He’s a Fox Ch 28

Chapter 28

“Yuri, did you finish looking around? Should we head home now?”

“…Mhm.”

At the mention of going home, Yuri quickly raised her head. Though she nodded obediently, her gaze lingered on the rooftop beyond. The way she couldn’t tear her eyes from it, as though regretful, made Hohyun feel pity for her. At her age, she should be running around busily outdoors, but being confined to the house must’ve felt suffocating. No matter how spacious the home was, it wasn’t the same as going outside.

The original purpose of their outing had been fulfilled, and since the homeowner decided it was time to return, there was no reason to dawdle. Three mammals and one reptile descended to the parking lot at once. Though no one else joined them, the elevator down to the underground lot somehow felt entirely crammed. Hohyun once again realized just how massive large-species beastkin were.

Just before getting into the car, the thought that he hadn’t paid the medical bill suddenly struck him. He was about to mention it but stopped when he spotted Kangwoon easily placing his little sister into the car seat in the back. The doctor had recognized them without formal registration, so the billing must have gone through automatically.

As Hohyun climbed into the passenger seat, he felt the baby girl’s eyes glance his way. Unlike before, her look wasn’t filled with wariness, only curiosity. Intentionally twitching his ears up and down, he watched Yuri flinch in sync with their movement. Her wide, round eyes were too cute, and he wiggled his ears a few more times just for her amusement—until he spotted a bus stop along the road. Alarmed, Hohyun quickly called out to the crocodile.

“Excuse me, could you drop me off there?”

“…Huh?”

The sudden request to get out made the crocodile tilt his head.

“Here? Why?”

“There’s somewhere I’d like to stop by.”

Before finalizing the contract and officially beginning work, Hohyun wanted to retrieve his belongings from the warehouse dormitory. His phone had been destroyed during his abduction—he’d seen it shattered with his own eyes—so that was beyond recovery. The thought of buying a replacement hurt, but at least his other items, including his wallet, were all stored safely at the dorm. He praised his past self for leaving his wallet behind, thinking he wouldn’t need it while going out just to fetch some documents.

Observing the fox practically ready to unbuckle his seatbelt, Kangwoon answered in the crocodile’s stead.

“It’s late today. Go tomorrow.”

“…Okay.”

“You were planning to walk all the way?”

“No! I was going to take the bus and subway.”

Hohyun quickly shook his head. The distance was far too long; he had no intention of walking that far. With the available transit options, why suffer?

Getting there and back by car would already take three hours. To do it on foot, he’d need at least eight. It wasn’t as though he were some scholar heading to the capital for his state exams³—why waste a third of his day trudging along the roadside?

³ The phrase “장원 급제를 노리고 상경하는 선비” refers to historical scholars traveling to the capital to take civil service exams, often walking for days. This highlights how ludicrous it would be for Hohyun, in modern times, to walk eight hours on foot when buses and subways exist.

The fox, adamant about not walking, soon faced Kangwoon’s sharp question.

“You have money for that?”

“…!”

Until that moment, Hohyun hadn’t considered the cost. He was used to tapping a transit card, never thinking about cash. The harsh truth hit—he didn’t have so much as a single coin in his pocket. Not even bus fare. The realization threw him into silent despair. Watching him struggle, Kangwoon offered a prepared alternative.

“It won’t work today anyway. If you want to go tomorrow, I’ll give you a ride.”

Wherever it was, it clearly wasn’t close. And with Yuri, even a house baby-proofed against sharp objects still wasn’t enough to stop her from tripping and tumbling every other minute—what might happen if she went wandering outside? Kangwoon himself was too busy to drive personally, but that was what spare manpower was for.

The tiger thought it a trivial kindness, but Hohyun’s heart was conflicted. Accepting food, shelter, and now even transportation from someone who wasn’t family—not even a friend—felt shameless.

Yet, the hesitation was brief. The very clothes on his back belonged to Kangwoon. When faced with the choice between walking eight hours or thickening his skin, anyone would choose the latter. Meekly, Hohyun bowed his head. “Thank you.” Kangwoon simply tilted his head in a nonchalant nod, as if it were nothing.

Hohyun straightened, gazing forward with a solemn look as he plotted his plan for the next day. He would finish his business as swiftly as possible.

The first step was to return to the dormitory. Although his wallet was important, all his luggage was there. When moving out, he’d cleared away large items, but smaller things like clothes and shoes had been carefully stored in the locker.

He would collect his belongings, explain the situation to Mr. Hwang, and then buy a new phone—finally contacting his family after all this time. Thinking through his rough itinerary, he glanced out the window. The drive had been swift, and before long the tiger’s home was already in sight.

