The Gumiho's Tail

Part 28

Hyun-shik POV

        As I read the journal, the warm feeling in my chest began to draw me into the story. My mind started to see the things written on the paper. I saw the young boy get attacked by the fox, I watched as Myung-dae helped Sunjin to get free from the hunter's trap and I felt the tenderness of her kiss. Everything I had read was etched into my mind as though I had lived it.

        The last words of the journal rang in my mind 'My final wish is that this book finds it's way to the me of the future.' Could he have meant me? Was I the me of the future that he was talking about? I mean, he did look like me. 'I want her to finally be happy with the mate I wish I could have been. Please take care of her and love her in my place.'

        I stood up, paced and thought about what I had just read. "If this guy believed in reincarnation like most people did, then he would believe that some time in the future his soul would return to this world and he would have another chance to love the woman he cherished. That makes sense" I nodded to myself with a grin for actually coming up with a reasonable explanation. Then it hit me "But that only makes partial sense! How do I explain the Gumiho?" I screamed as I grabbed my hair and pulled.

        "Gu....Gumiho?" I heard Mi-rae's voice. I looked up and saw her standing in the doorway with a basket of food.

        She slowly walked towards me, still uncertain of what was going on. I looked at her and my brain thought back on what I has seen when I was reading. She looked just like "Sunjin?" I uttered her name and she froze. "You're Sunjin, aren't you?"

Sunjin/Mi-rae POV

        How does he know my real name? I tried to regain my composure and smiled "What are you talking about? My name is Mi-rae."

        He walked over to the desk and held up a book. Wait a minute! Where did that come from? Why is there another chest on the table? I was about to panic when he started to speak again.

        "Cho Myung-dae."

        My heart stopped at the sound of his name. I don't know how long I had been standing there in shock, but I was suddenly brought back to reality when I felt someone stroking my head. I looked up at the person before me and was shocked to see Hyun-shik smiling back at me.

        "Sunjin" he spoke tenderly. "That's your name, right?"

        "Yes" I blushed. Oh My! Why am I telling him this?!?!? And how is it that he is able to touch my.......

Hyun-shik POV

        I showed her the journal and said the name of the man who wrote it "Cho Myung-dae."

        She stopped moving. Instead, she was just staring blankly at the space between us. I slowly walked over to her and started to stroke her head like I remembered from the book. Surprisingly, she didn't reject it. She looked up at me and I smiled.

        "Sunjin" I said her name. "That's your name, right?"