a being on the level of a Yeongmul had no reason to fear a tiger that had lost its teeth and claws.
But some Wia were different.
Those who, since ancient times, disguised themselves as humans to deceive humans—and eventually even turned humans into Wia. Fox yokai and vampires were prime examples. They had been in hostile relations with exorcist-types for countless years, so even now, they feared that category deeply. No matter how much exorcists had weakened in modern times, the fear of exorcists was engraved deep into their souls.
“We love you all! We love all of you, our guardian spirits!”
With a beaming smile on his face and sweet words meant to win over fans spilling from his lips, Yoha’s mind raced furiously.
A shaman… what do I do?
No… it’ll be fine. Most shamans are frauds anyway, and even if it’s a real shaman with genuine spiritual power, I can just smooth things over with their lesser spirits.
…But what if the gods they channel are rigid, old-fashioned types? What if persuasion doesn’t work?
What if even one of them figures out I’m not human…?
‘Yoha from Shaman isn’t human! He’s a fox yokai!’
‘A fox yokai? Then that means he’s a gumiho!’
‘Is he being an idol to steal fans’ livers? That’s insane. Kick him out right now!’
‘He needs to be exterminated. Kill him!’
Yoha’s imagination spiraled into extremes. By the time the encore stage ended, in his imagination his manager hyung had already chopped his head off, and it was rolling across the floor. Beside it, the members were praying….
Returning backstage, Yoha made a decision.
I have to go see him.
In a worst-case scenario like this, the only omnipotent being who could help a Wia was him.
***
“I see. You came to the right place…. But before we start the consultation, could you rewrite this part for me?”
After listening to Yoha’s long-winded explanation, Iri smiled and held out the request form. It was the one Yoha had filled out himself.
[Name: Yoha
Species: Sub-dancer in charge of cuteness in Shaman
Habitat: Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Contact: 010-0000-0000
Details: Please make it so that the shaman doesn’t realize my true nature]
“Why?”
“You should write ‘fox yokai’ under species.”
“Oh, right. I forgot.”
Yoha crossed out two lines and corrected it to fox yokai.
Dojin glared at the Yeongmul who was far too immersed in idol activities.
Dojin had already classified Yoha as a problem customer.
Normally, customers called ahead to make a consultation appointment before coming to the rental shop, but Yoha had shown up unannounced and rang the doorbell out of the blue. If he was so afraid of being recognized, he could’ve just transformed into a different face—but instead, he stubbornly came as the idol Yoha, pulling a snapback low, wearing a mask and sunglasses.
Rather than chasing off the troublesome customer, Master had welcomed him with open arms, telling him to hurry inside.
Honestly, that alone accounted for 99% of why Dojin disliked Yoha.
He’d deliberately poured the tea with less care, but unfortunately, the tea itself was excellent. As Yoha savored the aroma, he gradually calmed down.
“I’m really glad you’re here, Immortal. If it weren’t for you, I might’ve panicked and just gone, ‘Yoha’s dead,’ and disappeared.”
“You can’t do that. The divine spirits adore your group.”
“Oh, you know that too, Immortal? Strangely enough, the Mountain Divine Spirits really love us. Did you know? There’s a group of Mountain Divine Spirits that follows us around. I won’t say which ones, for protection reasons, but they follow us everywhere—from prerecorded broadcasts to fan meetings to regional events. I honestly don’t know when they ever get any work done.”
Already knowing exactly which divine spirits he meant, Iri simply smiled quietly.
“By the way, I heard your disciple is holding something called a Gido Ceremony soon? They say it’s a huge event. If only I could go to the True Mortal Realm, I’d even perform a congratulatory stage for him. How about a video message instead? We’ll film it together as a group. When someone says their relative got into a good university, everyone leaves a congratulatory video message, right?”
“How ridiculous. We don’t need that kind of thing.”
Already simmering inside, Dojin snorted, but Iri reacted differently.
“I’d appreciate it if you did. Shaman is popular even among Immortals, so they’ll all like it.”
Dojin’s expression twisted, while Yoha’s eyes sparkled.
“Really? Even Immortals like us? I’ve heard things from divine spirits, but I’ve never actually seen one. Other than you, Immortal Iri, I’ve never met an Immortal before.”
“Do you know the Butterfly Immortal? Butterfly especially loves your group. I hear they play your songs every day in their palace and throw feasts.”
“The Butterfly Immortal—I’ve never heard of them before, but I’m honored. If they come to our concert, I’ll give them VIP seats. Of course, you’ll get tickets too, Immortal.”
“Attending a concert would be difficult.”