Because Yuri had relaxed somewhat since their outing, the rest of the afternoon passed as usual—dinner, brushing her teeth with a human toothbrush, and going to bed early after tiring herself out. Thanks to this, Hohyun was released from extra babysitting duty and retreated to his room. He needed to sleep early to leave on time tomorrow.

But as he opened the door to lie down, he realized there was a problem.

The room given to him was the “doggy room.” It was filled top-to-bottom with dog supplies—and not a single thing fit for human use. No bed. Not even a blanket. How was he supposed to sleep in here?

“…”

He accidentally kicked a squeaky toy at his feet, the noise loud in the silence. If he still had his furry fox body, he could have curled up anywhere without complaint. But in human form, bare skin exposed, lying unprotected meant catching a cold for sure. With a child in the house, that was the last thing that could be allowed.

So he began pacing and searching for anything that could serve as a cover. He scoured every corner, but the only somewhat useful item was a dog cushion once used to hide snacks.

Made for dogs, the cushion couldn’t even cover his upper body. Useless as a blanket, yes—but Hohyun didn’t give up hope. He lay down on the floor and positioned the cushion over his body in a pitiful attempt at warmth.

Testing whether it retained heat, he stared up blankly at the ceiling. It was impossible to tell—was it warm or not? Unsure, he slipped his hand under the cushion to check.

And then the door burst open.

The crocodile, entering to deliver a message, was startled speechless at the sight of Hohyun sprawled pitifully on the floor. Embarrassed, Hohyun sat up abruptly, face flushed red.

“I—I wasn’t doing that on purpose, it’s just, um…”

“…Uh-huh.”

His pale complexion now blotched crimson, Hohyun resembled a ripe tomato in his embarrassment as he hastily tried to change the subject.

“A-anyway, why did you come suddenly?”

The crocodile, kindly pretending not to notice his shame, moved the conversation along.

“The master asked me to pass on some things. And I had my own reasons too.”

With a thump of his heavy tail and a clearing of his throat, the crocodile continued.

“There wasn’t time earlier, but we haven’t even introduced ourselves properly. And since we might end up sharing meals like family, I should at least know your name.”

“…Ah!”

Up until now, the crocodile—and the others in the tiger’s home—had only called him “doggy,” or “hey, you.” It had been unavoidable with the language barrier. But now that he could speak, there was no longer any need. The whirlwind trip to the hospital after his transformation had delayed things until now. With an expression like a lightbulb switching on above his head, Hohyun beamed brightly.

“I’m Yeh Hohyun.”

“Yeh? Unusual name. I’m Shin Juwon, head of the young lady’s security team.”

“Security team?”

Though he’d often heard the name “Juwon” from the homeowner’s mouth, the words that followed caught him completely off guard. Security team. And not just a member, but the captain. Hohyun had honestly thought of him as a babysitter. His shock was visible.

The intensity of his reaction made Juwon twitch the ridge above his eyes—where eyebrows would have been, had he been mammalian. For a reptile, rare facial muscle shifts served in place of human expressions. Seeing it, Hohyun chuckled awkwardly.

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“No, it’s just… I didn’t expect that you were in the security team… security…”

Yes, his build had always been intimidating. But then again, so were most of the household beastkin. Who could have guessed that the very man who braided the baby girl’s hair each morning into two perfect pigtails with deft hands was in fact a bodyguard? Hohyun had simply assumed he was a veteran nanny. But it turned out his entire profession was different.

“If you’re captain, then do you have subordinates too? I’ve never seen them.”

“Of course. When the master is here, they’re given other duties. They only surround the young lady when she’s alone.”

True. With Kangwoon attached at her hip most hours of the day, there wasn’t much need for additional guards. Perhaps the other members were faces Hohyun had already glimpsed. He thought back to the large men in black suits he had seen the first day he met Yuri and nodded.

Watching the naïve fox, Juwon added a word of caution, concern for his safety heavy in his tone.

“Tomorrow when you head out, one of them will probably be your driver. He may… come across a certain way, but try to understand. They’re not bad people.”

What did he mean by “come across a certain way”? Hohyun blinked in curiosity, but Juwon offered no details. Better not to plant prejudice with excessive explanation.

With that, the conversation about the security team ended, and Juwon guided Hohyun outside his door. The fox thought he was finally being shown to his proper living quarters. After checking following the “cat incident,” he’d learned that the staff beastkin lived in a separate building behind the estate. Since he was officially working now, he too assumed he’d be placed there.

But instead of leading him to the back annex, the crocodile guided him deeper into the house.