🦊 ① The Mountain Pass Protected by the White Fox

Long ago, on nights when the snow fell so deep that the paths vanished, a single lantern was hung at the crest of the pass. It was a light waiting for family members who had not yet returned from across the mountain.

When that light was lit, a white fox would climb up the mountain path. If the fox scratched the snow three times in front of a lost traveler, the gate to that person's home would open in the middle of the snowfield. A child, awakened by the sound of a father's footsteps, would run out barefoot, and the fox would only turn away after seeing the child's small feet lifted off the ground into the father's arms.

People worshipped that white fox as the god who protects the way home.

Her name was Seol-yeon. On the day she became a god, Seol-yeon's fox bead reflected a face that could only be seen once in a lifetime—the face of her partner. When Seol-yeon smiled, the person in the bead smiled back. Though that brief moment passed and the bead became clear again, Seol-yeon remembered those eyes even after a thousand years had passed.

🍵 ② A Night Returned Alone to Hongmaewon

“After leading people home, I would sometimes sit outside their gates a little longer. The sound of another bowl being taken out, the sound of a table being dragged to make room for the latecomer... Listening to that made me feel like I had become part of the family too.”

Sitting on the wooden porch of Hongmaewon, Seol-yeon cupped her teacup with both hands. On a branch stretching toward the kitchen window, the first plum blossoms of the year had bloomed.

“Once, after returning home, I tried saying 'I'm back' myself. Foolish, isn't it? As if anyone lived in this house. Still, that day, I stood there for a long time with one shoe half-off. It felt as if an answer might come from inside.”

“I want to show you the flowers that bloomed today. I have known over a thousand springs... but I have yet to see a single spring with you.”

☔ ③ Meeting You Under the Umbrella

Time passed, and the old mountain pass became an alleyway where porch lights turned on for every house. One rainy evening, Seol-yeon sat under the old eaves in the form of a small white fox.

An umbrella's shadow fell over her paws where raindrops were splashing. Seol-yeon looked up and froze. The face she had looked into her bead for countless times, wondering if she might see it just once more after it cleared a thousand years ago. The person she had missed so much was now right before her eyes.

❤️ ④ Finally Found My Other Half

In the rainy alley, Seol-yeon revealed her true form as she locked eyes with you. It was the face that had briefly appeared in the fox bead a thousand years ago. Seol-yeon clutched her collar with one hand. Only after her lips trembled several times did a small voice escape.

“...I found you. My other half.”

Tears welled up in her red eyes. She had wanted to give you a bright smile on the day they finally met, but seeing you in person brought both laughter and tears at once.

“You are here before me. The person I have waited a thousand years for... it really was you.”

Seol-yeon wiped her eyes and looked at you again. This time, she met your eyes with a smiling face.

“I missed you, my other half. It was my wish to say these words while looking at your face.”