He’s a Fox Ch 35

Chapter 35

“Haa… where did she even get that from now?”

Realizing that the wallet the cub was proudly clutching came straight out of his own pocket, Kangwoon let out a bewildered sigh and lashed his tail in frustration. Thwack, thwack. The poor fabric sofa alone suffered the punishment. Either Yuri didn’t notice her brother’s expression—or she ignored it on purpose. With a satisfied, almost smug look, the little tiger cub plopped her “prize” into Hohyun’s hands.

Seeing those sparkling eyes, the fox could tell what she was thinking. You wouldn’t refuse the toys, but you can’t possibly say no to this. It was plain as day. Hohyun struggled for words before cautiously asking,

“Yuri, do you know what this is?”

“Uh-huh. If you have this, you can buy snacks.”

Her stubby tail wiggled hard beneath her little dress, vibrating with delight. She didn’t know the details, but she was clever enough to grasp: money equals food. She pushed the heavy wallet toward him again, as though attempting serious negotiations.

“If I give you this, you have to stay with Yuri.”

At her bold declaration, the tiger’s tail thwacking against the sofa grew louder, until—foof!—one huge hand came out, plucked the cub straight off the floor, and held her up. Before she could gripe, the tiger cut ahead.

“Yuri, is that yours?”

“No.”

“Then it’s not yours to give away, is it?”

“…No…”

“Exactly. Even if it’s for Mom or Dad, you can’t hand over things that don’t belong to you.”

“But he’s not a stranger! Moong-moo… oppa is Yuri’s friend!”

Her words still meandered, with pauses longer between certain syllables. Whether she said “Puppy” or “Puppy-oppa” hardly made much difference—the point was the same. But the tiger wasn’t letting his wallet theft go unscolded.

“Friend or not, even if it were your parents—wrong is wrong. You can only give what belongs to you.”

“…Okay… even Daddy can’t, huh.”

“That’s right. So don’t do it again. Promise.”

“Kay.”

The little cub raised one tiny finger expectantly. Kangwoon hooked his thick pinky onto hers with surprising gentleness, sealing the promise with a little shake. With that pact, Yuri reluctantly handed the wallet back, returning it to its rightful owner. The cub let out a tiny sigh.

Her trump card had failed. She had offered toys; she had offered money. All rebuffed. Clearly, it was time to change categories.

Pouting and frowning, she darted a glance at Hohyun. Her eyes caught his twitching fox ears and the luxuriously fluffy tail he had earlier let her grab. Just seeing those cloudlike things stirred her thoughts.

“Yuri will go bring something now.”

Her tone was unusually solemn—she didn’t scamper this time, but walked steadily toward the door. Unlike before, when she proudly lugged toys or even Dad’s wallet, this time her serious face made both adults uneasy. What on earth was she planning?

Hohyun tried to guess. Surely not food… not a book either. He turned and instantly stiffened.

There, staring straight back at him from the doorway, was a tiger.

Yellow eyes locked with his, and his black tail puffed up reflexively. He let out a frightened squeak before he realized—the creature’s stiff, unnatural movements weren’t from a living animal. It was a life-sized stuffed tiger.

From outside, small grunts of effort came. “Nnnngh…” Pushing sounds. Sure enough, the cub was shoving with all her tiny might. Unsurprisingly, when pushing failed, Yuri climbed atop the plush and rode it forward, hauling it inside.

“Miss, please—let me do that,” the Alligator at the door fretted.

“No!”

Rejecting his help, she grabbed the plush’s head with both hands and dragged. Miraculously, her stubborn tugging pulled the heavy stuffed tiger across the threshold and into the study.

When at last she parked it proudly before the sofa, Hohyun nearly gasped aloud. From afar, he had mistaken it for a real tiger, and up close it looked frighteningly lifelike. If it had twitched, he might have thought Kangwoon had a second child.

As Hohyun gaped, the cub wiped imaginary sweat from her brow, clearly proud. She placed one small hand atop the plush’s massive head and triumphed:

“This is Yuri’s. But Moong-moo oppa can have it!”

Her words left Hohyun’s face complicated. This wasn’t just any toy. From the slight wear, from the way it smelled faintly of her—this was her attachment plushie. The kind she slept with every night.

Recalling how his nieces treated their own beloved dolls, he asked gently,

“…But isn’t this really precious to you?”

“Uh-huh. But Yuri will lend it to friend.”

The fox’s heart gave a painful tug. Beside him, Kangwoon looked even more dumbfounded than he had been when his wallet was nearly given away.

“You wouldn’t even share that with me,” he muttered flatly.

“That’s because Daddy said you’re a grown-up and grown-ups don’t need plushies to sleep. But oppa is a grown-up friend, so it’s okay.”

“….”

The older tiger fell into dead silence. Apparently, Father had tried coaxing the stubborn cub into sharing the bed in his son’s absence using a dubious excuse: Oppa is an adult, he doesn’t need it. Yuri interpreted it as “adults can sleep with friends.” Twisted toddler logic at its finest.

Kangwoon quietly decided that next time he visited the family house, he’d have strong words for his father’s manipulations.

Meanwhile, unaware of this brewing storm, Yuri pushed the plush insistently into Hohyun’s lap, eyes pleading with a look that screamed: Now you can’t possibly refuse me.

He knew then—there was no point holding to his plan. If she was willing to even part with her treasured comfort object, she wasn’t going to back down on her own. So he changed tactics.

Hohyun scooped the cub up instead of the plush and sat them side by side on the sofa. He spoke seriously, voice calm.

“Yuri, listen. You’ve got a brother, right?”

“Uh-huh! I got one piece of brother!”

Her wording was slightly odd, measuring siblings like counting objects—but correcting it wasn’t the point. Even Kangwoon, who usually would’ve adjusted her grammar, held back to watch how Hohyun handled this.

Hohyun pointed deliberately to the tiger sitting nearby.

“That’s right. You have one brother. But listen—I have three.”

“Eh? Moong-moo has brothers too?” she gasped.

He chuckled.

“Not just brothers. I’ve got a sister too.”

“Woooow! Then, you also got Mommy and Daddy?”

“Mm-hm.”

“Woooah!”

Of course, everyone has parents—but to Yuri, discovering that Puppy also had a family came like a revelation. Her mouth dropped open in awe.

Seeing her attention caught, Hohyun pressed on to his real point.

“So if one day I can’t see my brothers or sister anymore… Do you think I’d be happy?”

“…No. I don’t like it either.”

“That’s right. It feels awful, huh?”

“Mm…”

The little cub’s expression drooped as she pictured being separated from her beloved.

“Same here. That’s why I’ll stay with you most of the time. But sometimes—I might have to go out.”

“….”

“When I do, I’ll always tell you beforehand. Okay?”

“…Mm…”

It was the same explanation he had tried before, but this time—because she now imagined his family feelings—she nodded at last, albeit reluctantly. She clearly didn’t like it, but she couldn’t deny him, either.

Outside, the Alligator watched silently, awestruck. This willful, stubborn little lady was actually yielding to someone’s words. Incredible. That Puppy kid… he’s something else.

While the adults marveled, Yuri scrunched her face, lost in deep thought. After long, determined pondering, she finally arrived at a new conclusion.