Chapter Two
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"YOU'RE late," tutted my manager, as I entered the changing room. My fellow model had already changed and was getting makeup done in the adjoining room.
"I know," I spat. I began to undress and she helped me shimmy into a black, sleeveless, number. It was thigh-high, devoid of any prints.
"What took you so long?" She asked.
"Wardrobe complications," I muttered.
She raised an eyebrow at that, seeing that I had come in all dressed up; my previous outfit almost rivalling my current one. So of course the excuse I gave was bogus. But she knew better than to argue with me. She wasn't blind, she could see my perturbed face.
So, she opted for straightening my dress and brushing my hair with her hands before ushering me into the hair-and-makeup room.
"There she is, the great Ms. Uppity Legs. May I enquire about your tardy arrival?"
The high, annoyingly nasal voice pierced my ears like chalk dragged across a blackboard. I clamped my lips and veered to its source.
"Oh silly me, I forgot. Princess La-Di-Da thinks it's okay to drop in anytime she fancies. Did you know, I asked them to slow down because of you. Or else, we would've continued the shoot without you," sneered my co-model.
She wore a tight black number that reached her knees and ended in ruffles. She tapped her foot daintily, with the grace of an elephant, as her stylist carefully extracted her hair from rollers.
"How many times have I told you that I refuse to work with her?" I groaned, turning to my manager.
"Client's request. You should know better," she said, impassively.
I instantly withdrew any compliments I had paid for her tact.
"C'mon, don't be such a party-pooper. It's your own birthday," snickered my co-worker.
"One more word, Lee Soojin, and I will wring your sorry excuse of a neck," I threatened.
"Aw, don't be so mean to your only friend," she pouted. "Who's going to be your link to other social groups? Your mirror?"
"This friendship is revoked," I huffed, flopping on the seat next to her.
She blew a raspberry at my reflection in the lighted mirror, causing her hairdresser to wrinkle her nose.
"Enough, both of you," cut in Cho Chaeri, the makeup artist for the day. She tucked my hair behind my ears and wiped my face clean of any previous makeup or dust.
Soojin and I were not unknown to the celebrated makeup artist's temper, so we instantly shut up.
*
After our solo shots, as we posed with the designer bags that we were promoting, Soojin and I exchanged a quiet conversation between shots.
"Say, what's up with you? You're not your usual self; all full of yourself with dung under your nose," she asked, as she flashed a disarming smile at the cameras.
"I didn't know I looked like that," I hissed, wearing my usual Mona Lisa smile.
"You always do; but don't change the subject. What's wrong?"
The director asked me to sit on the plastic chair and Soojin to rest her chin on my head, while one of her hands rested on the chair and the other on my shoulder. I crossed my legs and the bags rested on my lap, arranged tastefully.
"Y'know what day it is, right?"
She hummed an affirmative.
I quietly relayed the entire incident that took place on the bus and my discovery in the Wendy's bathroom. While narrating, I felt her hand tighten on my shoulder several times.
I wasn't surprised by her reaction.
After all, she knew exactly what it was like - she had been in the same place two years ago. It took nearly a year for her tail to grow to its full potential; she had to wipe the mind of her perfect prey since their breakup had traumatised her "girlfriend" too much.
Evolution was the safest bet for us for it reduced us to cold, unsympathetic creatures. We feasted upon people's hearts, depriving them of the very emotion that we desired and then broke their hearts when we got what we wanted.
Most hunts were short-term ones, like a friendly neighbour or a loving babysitter. The heartbreak would be minimal when we parted from the prey (like resigning from jobs or moving somewhere) and sometimes, parting away wasn't even necessary.
Small talks and distancing oneself (or ghosting as the younger people call it) were all that we needed to do. We attach ourselves to them in the most minimal way possible, while getting what we wanted by drawing the necessary proteins from their presence. It didn't satisfy us completely but was enough to nourish us.
It was considered riskier to get closer to the prey, even if the results and the satisfaction rates were higher. Like visiting a gourmet restaurant that provides you with excellent food, only to drain your wallet in the end. Older prey are safer to hunt on since their memories tend to be dimmer and hearts not as fragile. A doting caretaker or the young co-member of the same tennis club; there were plenty of roles to pick.
Soojin's perfect prey had been a young girl in her early twenties. For cases like these, entering into romantic relationships was the best bet and sometimes, the only way out. Soojin found charismatic people the most delectable out of them all and this particular girl had the most charming personality.
Homosexuality is a rather taboo subject among humans, especially in South Korea and Soojin really lucked out when she found out the girl she was pursuing was bisexual. Things ended on a very rough note when Soojin had acquired her eighth tail. This was the first time the girl had entered into a serious, romantic relationship with a woman and Soojin's cold method of ending things hadn't elicited a pleasant reaction.
