He’s a Fox Ch 52

Chapter 52

“Your girlfriend?”

“Huh? Yeah! Pretty, right?”

Neither the woman herself nor even a message from her was present, but at the mere mention, Ihyeon’s face split wide with a grin. Blooming joy radiated off him.

“You confessed first?”

“Of course! Listen, Ho-ya: beauty belongs only to the brave.”

He hummed tunelessly, polishing the photo frame with an eyeglass cloth (odd, seeing as he didn’t wear glasses). Watching the fool beam, Hohyun thought involuntarily of someone else. Hand frozen halfway through tidying, he found himself staring at the picture instead.

Ihyeon noticed. Normally his youngest brother would have snapped at him to stop blabbering; today, he sat strangely silent, staring at nothing, eyes oddly troubled. Narrowing his gaze, the fourth brother suddenly struck:

“Ho-ya… do you like someone?”

“…What?”

The startled, buffering face was answer enough. A pause hung between them, then Ihyeon smirked and, sensing his chance, bolted. The most experienced of the siblings in affairs of love easily dodged Hohyun’s desperate grab, yanked open his door, and shouted down the hall:

“Hyung! Sister-in-law! Ho-ya’s in love!!”

Like an ill-omened town-crier, he summoned the house. Heads turned. Backs straightened. The fox’s secret heart was hanged, beheaded, quartered in an instant.

Five siblings treasured as jewels, but none more precious than the baby of the family. To hear that the eternally cautious, accident-preoccupied youngest had found affection? Rice fell from their father’s spoon mid-bite. The reactions looked ready to greet some hidden birth secret.

For a moment silence ruled. Then voices burst:

“Really? Our Hyun has someone he likes?”

“Our little one… really?”

“No!” he blurted. But denial only fanned the flames. Their stares glittered with delight. Beads of sweat slid down his temple as he tried retreating back to his room. But pack of predators cornered prey swiftly.

“Sajag, youngest master, come here please.” Sister-in-law’s sugary address nearly tripped him onto the spot. There was no escape.

In the living room, voices overlapped with excitement.

“Wow, is it beastman? Or human?”

“Has to be beast. Humans are rare, Auntie.”

Humans—those who could never shift, only live in skinform—were nearly myth. The family promptly concluded the beloved was a beast already.

Their sister, Suhyeon, the third born and the only daughter, asked flatly: “Is she pretty?”

Her philosophy ran sharp from years of encounters—“right looks build right character.” She had no interest in marriage or dating, but if a face fell below her standard, she refused even words of courtesy.

The question made Hohyun stall. Pretty? Not merely. More beautiful—but more than beautiful, handsome. He remembered thick brows, golden molten eyes. The delay spoke volumes. Suhyeon clicked her tongue quietly.

“Well. That says everything.”

An indifferent brother’s daze was proof enough. The parents smiled serenely, rising. Our son, good luck. And left the room.

Why wouldn’t they believe his denials? It was maddening.

The loudest cheerleader, of course, was Ihyeon. Chest puffed, he rallied the crowd:

“We have veterans here! Ask, Ho-ya. We’ll guide you.”

“…Don’t you have work?” he muttered bitterly. But Ihyeon shook his head.

“What’s more important than this? Work can wait till dawn.”

Eyes glittering, kin leaned in. His palms covered his face. Futile denial. Better to endure.

A chorus ensued—tips raining: Give her what she likes. Circle nearby and wait for chance. Approach in beast form.

That last suggestion caught him. Brows rising, he glanced at the speaker. Confidently, she explained:

“Emotions can’t be sliced with knives. If she loves your beast form, human form affection soon follows.”

“But… what if they don’t like beast form?”

“No human alive hates a dog who loves them. If they do, they’re trash.”

He nodded slowly. True enough… except—

“…But, Sister-in-law,” he said carefully.

“Yes?”

“I’m a fox.”

“Half dog, close enough!”

“…Hmm.”

Biology aside, he conceded silently. She leaned close, lowered her voice sly.

“I got your eldest brother that way. Trust me.”

“…!”

And suddenly, the weight carried validity. For the oldest brother had been the woodiest of stones for years, the most sought after by peers, never stirring. Yet one day, a younger woman snared him that way—and he was the first to marry. An impossible feat.

Hohyun’s guard wavered. Maybe this works…

Engrossed, he tucked the wisdom away, when Ihyeon played mentor again:

“Listen, Ho-ya. Fortune favors the bold. Charge forward.”

“What if I fail?”

“Think later. Brave wins beauty!”

From the side, Suhyeon looked weary. Success by bold assault might work—with existing warmth. Without it… only stalking. But she merely popped a nut into her mouth. The youngest was adult enough to navigate himself.

The “Romantic Strategy Symposium” carried long into the night, ending near midnight when Ihyeon finally slunk back to tackle actual work. One by one the rest drifted to their rooms.

In his own room, Hohyun collapsed into sheets. The bed smelled achingly familiar.