SAFBIAN Ch 10

Chapter 10

 

He had a dream.

A dream where he possessed the protagonist of a novel.

‘What a joke. Me, turning into a fox all of a sudden?’

Eyes that sparkled like jewels and a moist black nose. And when he smiled with his pink tongue sticking out between his jaws, he was unbearably cute.

Though his body was small, his legs were long and slender. The way his dainty paws left little imprints on the snow was breathtakingly adorable.

When he thought of Dori, the corners of his lips relaxed into a grin. The longing that couldn’t be filled as an online pet owner now felt completely satisfied.

‘So this is why everyone wants a pet dog or cat.’

He’d always wanted one since he was little. Coming home after work to be warmly greeted by a cute, lovable pet scurrying up to him had been a long-held dream.

But for that very reason, he never dared to raise a pet.

He could barely manage the cost of food, let alone snacks or toys. And it weighed on him to leave a pet alone in a semi-basement room while he went off to work.

More than anything, what if it got sick? Veterinary care wasn’t covered by insurance and was incomparably more expensive than human care.

‘If I had known, I should’ve given myself a big kiss in the mirror. It was just a dream anyway.’

Still, it was fun and happy to have been in the form of his favorite character, even if only for a while. Especially since what happened afterward had been frightening, he was rather glad it was just a dream.

Wonwoo, with crazed eyes, lunging like a madman, and Haban, who would kill a person just for getting on his nerves. He hated both. He had even come close to witnessing a cruel scene at the end.

‘Ugh… I seriously thought I was about to see someone’s head fall off right in front of me.’

He couldn’t even handle horror movies, so why did the dream feel so vivid?

‘Did I get too immersed in the book?’

Next time, he should be more careful about choosing what to read. Or maybe sleep with a children’s storybook by his pillow.

‘Still, why is it so hard to wake up today?’

He rubbed his cheek against the warmth and soft texture surrounding him, letting out a drowsy breath.

He felt like he had slept for a long time, but his body was still heavy. He just wanted to rest one more day, like he had a body ache and couldn’t stop feeling sluggish.

Then, there was a clack, clack, the sound of wheels carrying a heavy load rolling across the floor.

‘Which thoughtless neighbor is making noise at this hour of dawn!’

Living in the bottom semi-basement room meant even a chair dragging from above echoed loudly. These days, didn’t people understand how bad floor noise could be?

‘Anyway, I have to get up. It’s not like someone else is going to work for me.’

Yaaaawn. Time to head to work.

Dori fluttered his heavy eyelids.

“Ugh—cha! Ah, my back. Did I just stuff everything in without thinking? I thought it would be fine, but damn, it’s heavy.”

But then, a strange voice made his body freeze.

‘…A, a burglar?’

Dori kept his eyes tightly shut and pretended to be asleep.

Of all places, the idiot had to pick his home, the poorest one in the building. Still, he had to be careful not to provoke the intruder and wait for a chance. If the burglar had a weapon, it would be dangerous.

“First, let’s take out the sweet potatoes and the pumpkin. And the apples…”

As the bustling movement continued, Dori’s mind became sharper.

But the burglar wasn’t just stupid—he was kind of weird. What kind of thief steals sweet potatoes and pumpkins instead of money or valuables…?

‘There shouldn’t be anything like that at home?’

He usually grabbed a convenience store bun on the way to work for breakfast, lunch was at the construction site, and dinner was ramen. He neither had the motivation to cook nor the skill to make anything edible.

“His Majesty is too much, really. Forcing me to wake a sleeping fox? What’s wrong with letting him sleep another day or two?”

The moment he heard the muttered grumbling with words like “fox” and “His Majesty” that weren’t unfamiliar—

‘……!’

Dori nearly let out a sound without meaning to.

‘Why am I still inside the book? I thought dying would bring me back to reality!’

He barely resisted the urge to open his eyes and check.

With one sense blocked, the others became more sensitive. Dori tried hard not to let on he was awake, concentrating instead on the surrounding sounds.

“Really, for snake venom, the best treatment is to let them rest. Why won’t he believe that?”

‘Snake? Venom?’

Dori recalled the moment before he collapsed.

Something had stung—probably.

‘So it wasn’t a cut from a bush, but a snake bite.’

Apparently, he wasn’t the only one who got chased while dodging the horses. Normally, he would’ve noticed just from the slithering sound, but he had been too distracted by the shock of seeing Haban.

That explained why his legs had suddenly given out.