I couldn't blame Soojin for her decision; any longer with that human and she would've been an outcast in our community. It was less about indulging in a homosexual relationship and more about keeping in tune with the laws.
The most important law set by the Council of Seniors was that nine-tailed foxes cannot be romantically involved with humans on any grounds apart from hunting interests. We were creatures that specialised in deceit and seduction; love was a completely different matter.
"It's a man and that's all I know. Maybe someone in his late twenties or early thirties," I finished and at the same time, our shoot concluded. "I must find him quickly or else it could be bad."
Soojin and I shook hands with the rest of the crew, wishing them a good day before departing to the changing rooms.
"Jiya, my main concern isn't you finding him," Soojin said. She sounded badly worried.
"Then what is your main concern?"
She didn't answer immediately. When she finally spoke, she said:
"Whenever you find him, I want you to promise me not to dawdle around. Win him over as soon as you can. Don't get too involved or fool about, okay?"
Bemused with the urgency in her tone, I said: "Whatever's making you so anxious, Soojin?"
"You're my best friend, Jiya. I know you. You like to play with your food. And when you play with your food, it gets messy."
*
"So, you're telling me that our darling Jiya has a stump? And she got it today, of all the days in the calendar? Soojin, this has got to be the best joke you have told so far in your miserable comedic career," snickered Chaeri.
Yes, Chaeri was the same makeup artist who told us to pipe down. Gumihos stuck together no matter what their temperaments. Out of the three of us, I could safely assume that I was the most tolerable.
At least, when we're drunk.
"This is no joking matter," I sobbed, even though no tears trailed down my red cheeks. "D'you know how difficult it is to sit on the toilet seat if you have a stumpy tail?"
"You sound like a duck," burped Soojin, her shot glass hovering dangerously close to my dress. "And guess what ducks have? Stumpy tails!"
My best friends burst into a chorus of cackles that would have put geese to shame.
"The level of IQ present at this table is distressing, to put it in mild terms," I sniffed. And then joined in the raucous laughter.
The bartender shot a scowl in our direction. Clearly someone hadn't got their needs fulfilled.
"Could you ladies dial it down? I understand it's the birthday of one of you guys but your behaviour is very concerning to some of our customers," he hissed.
"That's because they haven't gotten as drunk. Be a little more generous in their orders, they'll get where we are sooner or later," Chaeri purred.
"And be a little more stingy with the deodorant, the AXE faze is over," I added, the other two sniggering.
"Gosh, I hate Ladies Free till Eleven," the bartender muttered as he moved on from us.
"By the way, who's going to pick us up?" Soojin asked. "None of us volunteered for the sober driver."
"Jihoon, of course," I slurred. "I called him before we entered."
"Smart thinking," Soojin replied, downing a shot.
"Of course. This is where having younger siblings comes useful; all that nappy changing and tutoring pays off," I said.
"Pleash, be all know dash you bully the kish more than you take cash of 'im," Chaeri said, munching on a chicken wing.
"Tutoring? I thought Jihoon wrote your projects?" Soojin recalled.
I gave both of them a good kick in the shins.
*
When Jihoon arrived to pick us up, instead of three dignified foxes, he found three drunken hags. At least, that's how he described us when we were sober.
"There's the brat! What took you so long?" I crooned, watching Chaeri throw peanuts at the bartender, who looked as if he had seen better days.
Soojin had fallen asleep on the counter while Chaeri then began to have a makeout session with her shot glass.
"This was the time you told me to come," Jihoon said, impassive. "Wake up Soojin-noona and tell Chaeri-noona to say goodbye to her lover."
"Yes, sir!" I saluted.
In a matter of five minutes, Soojin was snoring in the backseat of Jihoon's car and Chaeri was bidding a tearful goodbye to the shot glass.
"Answer me, love! Was I such a bad kisser, that you must ignore me so?"
"Ma'am, I must ask you to let go off the glass, it is the bar's property-"
"Wait, we didn't take a photo!" I wailed.
Jihoon sighed.
*
"Say cheese!" Jihoon drawled, as the three of us posed outside the bar.
"Cheese!" I squeaked.
"Cheese!" Chaeri sniffed.
Soojin yawned.
Just then, the bright, neon sign that declared the bar's name flickered shut and made us all look like ghosts. A few people bustled out of the bar, thus ruining our moment. Despite all these complications, Jihoon clicked the photo.
Little did I know, that when I woke up the next morning and saw the photo in my gallery, I would see a very familiar black head at the very edge of the photo.
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