He’s a Fox Ch 105

Chapter 105

No matter how fast he ran, he was already exhausted from having run nonstop until then. To make matters worse, he was outnumbered, putting him at a significant disadvantage. Even so, he couldn’t go back to help. At best, he wouldn’t do more than become a hindrance.

After a brief hesitation, Hohyun began heading downhill, just as Han Kyungwoo had instructed. Since there was supposedly a car waiting, it seemed he hadn’t come alone, so Hohyun intended to go ask for help. The sprint that had been briefly interrupted while being carried resumed.

While running over the uneven ground, he nearly fell four times and actually rolled twice. Covered head to toe in dirt, Hohyun glanced to the side. The asphalted roadway gleamed sleekly, as if tempting him over.

He considered running out onto the road but soon gave up and kept moving his feet. Being spotted was an issue, but the bigger problem was that it was evening. It was already dark, so visibility would be poor, and a fox like Hohyun with black fur would be easy to miss and likely to be hit. Aiming to reach the tigers with his body as uninjured and intact as possible, Hohyun chose the more difficult path. He didn’t want to try to arrive ten minutes early only to arrive a hundred years early…

Panting as he ran, his doubts grew. No matter how far he went, there was no sign of the car that was supposed to be waiting. At this point, suspicion crept in. Had the directions been wrong? Somewhere, the eerie cry of a night bird echoed. Suddenly, a chill seemed to sweep over him. Shivering, Hohyun still tried to think of the small mercy in it all.

He had once heard about cases of people stranded in the mountains. Unable to tell which way was up or down, they tried to descend but only went deeper in. He also couldn’t see even a step ahead here, but at least he wouldn’t be discovered as a corpse later, would he?

As Hohyun forced himself to think positively, the sound of an engine reached his ears. The fox, who had been moving forward to find the car, lifted his head in relief, only for his face to go pale when he realized the sound’s source was behind him.

As he turned ashen, Hohyun hurriedly searched for a hiding place. Unfortunately, there were no bushes here, and nothing seemed suitable. After frantically scanning his surroundings, he spotted a knothole in a tree trunk. It was a bit small, but if he wedged himself in, it seemed possible.

A few minutes after Hohyun climbed into the tree to hide, flashing headlights scrambled the surroundings. As the distance closed, the engine noise grew so loud it sounded like a beast growling and howling. He hid himself, tense, as a car door opened and someone stepped out. A low grumble followed.

“Damn, what rotten luck… Why’s that damned fox bastard making a scene in the middle of the night?”

“Right? Ptooey. By the way, what was that guy earlier? He looked and smelled just like Wonwoo hyung. Is he his son?”

“He’s probably just a bear, that’s all. As for the smell, a little cologne can fix that.”

“Tsk.”

With a thud, someone kicked the tree, and Hohyun forced himself to suppress the urge to spring up. In that short instant, a harsh smell stabbed his nose. They seemed to be smoking.

Seen this way, the big guys at Kangwoon’s house actually seemed quite upright. He had doubted Kangwoon’s claim that he kept them apart for the baby’s emotional well-being since they were always fighting among themselves, but compared to these men, the story changed. While Hohyun revised his evaluation of the beastfolk working in the tiger’s den, a hiss sounded as someone stubbed out a cigarette on the tree, right nearby.

About a meter away by rough estimation, the thug-like men who had run here to catch him were standing. Should he stay still? Or should he burst out now? As he struggled with the dilemma, he felt footsteps moving away through the ground. As the vibrations faded, Hohyun relaxed and let his body go slack.

Once those men leave, I’ll try going forward again. Just a bit more, and if no one’s around, I’ll loop around to the opposite side—

While he was thinking, someone roughly yanked Hohyun out. Without even managing an “oh,” the fox was flung outside and flailed his legs, and the beast clutching the skin on his back shouted in a voice full of glee.

“Hey, found him!”

“Heh, how’d he even get into that narrow hole?”

The one who alternated his gaze between the knothole and Hohyun muttered sourly. Judging by the look of disbelief cast down at him, they must have pretended to walk away to reassure him on purpose. As a colleague weirdly fixated on gauging the inner hole’s size, the brute holding Hohyun barked loudly.

“Hey, what are you doing! Hurry up and open the door!”

“Yipe!”

“Shit, damn it, he moves disgustingly much. Hey! Can’t you stay still?”

As Hohyun struggled to escape, the brute swung his hands wildly. The rocking made his head spin and his stomach churn as if he were on a ride. Hohyun stifled his discomfort and twisted his body hard. He couldn’t be captured like this—not after the bear had created a chance! The fox threw his head back and bit down with all his might on the thick hand gripping his back.

The surrounding predators were so huge that he seemed small by comparison, but Hohyun also had sturdy teeth and claws. Being omnivorous meant being able to hunt. The man whose hand was bitten let out a short scream and flung the fox away. Anticipating it, Hohyun steadied himself as much as possible, and though he rolled several times across the ground, he regained his freedom without serious injury.

He stopped rolling and sprang to his feet, then tore off straight ahead.

“That damn—!”

