17 Alive or Dead?

July 15, 2005

Hwang Residence

Jason had just come out of the bathroom and was already wearing his nightgown while drying his wet hair. The man looked surprised to find Emma, who had fallen asleep, even though it was only nine o'clock in the evening. It was a strange thing because Emma would usually go to bed at ten or eleven at night.

With slow steps, the man walked towards his bed and sat on the edge of the bed near his wife. His hand rose and caressed Emma's gentle face. "Honey, why are you sleeping? Even though I want to play a little with you tonight," he said in a slight whisper and with a hand that gently caressed Emma's body.

Emma, who had turned her back on her husband, turned around and looked at Jason, who was also looking at her. It pulls the side corners of his lips. The woman's gumiho then got up from her lying position and looked intently at Jason. "I didn't think you could still ask for this despite cheating on me."

Emma's words surprised Jason. Instead, he gave Emma a puzzled look. "What do you mean?"

Emma, who did not answer her husband's question, immediately got out of bed and walked towards a closet. She moved the closet a little away from her place. What Emma did apparently managed to make Jason round her eyes—not because Emma could push the heavy closet easily, but because she was surprised by what was behind the closet.

On the walls are pasted many life-size photographs and books. The photos are friendly ones between him and Julia. There are even some photos that show him kissing Julia affectionately while wearing only black lingerie. Her brain thought, how could Emma know all this? Is she following him?

"Ah, so that's why you're doing yoga with Julia? Because you knew she was my mistress?"

"Bingo! Since I knew that your secret lover was a yoga instructor, I deliberately called her to the house," Emma replied.

"Then, what did you do to her?"

"What did I do to her?" Emma pulled at the corner of her lips. She walked back to Jason. "You want to know what I did to that woman?" She gave Jason a piercing look in both eyes. "I finished her off," Emma's reply ended with piety.

Jason's body collapsed to the floor after hearing Emma's answer. He did not expect that his wife would dare to kill her lover. The man gave Emma a sharp look.

"Where is Julia's body now? Tell me!"

Emma pointed under the bed. The Gumiho had indeed hidden Julia's lifeless body there.

Jason followed Emma's forefinger, the man then lowered his head slightly. Both of his eyes were round when he saw the lifeless body of Julia who was there. He called out the woman's name, while Emma laughed.

"That's because you cheated on me, Hwang Jason," Emma said. "You're dealing with the wrong person!"

Just then, Emma's beautiful face turned creepy, with bead eyes that turned red, and nine black tails again appeared on the back of his body. Jason, who saw his wife's transfiguration, looked surprised and frightened. While Emma gave her trademark grin and further strengthened the stranglehold on her husband's neck.

"Mo-mons-ter!"

"I'm not a monster, but I am a gumiho, a nine-tailed fox."

Jason couldn't hide his surprise. During this time, apparently, he married and even had a child with the gumiho figure. He felt stupid because he could be fooled by Emma's figure. Once he was too fascinated by Emma's beauty until he finally dared to propose and marry her.

"Why? Are you surprised that your wife is a gumiho?" Ask Emma, who can read Jason's face.

"W-what, what are you going to do now?" asked Jason with some difficulty.

"I'll send you to Julia," Emma replied. "So, see you, Hwang Jason. May we meet in your next life. And may your other life be better than the current one."

***

Ian closed his mouth to hold back his screams when he saw something creepy in his parents ' room. Both of the boy's eyes even began to glaze over. Her little body trembled with fear. Inside, he saw a monster in the form of a creepy woman. The creepy figure tore something apart that made him nauseous.

"Mom," softly said Ian.

The boy immediately stepped back slowly, trying not to make a sound. But because he was too frightened after seeing the creepy figure, he lost his balance and fell, causing a sound.

Ian stared at his parents ' room. It seemed that the woman did not notice if she had fallen, because there were no signs of movement from her. He sighed softly. Feeling the chance to escape, Ian rushed to his feet. But when he turns to escape, he is surprised by the appearance of Emma, who looks creepy. The woman looked at him intently.

"Where are you going, Ian?"

"Don't come near me! You monster!"

Emma, who heard her son call her a monster, couldn't hide her surprise and anger. The woman did not expect that she would be called a 'monster' by her son. Regardless of whether the one in front of him was the baby, Emma immediately strangled Ian's neck strongly, even the little boy's body could be lifted high.

"What did you say to me earlier?" asked Emma in her creepy voice. "Monster?"

Ian struggled to escape his mother's stranglehold, but of course it was a futile thing because he was unable to escape.

"Let go of me, I beg you " please Ian haltingly.

"What? Let go?" Emma clucked. "You've called me a monster, and you want to be let go?" The woman gave her son a piercing look.

"Let go!" pleaded the boy once more with difficulty. Ian was really having trouble breathing, and maybe in a few minutes he would die from the strangulation.

Emma apparently just let go of the stranglehold, and it made her son fall to the floor with a bang. Ian coughed after escaping Emma's stranglehold. His body shook violently.

A smile that was more like a grin appeared on Emma's face as she squatted down to match her height with the child's. She touched Ian's face with the back of her hand.

"I never thought I would ask the same question as before," Emma said with a grin still on her face.

"Ian, since you've seen it, I'll give you two options. Continue with your life or... end your life here?"

Ian did not immediately answer his mother's question. He was still silent as he looked at Emma with a broken breath. The boy looked confused as to what he should answer.

"I'm waiting for you, Ian."

"Life," Ian replied at last, but with his head bowed deeply. "Let me live. Please."

Emma's creepy form finally disappeared after hearing the answer from her son. He then pulled Ian's body into his arms and gently stroked the crown of his son's head.

"Thank you for choosing to live," said Emma, who looked so happy. "Since you chose to stay alive, let's make a deal together. From now on, you will bring me a beautiful girl of my choice. And I hope you don't make trouble, so that I don't actually kill you, Hwang Ian."