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Episode 8 – “Grandma’s Call”
Yeonwoo was in a strange room.
A small boy she didn’t know was twisting in pain, groaning softly.
Yeonwoo tried hard to climb up beside him to help—but her legs were too short and clumsy.
No matter how much she kicked, she couldn’t move. Her body wouldn’t obey her.
It’s okay. I’ll give you mine. Then you won’t hurt anymore.
That’s what she wanted to say—but all that came out was a pitiful whine, the cry of a little fox.
The boy’s figure grew blurrier and blurrier.
Yeonwoo ran after him until her paws bled, but she could never quite reach him.
Her tears made everything hazy, but she couldn’t stop running.
What finally stopped her was a blinding mass of light rushing toward her—its horn blaring.
“Haah!”
Yeonwoo jerked awake, gasping for breath.
She wiped the wetness from her eyes and cheeks and sat up blankly.
Her pillow was soaked—she didn’t even know if it was from sweat or tears.
“What time is it…?”
The light of sunset dyed her small room red.
A whole day had already passed.
She glanced at her phone—and jumped to her feet.
“I’m late!”
She rushed toward the bathroom… then froze.
Right. As of yesterday, she was officially unemployed.
Her boss’s voice echoed in her head—
“Don’t you ever come near the shop again!”
Yeonwoo slumped to the floor.
Honestly, she knew she’d been overworking herself anyway.
Still, whether the owner’s sons sold the diner or took over, her job was gone.
She finally sent the message she hadn’t managed to type last night:
‘Please get well soon, boss.’
And then, with a heavy sigh—
“Haah…”
She couldn’t afford to drown in guilt or fear anymore. Reality was harsh and immediate.
She’d already been fired from several part-time jobs lately—each time for something that wasn’t her fault.
Her coworkers always said she was bad luck and dumped all the blame on her.
The fact that she was a fox beastman made her an easy target.
Working at Mrs. Soon-hee’s diner had been her only stable income. Now that was gone too.
Scratching her messy hair, Yeonwoo trudged to the bathroom.
In the mirror, faint marks still lingered on her body—
the ones from that night.
They refused to fade, like they wanted to remind her of what happened.
She picked up her phone to look for day jobs.
Then she noticed five missed calls—from Hyunmin.
Her heart sank. She hesitated, then saw his messages filled with worry.
Quickly, she called him back.
The line hadn’t even rung twice before his urgent voice answered:
“Where are you?”
“I’m home.”
“You disappeared so suddenly yesterday and wouldn’t pick up. I thought something happened! You came home late too, right?”
Hyunmin knew better than anyone how often Yeonwoo got caught up in trouble.
She felt bad for worrying him.
“Sorry. Something came up last night. But… did you come by my place?”
“Yeah. I dropped by after work to give you that cake, but you weren’t home. Oh—right. I left it on your rooftop, in the corner. Go check it.”
“You could’ve just come inside.”
“Forgot my spare key.”
“Aw, I made you waste a trip. Sorry.”
Yeonwoo opened the door and climbed up to the rooftop.
The winter wind bit at her skin, but the cake box sat neatly in the corner.
When she peeked inside, her eyes widened—
It was covered in mountains of strawberries. An expensive one, clearly.
“Found it. Why’d you buy such an expensive cake?”
“Because you go crazy for strawberries. I even told the shop to double the amount. Couldn’t put it in the fridge, but it’s cold enough outside. If it smells weird, don’t eat it.”
“Double strawberries? What is this, a Chinese restaurant portion?”
Yeonwoo chuckled despite herself.
Her gloomy face softened for the first time in days.
She really did love strawberries.
She could eat boxes of them in one sitting.
But they were expensive, so she only bought them on special days—and even then, the cheap kind.
Lately she hadn’t been able to afford any and made do with strawberry candy.
“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”
“So, what happened yesterday?”
“Oh… you know Mrs. Soon-hee, my boss from the diner?”
“Yeah, we even ate there once.”
“She collapsed last night. I stayed with her in the emergency room.”
“What? Is she okay?”
“I’m not sure yet, but she seemed stable.”