A shout rang out behind him. The curses were too foul to repeat, but to summarize, half were aimed at the fox, and the other half promised to settle the score for the injured fingers once they caught him. Sensing danger, Hohyun ran like his tail was on fire. He had never run this hard in his life. Meanwhile, his eyes stung. Dirt must have gotten in while he was rolling on the ground.

With tears streaming from the irritation, Hohyun didn’t realize he was drifting toward the roadway. He squeezed his eyes and blinked hard to force out the grit, and at that instant, his vision flashed white.

People often say that when you’re shocked, your vision turns white, but Hohyun’s sight truly did go blank. He couldn’t see anything, and his eyes hurt as if the light would gouge them out. He hunched his neck and tried to dodge to the side a beat late, when the screech of urgent brakes split the night. Familiar enough with the sound, Hohyun curled up in resignation.

He hadn’t been out much lately because of a pseudo-work-from-home situation, so things had been quiet, but there had been a time when he would get into traffic accidents just as he was about to forget the last one. Drawing on that experience, he protected his vital points to minimize injury, and fortunately, there was no impact. Just as he staggered to run again, Hohyun caught a familiar scent.

In his surprise, he forgot the pain and snapped his eyes open. The bright light remained, but thanks to the silhouette standing against it, it wasn’t as blinding as before. With the only nearby light source at his back, the man’s face wasn’t visible, but Hohyun could tell who it was by scent alone. He tried to call out in joy, but only hacking coughs came from his open mouth.

As he hacked, the figure approached quickly. Leaning forward carefully, he gently lifted Hohyun into his arms. The fox buried his head in Kangwoon’s chest, expressing his delight to the fullest.

Tossed here and shoved there—after such rough treatment, feeling a touch as careful as if handling glass sent something welling up inside him. Whining softly, wagging his tail furiously, Hohyun heard Kangwoon call toward the car.

“Juwon, could you bring some water?”

“Right here!”

“Hoya, have some water.”

Hard plastic touched his lips. The hand tilting the bottle was delicate, but drinking in a quadruped form wasn’t ideal, and his coughing resumed. In the end, Kangwoon removed his gloves and poured water into the cupped hollow of his palm. As the fox lapped and moistened his throat, the tiger’s eyes darkened.

Before he knew it, the fox had emptied nearly half the bottle and spoke urgently.

“Boss! In the back, in the back…!”

“I’ve sent others already, so don’t worry about Kyungwoo. I brought clothes, so get in and change.”

“Wh… where are you going?”

“I’ll be right back.”

Kangwoon lifted Hohyun and set him in the back seat. While he took clothes out of the large shopping bag, the car door was shut for him. Watching him even wave his hand made Hohyun worry, but unaware of that, the car started off. After they had gone some distance from where they met Kangwoon, the crocodile at the wheel spoke quietly, hands steady on the steering wheel.

“Next time, send the others first. No—just go with the boss.”

“Okay…”

At the reptile’s advice, laden with fatigue and concern, Hohyun nodded meekly. If it concerned him, no one would feel it more deeply than Hohyun.

The fox pulled a top from the shopping bag and wriggled in through the collar. He completed his transformation in that state, then picked up the pants and pulled them on, and before long, the scenery outside had become a city. Leaning back against the seat, he felt drowsy.

The heater’s warmth and the relief of having reached a safe place made sleep creep in. Having suffered every kind of hardship for days, Hohyun nodded off without realizing it. With one foot in reality and the other in a dream, he felt someone lift him. The lightness with which he was hoisted brought him a little back to himself. When he stirred and tried to sit up, someone patted his back.

“It’s fine. Sleep a little more.”

He might have answered, or maybe he didn’t… In the end, overcome by drowsiness, Hohyun fell asleep just like that.

After a deep, dreamless sleep, when he opened his eyes again, a large lump had attached itself to his side.

At some point, a tiger cub had slipped in and pressed right up against him. No matter how long he had slept, his mind felt clear, but seeing Yuri cling to him like a puzzle piece with no gaps, Hohyun couldn’t move an inch. He barely managed to turn his head to look down and caught a glimpse of the baby’s eyes rimmed red. Had she been crying? With a sigh of pity, he pulled Yuri into his arms, and from the other side, a larger warmth flowed over him.

At some point, Kangwoon had returned and was sleeping in the same bed. Thankfully, there were no visible injuries. Yuri on the left, Kangwoon on the right. Surrounded by two warm tigers, the kidnapping felt like a dream. Though, since Yuri had cried, perhaps it wasn’t a dream…

Looking back, it had been an eventful time. He had never been lucky in his life, but this time was a record even among the worst. Having gone through several major ordeals, Hohyun knew well that the incident wasn’t over yet. After all, the aftermath was always harder than the moment itself. Even so, he felt no particular worry, probably because of the warm presences beside him.

A wind cold enough for midwinter was ready to howl outside, yet Hohyun wasn’t afraid. The greatest, warmest, and slightly fluffy fortunes to have come into his life were right beside him. Without the slightest hesitation, he put his worries aside and burrowed into the comforting embrace. The baby tiger who would soon unleash her fury at whoever had touched her beloved dog would do so a little later. For now, only the steady sound of breathing quietly filled the bedroom.