He’s a Fox Ch 41

Chapter 41

Had it been the alligator or any of the other beastmen, the knocking would have come from above Hohyun’s eye level. But today’s visitor was shorter—it came from around his knees. It wasn’t hard to guess who it was, but Hohyun deliberately played dumb.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Yuri.”

“Ah, Yuri!”

He swung the door open and promptly scooped the cub up into his arms, making her giggle in delight. After subjecting her to a few playful “airplane rides,” Yuri suddenly startled wide-eyed—remembering belatedly her elder brother’s morning warning not to be tossed around recklessly. At her urgent little protest, Hohyun obediently set her back down.

As soon as her feet touched ground, she grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the living room. Looks like today’s activities would be indoors. The weather outside was cool and pleasant, but perhaps the early morning’s exertions—clinging to the alligator’s pants and making him parade her around the whole house—had worn her out. Suppressing a yawn, she walked slowly, and Hohyun slowed himself to match her tired pace.

Since she was clearly drowsy, the program before nap time involved quiet play. Hohyun helped her build train tracks for toy trains and then stacked wooden blocks into bridges beside them, following whatever routes she imagined.

By the time evening rolled around—even after her nap—Yuri was still unusually sleepy. Yet, instead of drifting right off, she dashed to the bookshelf, insisting on her routine bedtime story.

Normally, she would simply grab her “attachment picture book,” but living with a real-life “doggie” in the house seemed to affect her choice. Before the shelf big brother had placed just for her, she deliberated for a long time before finally selecting a bright, colorful book. She ran back to Hohyun, clutching it.

He glanced at the rounded, chew-proof corners of the cover. It read: “Let’s Brush Our Teeth!” The gist was simple: if you don’t brush your teeth, cavities will come and hurt—so brush diligently.

Adults maintain dental hygiene under fear of bills and pain, but for toddlers who hadn’t even shed milk teeth, brushing was simply a chore. Yuri was no exception; she did it only because it was part of her routine.

As Hohyun flipped the pages and read aloud, Yuri’s interest waned the further the story went. Her eyelids drooped while listening—until midway, when the protagonist frog fought temptation, she suddenly fixed on a particular illustration.

Following her gaze, Hohyun saw nothing abnormal—just candies and chocolates drawn as colorful rocks, stabbing little tridents into teeth.

After a long, thoughtful stare, Yuri tottered to Kangwoon, who sat on the sofa.

“Oppa.”

“…Hm? What is it, Yuri—something wrong?”

“This.”

Treating her brother like a living encyclopedia, she shoved the book onto his lap.

“These pretty stones… they bully the froggie. But… stones don’t move. That’s weird.”

Her little finger jabbed the candy on the page. In her mind, rocks were inanimate, unmoving—so how could storybook “stones” move and harass the frog? Because she didn’t know what candy was, she misinterpreted them as pebbles.

Kangwoon frowned thoughtfully, finally explained:

“It’s not really a rock.”

“Then what is it?”

“…Mm, it’s… a snack.”

Since the cub had never tasted sweets beyond dried meat jerky, she looked deeply suspicious. From across the room, Hohyun held back a grin, curious how Kangwoon intended to convince her.

“Once you’re as tall as other three-year-olds, Oppa will give you one of these snacks then. You’ll see.”

“…Okay…”

Her small hand half-heartedly hooked his pinky in promise, face still bored, even yawning. Clearly, the prospect didn’t tempt her yet.

But Hohyun’s mind sharpened at that exchange. Height. Food. Diet. A plan began forming.

Soon after, Yuri came running with another story—this time chosen together with the alligator. She picked a picture book she truly enjoyed, about a mouse sailing to find treasure across the sea. Hohyun read it aloud, all the while considering his plan.

But when that ended, the “adventures” continued—cloud-witch grandmothers, rice cake–making moon rabbits, spiny hedgehogs in a lizard town. Book after book piled up beside him, until five had been completed.

At last, yawning, rubbing her eyes, Yuri tugged his hand toward her room. Of course, it was a ploy—another attempt to make “Doggie Oppa” sleep with her.

But unlucky timing: the ever-watchful Kangwoon sat wide awake, staring.

“Yuri, you must sleep alone.”

“Want to sleep with Moong-moo.”

“Not tonight.”

“Why?”

“Because yesterday, when we promised, we never said ‘also tomorrow.’ Right?”

“…”

She puffed her lips angrily, but unable to refute, her grip loosened. Regret seeped from every movement.

“Good night, Moong-moo Oppa… Yuri sleeping…”

Her tragically forlorn farewell made Kangwoon shake his head. Anyone would think she was bidding him goodbye forever, not for just one night under the same roof.

Even Hohyun agreed with the guardian. He could tuck her in—just not sleep there. After last night’s shock of waking under glowing tiger eyes, once was enough….

And so, after sending Yuri off, the house fell quiet until—ten hours and twenty-four minutes later.

The fox woke and immediately began prowling the Tiger’s Den with single-minded purpose. Soon enough, he grabbed something: a children’s safety scissors. Plastic, made too dull even to cut paper properly—more like a toy than a tool. Frowning, he tucked it under his arm and began searching further.

Just as the alligator came in from duty, heading for an early shift, he noticed the fox rummaging about.

“What’re you looking for?”

“Ah—boxes.”

“Boxes?…”

“Yes. Oh, and if possible—a pen, and a tape measure.”

The reptile scratched his chin, tail thunking the floor as he tried to remember. “Box… I might’ve seen one recently.”

Turning, he led them both into the kitchen. Hohyun frowned; he had watched the tiger’s spectacular butchery here just yesterday—he remembered a spotless counter, never a box.

But sure enough, the alligator bent, opened a cupboard deep inside, and pulled forth a huge package box.

The printed label—pots. For here, of course, nothing sized normally. The pot boxed inside had been massive, drum-barrel huge, like something used to boil whole pork trotter sets at once. The sheer scale made Hohyun’s eyebrows lift.

And of course, the box was accordingly gigantic. One carton, held before his torso, already covered his upper body completely.

Hohyun’s eyes sparkled. The alligator coughed awkwardly, but seeing that eager expression, smirked and led him to the tool room.

Among spare parts and hardware, they unearthed what he needed: real tape measure, sturdy metal scissors. Hohyun let out genuine relief—without those, he’d been about to hack clumsily at thick cardboard with plastic children’s scissors.

Now, armed with good tools, he was ready. Work would begin in earnest.