For residents of the True Mortal Realm to descend to the Middle Realm, they needed the King’s permission. Unless it involved something like a ‘Yeongmul death incident’, attending an idol concert was a bit much.
“I’ll pass along the message instead. Butterfly will be happy.”
Iri smiled warmly.
“Th-thank you….”
Yoha’s face flushed red.
“Immortal……. I don’t know if it’s okay to say this, but you’re really beautiful. Have you ever thought about being an idol? At this level, even if you couldn’t dance or sing, you’d still enchant everyone.”
“Ah, fuck. I’ve been letting this slide, but this bastard’s crossed the line, hasn’t he?”
Dojin slammed the table with a bang! and sprang to his feet.
“You’re a problem customer and you’re rating my master’s face and dragging idols into it? Jesus, fuck. We shouldn’t even be accepting someone like you as a customer.”
Intimidated by Dojin’s momentum, Yoha bristled at the words ‘someone like you’.
Bang! Yoha stood up as well, punching the table with his fist just like Dojin. Thankfully, it was a solid hardwood table made from five-hundred-year-old wood, so it didn’t collapse from a punch like that.
“What? You done talking now? What’s wrong with idols, huh? What’s wrong with being an idol! How old are you, anyway?”
“Twenty. So what? Want to hit me? Go ahead, try it!”
“Ha, unbelievable. You’re old enough to know better—why are you looking down on someone’s job?”
“You’re the one who started with the job insults. If you think it’s fine to barge in without even calling first and expect to be welcomed, isn’t that disrespecting the rental shop?”
“Immortal hasn’t said a single word—why are you making such a fuss?!”
“My master’s kind, so he doesn’t say anything. That’s why I, the employee, am saying it. Got a problem with that?”
The two of them started bickering like children. Iri didn’t actively stop them; he simply sipped his tea and watched.
Kkiwoong….
Kkiwoong climbed onto Iri’s lap and pretended to cover its nonexistent ears, but Iri just stroked Kkiwoong and remained silent.
Yoha was a twenty-year-old fox yokai.
Dojin didn’t seem to realize it in the heat of their argument, but this was the first time he’d met a Wia around his own age while working at the rental shop.
Dojin would live a very long life.
Unless he chose to enter eternal slumber himself, his life would continue endlessly.
Of course, Iri would be by his side—but as his master, Iri wanted to give Dojin a friend who could share that long life with him.
This young fox yokai was someone even Mountain Divine Spirits and Immortals were collectively smitten with, so he couldn’t have a bad disposition. Iri hoped that Yoha and Dojin would become good friends.
***
The recording for Summer Horror Special Part 2 would take place on Wednesday, June 22, at the ‘exorcism video’ abandoned house in Jeonbuk.
There were seven days left until the long-awaited day. For those seven days, Yoha had to spend every single midnight at Iri’s Curio Rental Shop without missing a single one.
The best way to avoid being exposed as a Wia to exorcist-types was to transform so perfectly that not even Immortals or divine spirits could recognize it—but that was only possible after becoming a Divine Beast.
Immortal Iri explained several methods that a young fox yokai could use. Yoha chose the safest one—the method that absolutely guaranteed he wouldn’t be found out.
“It’s the safest, but in a way, it’s also the most dangerous. It’ll be painful…. Are you sure you’re okay with that?”
“Yes. This is better. My body might hurt a bit, but my mind will be at ease.”
Though Immortal Iri worried, Yoha preferred peace of mind even if it meant putting his body through some hardship.
First day, 11:55 p.m.
Watching the members laughing uproariously in the living room while watching TV, Yoha spoke up.
“Hey, I’m going to the bathroom in the master bedroom. Don’t come looking for me.”
“You psycho. Why announce when you’re taking a shit?”
“I said don’t look for me. And don’t come anywhere near the bathroom either.”
“Ugh, who would? Absolutely not.”
“Hyung, are you insane? What’s wrong with him? It already smells.”
After firmly warning the members, Yoha entered the bathroom attached to the master bedroom. He locked the door, squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them—and his transformation art unraveled, turning him into a small fox with silvery fur.
Yoha pulled out a stubby pencil from within his fur.
Shaman lived together in a dorm, and aside from Mason, who kept an exemplary schedule, the members stayed up late every night. Sneaking off to the rental shop every midnight would’ve been difficult, so Immortal Iri had lent him one perfectly suited curio.
‘Silver Pencil’
This curio, now worn down into a stubby pencil after being used by many over a long time, possessed the ability of spatial movement. Yoha slipped the pencil between his claws and drew a small hole in the bathroom wall—just large enough for a single fox to pass through.