“That’s a relief. So that’s why you weren’t home.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
She didn’t mention her boss’s son yelling at her, or how she sat in the parking lot until midnight, lost in thought.
From the sound of it, Hyunmin was talking to someone—probably his coworker.
Yeonwoo figured he was about to board his flight and quickly tried to end the call.
“You said you’re leaving for a business trip today, right? You should get going. Have a safe flight.”
“Still got some time, but my senior’s rushing me.”
“I should get ready too. Thanks again for the cake.”
“Yeah, okay. See you when I’m back.”
He grumbled something about her being cold-hearted, but his senior’s voice in the background urged him along.
Right before hanging up, he asked suddenly—
“You’re really okay, right?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Not Mrs. Soon-hee. You. Are you okay?”
He must’ve caught something in her tone.
But Yeonwoo smiled faintly and pretended she was fine.
“I’m okay. Really. Just worried about my boss.”
Hyunmin was the only person she could ever be honest with—
but that was exactly why she couldn’t tell him the truth.
If she did, he’d drop everything to help her. And she couldn’t let him do that.
“Don’t worry about me. Go on, or you’ll miss your flight. I’m heading out to look for work anyway.”
Thankfully, he didn’t press further.
When the call ended, Yeonwoo put the cake in the fridge and crawled back under the blankets.
Normally, she would’ve stared at that strawberry cake for ages and eaten it slowly, savoring every bite.
But right now… she didn’t even have the energy to lift a fork.
A few days later.
After Mrs. Soon-hee collapsed, Yeonwoo stayed cooped up in her room for days.
She hadn’t even left her bed.
Her phone suddenly rang, pulling her out of the blanket cocoon.
“Who could it be…? No one calls me.”
When she saw the name on the screen, she gasped and quickly answered.
“Boss!”
Her voice was loud and bright, as if she hadn’t been miserable for days.
It cracked from disuse.
“Goodness, you’ll burst my eardrums. Yeonwoo, that you?”
Feeling guilty for not calling earlier, Yeonwoo quickly asked about her health.
“Yes, it’s me! Are you feeling better?”
“I’m alive thanks to you, Yeonwoo. Really, thank you.”
Just hearing her say that lifted a huge weight from Yeonwoo’s heart.
“No, I should’ve stayed at the shop longer. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what? The doctor said I was lucky you were there. You saved my life, kid.”
Yeonwoo didn’t know what to say.
Then the old woman spoke again, her tone gentler.
“My son said some harsh things that night. I’m sorry about that. He didn’t mean it—he was just worried.”
“I’m fine, really. Don’t worry about it.”
Compared to the way others had treated her, that was nothing.
“It’s just old age catching up with me. My body’s worn out. But that fool keeps blaming everyone else.”
“Please don’t say things like that!”
But the woman only sighed quietly.
To Yeonwoo, Mrs. Soon-hee was a true blessing.
Even after learning that Yeonwoo was a fox beastman, she had accepted her without hesitation.
Thanks to her, Yeonwoo had been able to dream again.
“Please stay healthy… Grandma.”
It was the first time she’d ever called her that. Usually, she said “Boss.”
There was a short pause—and then, a warm chuckle.
“…All right. You stay healthy too, Yeonwoo. You’re gonna be happy someday, I promise.”
Yeonwoo’s fox tail, peeking from under the blanket, swayed softly.
That police officer had been right.
Even with all that had happened, she really was lucky in some ways.
“So, what are you doing now? You had to quit, right? Found a new job yet? Are you eating properly?”
Mrs. Soon-hee knew how hard Yeonwoo worked just to survive, and how much her pay from the diner meant.
If she lied, the woman would just ask where she worked.
Still, Yeonwoo couldn’t tell her the truth—that she’d been locked in her room for a week straight.
“There are lots of short-term jobs these days, so I’ve been saving up.”
“You mean those delivery or construction ones again? You always came home bruised!”
“I’ve learned to be careful, so I don’t get hurt anymore.”
“Don’t fib. Anyway… since you haven’t found anything steady yet, I was wondering—there’s this good opportunity. Want to try a job I know about?”
“What kind of job?”
(to be continued…)
