He’s a Fox Ch 8

Chapter 8

 

“Are you done eating, Moongmoo?”

You’re full after eating only that much? The fox, catching the hidden meaning in the gaze of the large-breed tiger cub, drooped his ears in protest. He panicked, thinking the cub might offer him some of his meat since he hadn’t eaten much, but fortunately, the big tiger stepped in to explain to the baby. Kangwoon gently wiped a piece of meat from the corner of Yuri’s mouth and answered in a kind tone.

“Moongmoo says he’s full now.”

“Why? He only ate a little.”

“Yuri eats less than Oppa too, right? Moongmoo is just eating less than Yuri.”

“Is that how it is?”

“Yup, that’s how it is. Now, ah—”

As he gulped down the remaining meat, the baby looked at Hohyun with a fascinated expression. The feeling was mutual. It was surprising to see a tiger cub who had eaten more than Hohyun but still didn’t seem full, and the big tiger who had only eaten roughly while feeding his little sibling yet had managed to clean his plate. For a medium-breed fox who had lived his entire life as such, both were far beyond the norm.

As he openly stared, his gaze met the bright yellow eyes of the big tiger. The moment their eyes met, the fox quickly lowered his head. The tail that had finally poked out curled right back between his legs in an instant. Kangwoon kept his eyes fixed on Hohyun as he spoke.

“Oppa has to go to work now. Yuri, go brush your teeth and then go play.”

“Okay!”

“Play carefully and don’t get hurt. Come right away when I call you.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Brush your teeth” sounded excessively cutesy for someone who looked so intimidating, but perhaps because of that very intimidating appearance, it wasn’t funny at all.

It sounded like he was talking to the baby, but judging by the direction of his gaze, the intended listener was clearly the fox. It was as if he was silently reminding him not to forget that he’d said he’d mess him up if even a hair on the baby’s head got hurt. The meat he just ate felt like it was about to come back up under those ominous eyes. Seemingly satisfied that his warning had been understood, the tiger finally looked away.

While a silent exchange of warning passed between the guardian and Moongmoo, the baby tiger had completely cleaned his plate. In his rush to finish, he ate messily, undoing all the cleaning that had been done throughout the meal.

Kangwoon let out a deep sigh at the sight of his younger sibling with bits of meat stuck all over his face and grabbed some tissues. He wiped the baby’s face with the same motion he’d used earlier on the fox. Though this time, it was much more delicate and thorough.

With even his face wiped clean, the meal was finally over. Yuri, now on the floor, stomped her feet. Anyone could see she was too excited to stay still. As she tried to dash out, the crocodile casually caught her and headed straight to the bathroom. With those huge hands, he helped with the “brushy-brushy.” As she quietly chewed on the toothbrush, the little one mumbled as she spat out the toothpaste.

“Moongmoo, are you coming out with Yuri?”

Hohyun quickly nodded. It wasn’t even a difficult task, and the tiger’s den was too scary to stay in alone. It felt a little pathetic that in such an unfamiliar place, the only one he could rely on was a tiny baby, but there was no helping it. Seeing the immediate and clear sign of agreement, the baby beamed with a radiant smile.

Once finished brushing her teeth, the baby tiger confidently walked toward the door. Surprisingly, the crocodile—whom Hohyun had assumed would accompany them—only opened the door and didn’t seem intent on following. Perhaps used to this, the baby didn’t seem to mind.

Letting a small child out alone was unthinkable for canid beastmen who lived in groups. It seemed felines had a different way of parenting. Intrigued, Hohyun followed the baby out.

Unlike the nearly empty house where only Kangwoon and the crocodile had been present, the outside was bustling with people. Most of them were medium to large-breed beastmen. One of them, in full beast form, greeted the toddling tiger cub cheerfully.

“Miss Yuri.”

“Hi, Uncwe.”

“And where are you headed today?”

“Over there. I’m going with Moongmoo.”

The baby pointed to a slightly distant area. Following the tip of her little finger, there was a place filled with colorful flowering trees. It had such a different atmosphere from the rest of the area that it seemed to have been added on later as a separate extension.

“You’re going to the garden, I see. But… Moongmoo…?”

Looking down at Hohyun, he tilted his head slightly. His expression clearly read, “Why is this one Moongmoo?” The baby, unaware of this, proudly lifted her chin.

“Yup! He’s Moongmoo.”

The man grinned foolishly at the sight and erased the question that had surfaced in his mind. Who cared, when she was this pretty and cute? As the man easily accepted it, the baby tiger excitedly began to share today’s plans with the uncle. While the two of them were talking, the surroundings suddenly became noisy.

“It’s Miss Yuri!”

“What? Miss? Where!”

Huge beastmen, whose origins were completely unknown, suddenly flocked to them. Each and every one of them wore jet-black suits and had massive builds.

The reason beings the size of washing machines to refrigerators had gathered was the tiny baby next to Hohyun. The wild beasts, who had even abandoned their duties just to catch a glimpse of the young lady they served, stood shoulder to shoulder, leaving not an inch of space.

