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Episode 2 – The Lucky Fox Walks Into Trouble
The street reeked of cheap liquor and late-night laughter, but the tall glass building before him didn’t fit in with that scene at all.
Standing in front of it, Yeon-woo clutched his phone tightly, pacing nervously as the screen flashed “Connecting…” again and again.
One of the security guards, suspicious of the young man lingering by the entrance, approached him with a sharp gaze.
“Can I help you, sir?”
“Ah, yes… I-I got a message saying my friend’s really drunk. I came to pick him up.”
Yeon-woo fumbled with his frozen fingers and showed the guard the last text he’d received — full of typos.
Hyun-min:
Come get meh plz im ded
10:28 p.m.
Below that, thankfully, the bar’s name and address were perfectly typed out.
“I just need to bring him out. I won’t be long,” Yeon-woo added quickly.
“Sorry, sir. No entry without an invitation. Please contact your friend and let us know.”
They stood firm. But Hyun-min didn’t answer his phone — not once since that sloppy text. Worried, Yeon-woo kept sending messages under his unread reply.
Hyun-min, I’m here. This is the right place, right?
There are scary-looking guards outside.
You’re okay, right? Why aren’t you answering?
They won’t let me in. Please just come to the entrance, I’m freezing.
Finally — the “unread” mark disappeared. Heart pounding, Yeon-woo called again.
“Hyun-min? You okay? I’m outside, grab your stuff and come out. They won’t let me in.”
But all he heard through the phone was loud music and muffled voices.
“Hyun-min! How much did you drink this time? Come out already, I’m freezing!”
Just then, as he grumbled into the receiver, the heavy door opened — and a man stepped out.
“So you’re Lucky Yeonu, huh?”
“…Sorry?”
The stranger’s tone was casual, like he knew him already. Startled, Yeon-woo instinctively took a step back. The man chuckled softly and showed him his phone screen.
“See? Lucky Yeonu.”
There it was — Hyun-min’s contact name for him, displayed on the active call screen. Yeon-woo blinked between the man’s phone and his own.
“Ah… you must be Hyun-min’s colleague?”
“Yeah. Kim No-young. I saw your messages by chance. It’s freezing out here — come in for now.”
Yeon-woo hesitated, but if Hyun-min’s phone was with this guy, he was probably too drunk to stand. There was no way he could leave him behind.
“Then I’ll just grab him and go.”
“Sure. Be careful — cold snap tonight, huh?”
No-young’s easy friendliness lowered his guard just a bit. Even the strict doormen let Yeon-woo pass after a word from him.
“Thanks for coming out to get me.”
“Not at all. Actually…” — No-young smiled — “I was curious.”
“…Curious?”
“About why someone would save your name as Lucky Yeonu.”
If only he knew — Hyun-min had done it as a joke, saying someday your luck will turn around. Yeon-woo didn’t bother explaining. What was the point?
Inside, the party was already in full swing — the air heavy with perfume, champagne, and fame. People from the industry mingled freely, laughing over flashing lights.
As Yeon-woo hesitated, feeling entirely out of place, No-young gestured him toward a darker corner.
“We laid Hyun-min down over there.”
“Thank you.”
All he wanted was to drag his friend out and go home. Crowds made his skin crawl; luck like his never lasted long around people.
“You can let him sleep for now,” No-young said casually. “If he doesn’t sober up, I’ve got a place nearby. Or we can let him rest here — we’ve rented the whole floor anyway.”
Before Yeon-woo could reply, No-young added lightly:
“Actually, Hyun-min talks about you a lot. I was curious.”
“About… me?”
That was odd. Hyun-min wasn’t the type to talk, especially not about personal things — and definitely not about Yeon-woo being half-fox.
Did he tell him I’m cursed or something?
His guard went up again. All his life, people had treated his bad luck like a game — betting on how long before he tripped, fell, or got drenched in something.
“Oh, don’t worry,” No-young laughed. “Nothing weird. Just that you’re his closest friend. Said your name every time.”
“Ah… I’m Hong Yeon-woo.”
“Right, right — Yeon-woo.” No-young’s smile widened. “He even bragged about you. Said you’re better-looking than Sun In-hyuk.”
That name — even Yeon-woo had heard of it. A top actor, face everywhere.
He compared me to that guy? What was Hyun-min thinking?
Yeon-woo could already feel his ears burning with embarrassment.
“He said you could eat a mountain and never gain a pound, too. We called you a unicorn.”
“…Excuse me?”
Before he could protest, No-young suddenly raised his voice.
“The unicorn’s here! Hyun-min’s unicorn!”
Heads turned. The whole crowd looked his way — curious, amused, predatory. Yeon-woo froze. He tried to back away, but No-young’s hand gripped his wrist.
And just like that, he was dragged into their drunken circle.
“So, Yeon-woo, you in the biz too? Actor? Model?”
“No, no. He said his friend’s not in the industry!”
“I work part-time at restaurants a lot. Maybe you saw me there,” Yeon-woo said honestly.
They just laughed like it was a joke. No one really listened. Half the room was too drunk to know what they were even talking about.
Bored, Yeon-woo quietly pulled out his phone and searched Sun In-hyuk. The face that appeared made him blink — sharp, flawless, unreal.
Hyun-min. You’re so dead tomorrow.
That man and him? Ridiculous. Mortified, Yeon-woo sank into a sofa corner and decided he’d leave as soon as Hyun-min woke up.
At least the drink No-young had given him tasted sweet — strawberry, his favorite — barely alcoholic at all.
Maybe this won’t be so bad, he thought, sipping another glass of orange juice to soothe his dry throat.
Then someone heavy dropped into the seat beside him.
“So you’re the ‘unicorn’ they were talking about, huh? You must handle your liquor well.”
It was Park Jung-man, one of the assistant directors. Even from a distance, Yeon-woo could smell the alcohol radiating off him.
“You an aspiring actor or something? Heard you do part-time gigs.”
Jung-man’s tone was overly familiar. His hand fell on Yeon-woo’s thigh, casual but invasive.
“No, I’m not interested in showbiz.”
“Come on, really? You show up at an industry party, looking like that?”
Yeon-woo’s patience thinned.
“My friend’s drunk. That’s the only reason I’m here.”
But Jung-man didn’t care.
“You’ve got the look I’ve been searching for. How’d you know to find me tonight?”
Find you? Yeon-woo almost laughed.
“I know plenty of directors and actors. I could introduce you, if you want. You know Sun In-hyuk, right? I worked on his debut film, Horizon.”
There it was again — that name. Why did everyone keep bringing him up?
Jung-man smirked, mistaking Yeon-woo’s silence for interest.
“If you knew how many rookies beg to get on my good side—”
“E-excuse me!”
When Jung-man’s hand crept higher, Yeon-woo shot to his feet.
“I—I need the bathroom.”
“Now? We were just getting to the fun part.”
He ignored the grumble, head spinning suddenly.
What’s… happening?
The room swayed violently. Yeon-woo blinked hard, trying to focus, and forced himself toward the restroom.
He’d only had one sweet cocktail and a glass of juice — but his body felt heavy, hot, dizzy.
Meanwhile, someone at the table picked up an empty bottle and poured a clear, strong liquor into the half-finished orange juice glass with a snicker.
“Where’d the mimosa go? Guess someone finally liked the taste.”
Unaware of it all, Yeon-woo stumbled down the hallway, his heart hammering.
He thought he’d just overestimated his limits.
He didn’t know — it wasn’t the drink that betrayed him. It was someone else.