“Huh? Where did I put the note? Ah, here it is! Let’s see—one ladle of mashed sweet potato, one small pumpkin, two apple slices…”

Sniff sniff.

At the sound of mumbling, Dori’s nose twitched involuntarily. The air was filled with various food smells. And they smelled really, really good.

‘So he wasn’t stealing ingredients—he was taking out already-cooked food.’

Dori hesitated, then peeked his eyes open. Through a thin gap, he vaguely saw a human silhouette.

A man in white clothes was bustling about. After hurrying back and forth, he poured something with a trickle sound and then held a large tray in his hands.

As the man walked toward him, Dori quickly shut his eyes again.

“Little fox, are you still sleeping?”

In full attire, Haewon began sliding bowls one by one through the evenly spaced metal bars. After fasting for two days, the fox must have been starving, but he slept so soundly.

“Still, it’s really fascinating. How can something be this white?”

A body curled up in a ball and a big tail hugged tightly to his chest. Except for the small black nose, the fox was pure white everywhere.

Haewon stared at the fox for a long time.

‘…Why isn’t he leaving.’

Dori’s lashes trembled slightly. The savory aroma kept wafting toward him.

Come to think of it, how long had it been since he last ate? His stomach felt as if it were glued to his back. Hunger surged, and his mouth filled with saliva.

Trying not to smell the food, Dori buried his nose deeper into his fluffy tail, feigning sleep.

“Fox, aren’t you going to wake up?”

‘Mmm.’

“Aren’t you hungry?”

‘Mmmm…’

As the questions kept coming, Dori only answered inwardly, curling his paws tighter.

The stranger suspiciously lifted his front paw as if to check if he was awake, or gently touched his tail.

“This is your food, you know?”

The warm palm lightly patted his back, as if regretting that the fox was hiding inside his fur.

‘Mine? It’s really for me?’

Dori debated whether to open his eyes or not. His tail started to wag slightly with excitement, and his ears perked up.

But the word “His Majesty” he had heard earlier weighed on his mind.

Was it the terrifying Haban—or the food right in front of him?

Gulp. His saliva slid down his throat.

“Hmm. Well, I guess I have no choice. I’ll start eating then.”

At that moment, the man who had been lingering nearby stepped away.

Dori, who had been motionless like a dead thing, quickly opened his eyes and stretched his neck. Right beside his curled body were five neatly arranged bowls.

As the man turned with his lunchbox in hand, Dori quickly ducked his head back down.

Haewon sat close to the cage to check on the fox and opened his lunchbox lid. With each breath, the fox’s white fur fluttered from the puff of his nose.

He didn’t even have time to learn from his master properly, and now he had to take care of a fox. The fox was cute, but thinking of the other disciples surpassing him during this time made him lose his appetite.

Already, the younger disciples who looked down on him for relying on talent alone were watching him like hawks, making him uneasy.

“Sigh…”

Haewon set down his untouched lunchbox and sighed.

“You, you know. Don’t you think it’s time to wake up? If His Majesty orders me to force you awake again, I really won’t be able to stop it. I always feel this way, but His Majesty is terrifying.”

Yeah, Haban really was terrifying.

That large body, the expressionless face, that cold aura. He was a natural-born conqueror and an arrogant ruler.

Nod.

Maybe that’s why—Dori unknowingly moved his head.

“Ah! Fox, you!”

…Oops!

At the startled voice, every hair on his body stood on end.

Haewon knelt on one knee and reached through the bars to flip open the trembling eyelid. The golden eyes inside rolled away, avoiding eye contact.

But eventually, their eyes met.

“Your Majesty! The fox… the fox is awake!”

Haewon threw down the lunchbox and dashed out.

‘No! That’s not what I meant! Don’t go!’

“Kaang, kaang…”

Dori barked weakly. But it was already too late. The man who had bolted out the door didn’t return.

Dori drooped and looked down to check his own body. Fluffy front paws and snow-white fur. A thick tail wagging lazily before drooping downward.

‘Haah… I’m still in the novel world.’

Fortunately, his body was intact aside from the bite mark. Instead of shackles, one of his hind legs was wrapped in bandages.

‘Then this must be the imperial palace?’

Dori quickly realized the situation.

When he stood from his curled-up position, he found a soft cushion beneath him.

The red silk cushion was generously stuffed with cotton and looked extremely luxurious. Yellow tassels lined the edges, rustling with every step he took.

But the unfortunate thing was—

‘I actually ended up in here, didn’t I.’

Dori jumped down from the cushion with a soft thud.