Even without any threats, their sheer visual presence was overwhelming, and Hohyun instinctively shrank back. What is this? It’s scary… The fox pulled his neck in, overwhelmed by the atmosphere reminiscent of a celebrity autograph session.

Maybe because Yuri was so small, the beastmen in the back couldn’t even see her. Eventually, a scuffle broke out over who got the front spots. “I can’t see Miss because of you, move.” “Why blame me for being small?” “Go eat more and grow taller.” As the beastmen fought to secure a better position, Yuri let out a small sigh.

“Ehyo.”

Ever since they met, her sparkling blue eyes now looked dull. It was clear from her expression that she was tired of the spectacle before her. Shaking her head, the baby shouted loudly.

“If you keep fighting, Yuri’s going to leave!”

“……!”

The beastmen who had been baring their teeth and growling suddenly dropped their tails and stood in place like meek lambs at that single line. The baby then scolded them. “If uncles keep acting like this, Yuri’s going to be troubled. Oppa said fighting with friends is bad. You’re adults—why are you acting like this?” The adults had no retort against the child’s entirely correct reprimand.

Of course, some among them didn’t reflect at all. A gray bear with a large scar on his lip stealthily grabbed the weasel in front of him and shoved him aside. He wanted to move closer, but knowing he’d get scolded if caught by the young lady, he picked a fight with the smallest-bodied weasel.

The weasel’s eyes turned menacing after being randomly struck. With a fierce hiss, the weasel huffed and suddenly sprang into action. Using his relatively small frame, he squeezed between the beastmen and dashed forward. Grabbing Yuri by the waist, the weasel bolted ahead. True to his kind, known for agility, no one could stop him.

“Uncle, put Yuri down…!”

The baby’s voice, filled with annoyance, faded into the distance. The beastmen who had just watched the young lady get snatched away clicked their tongues in dissatisfaction.

The smallest and most ill-tempered weasel among them had caused trouble for the first time in a while. If word of this reached the boss, his life would become miserable in more ways than one. Though the consequences were clear, no one stepped up to stop the thief, since they had no intention of defending him.

Still, having the young lady stolen right before their eyes was upsetting. They all growled lowly in the direction the weasel had disappeared, and the fox, left behind among the suddenly irritated beasts, trembled and let out a small whimper.

They say you don’t realize what you have until it’s gone, and only after the baby was gone did her value truly sink in. Hohyun didn’t need to stay here alone—nor did he want to. Just as he cautiously moved to follow the disappeared Yuri, a large black bear suddenly took an interest in him.

“What’s with this fox?”

Hohyun was the only one who could answer the question in this situation, but given the current circumstances, communication between them was far-fetched. In the end, the beastman who had first spoken with Yuri answered simply in place of the wide-eyed fox clinging to the ground.

“He was with the young lady. She called him ‘Moongmoo.’”

“Weren’t they supposed to bring a dog? No matter how you look at it, this one’s a fox.”

“Who knows. Maybe his name is Moongmoo.”

“Hmm…”

The bear clearly didn’t understand why the fox was being called Moongmoo, but at least the gaze he cast downward wasn’t hostile. It was a kind of curiosity-based friendliness. As the bear observed Hohyun, he suddenly reached toward his head.

It would’ve been a lie to say he wasn’t afraid of a hand larger than his head, but perhaps because he had just shared a table with the scariest beast in the world, he managed to retain his three-dimensional form. The fox forced his ears upright, despite their urge to flatten, and pinned his tail between his legs with his hind foot.

The large hand settled on his head and gently stroked his crown. Because of the sheer size of the hand, he expected it to be rough, but the way it scratched between his ears was unexpectedly skillful. It wasn’t a touch that could come from someone unfamiliar with canid creatures.

‘Uh, uh…’

The gentle scratching in a spot too delicate to explain with words made Hohyun unknowingly close his eyes and softly wiggle his hind foot. The tension in his stiff muscles began to loosen. It was inevitable.

Even normally, Hohyun was generous when it came to petting—unless someone touched his paws. Now, being kneaded like a rice cake, the fox grew dazed. His tightly tensed body gradually leaned toward the hand stroking his head. With his eyes gently closed, he let the hand support all his weight, and the black bear smiled brightly at the sight.

Seeing the fox go limp with relaxed tension, the other beastmen tentatively reached out their hands. A few seemed to have noticed the necklace around his neck, but upon seeing the black bear’s happy expression, they kept their mouths shut. No words were exchanged—only the sound of soft fur being petted echoed. So many had touched him in such a short time that his fur began to gleam.

In the meantime, Yuri, having punished the weasel and escaped, found the fox surrounded by her uncles, completely out of it. His half-melted state was enough to spark misunderstanding in the baby tiger’s eyes. As she saw the limp Moongmoo, the baby bared her teeth fiercely.