He’s a Fox Ch 107

Chapter 107 Side Story 2

At this hour, the kinds of messages one might receive were limited, and as it happened, there was something Kangwoon had been waiting for. So rather than even bother to check the culprit behind the phone’s noisy vibration, he opened his mouth.

“I met Kim Hyunseok recently, and he told me something amusing.”

“You’re not suddenly going to report your social life, are you. What does that have to do with me?”

“It’s not unrelated. He said a tiger came to their side.”

“……”

At those words from the younger brother who had maintained silence since their reunion, a crack finally ran across Taeryeong’s relaxed expression. There were only six tigers currently living in the eastern region: Father and Mother, the Beom family’s three siblings including Kangwoon, and Amur Lunti.

An aged father would never haul his heavy body to the wolves’ den, so he was naturally excluded from the candidates. It was unlikely that Kangwoon, who was close with Hyunseok, would go out of his way to visit the household that had poor relations with his friend; Yuri couldn’t move alone; and Amur, who had only recently arrived from the West, wouldn’t even know such a household existed. That left only one: Taeryeong.

When he had first heard it from Hyunseok, he’d vaguely assumed it was something related to Father, but after the incident broke out, that didn’t seem to be the whole story. Perhaps because he left threads that pricked at the imagination instead of getting straight to the point, the easy smile fixed on Taeryeong’s lips had quietly vanished. At Kangwoon’s suggestive remark, Taeryeong lightly furrowed the bridge of her nose and asked,

“So?”

“You know the eldest grandson of that house got caught up in an incident recently, right?”

“…I do. And I also know it won’t blow up into something big.”

Unlike the petty scrapes they usually caused, it was fairly large this time, but the old wolves who doted on their eldest grandson wouldn’t leave it alone. Even if it took some time, as always, the focus of the incident would blur and, instead of assigning blame, it would sink beneath the surface—so implied Taeryeong’s words, but Kangwoon paid it no mind. This time, things were going to be different.

It should be about time for word to reach that side, too.

As he waited with calm patience, one of the beastfolk on the periphery hurried over to Taeryeong. Watching the anxious look thick on the predator’s face as he whispered up close, Kangwoon waited unhurriedly. The distance was considerable, so he couldn’t make out the exact words, but since they were passing the message even in a situation like this, it had to be what he thought. He was confident the same report that had reached his phone moments earlier was now being delivered to her.

The longer it went on, the stiffer Beom Taeryeong’s face became. Her glossy gaze fixed on Kangwoon as if to pierce through him. As much as Kangwoon knew her, Beom Taeryeong had taken the measure of him. Judging by the murderous glare, she was clearly concluding that the source of her troubles today was her younger brother, who, uncharacteristically, had been beating around the bush.

Even in the grim, ominous air, Kangwoon waited quietly. Given her nature, she would bring it up first anyway. Sure enough, as soon as the report ended, Taeryeong pounced to test her hypothesis.

“Was this your doing?”

“I received something, so how could I just let it go? I figured I should at least give something back, so I put in a little effort.”

At his calm admission, Taeryeong clenched her fist tight. Her protruding claws dug into the flesh of her palm, and blood dripped down. It must have hurt considerably, like tearing live flesh, but she didn’t seem to count that level of pain as pain at all, for she didn’t take her eyes off Kangwoon.

Judging by her reaction, the preparation had been worth it. Pleased, the corners of his mouth lifted as he recalled the work he had done in concert with a cousin he didn’t much care for.

Since last time, Amur had been poking around everywhere to wipe out the human-trafficking ring. He wasn’t stupid, so he’d achieved some results in his own way. All Kangwoon had done was pass along traces of Beom Taeryeong that had been found in that process.

Because a high-ranking official from the Western side was tangled up among the victims, even Kim Kyungseok wouldn’t find it easy to wriggle free. Beom Taeryeong had likely approached the wolf in distress and secured some promise in exchange for abducting Hohyun instead. She hadn’t directly participated in human trafficking, but now that there was evidence linking her to someone who had certainly committed crimes, it was clear she’d be dealing with some truly troublesome matters going forward.

Ordinarily, it might have been no more than a minor scratch, but in the midst of a taut struggle with Father, it could prove threatening to Taeryeong. Even the smallest wound can fester badly, and Kangwoon was more than willing to pick at it. Knowing that, Taeryeong had no trouble reading her younger brother’s intent in his eyes.

Touch him one more time, and something will be fabricated—no matter what it takes. He had avoided getting involved or taking sides because he didn’t want to be dragged in, but if pushed, he was declaring that he would actively join the family feud. At that, Taeryeong’s face twisted into something vicious. Seeing that face, Kangwoon drove in the wedge.

“As has been said time and again, I don’t particularly care whether you and Father tear each other apart.”

“……”

“Kill or spare—do as you please between the two of you, and don’t drag me into it.”

The moment he finished speaking, Kangwoon’s throat rumbled roughly. Grrr—at the unmistakable threat, Taeryeong bared her teeth. Opening and closing her fists, she seemed to be debating whether to lunge. It was no surprising reaction, so Kangwoon assumed that a physical clash could break out at any time.

Minutes passed with muscles tightly tensed. What broke the silent standoff was the sound of footsteps from a short distance away.

Round ears swiveled in unison toward one side. Turning his head toward the noise, he saw a leopard escorting a black bear as if hauling him in. Perhaps because of the clothes he wore, the scent was unfamiliar, but Kangwoon recognized him without difficulty. The second reason for Kangwoon’s visit stood there.

If it had been only to deliver a warning, there would have been no need to meet face-to-face. A call or a text would have conveyed the intent well enough. He had insisted on meeting in person because there was one more individual to retrieve besides Hohyun.

The leopard, striding along like a beast proud after the hunt, flinched the moment he saw Kangwoon standing by the gate and gave a shudder. The fellow had worked under Beom Taeryeong for a long time and was no stranger to Kangwoon. Leaving the leopard to read the room in the grim air, Kangwoon bid farewell to the sister who was still glaring at him.

“I’ve said what I came to say, so I’ll be going.”

“…..”

Normally she would try to take one more swipe at this point, but she must have been thoroughly irritated. Even at Kangwoon’s parting shot, Taeryeong pressed her lips tight and flicked her tail. With nothing left to say, Kangwoon turned on his heel at once. A few of the beastfolk behind him were shocked beyond measure. To show one’s back in a powder-keg moment like this! But Kangwoon had his reasons and the confidence for it.

The Beom family’s eldest daughter—whose looks and temper seemed cast from the same mold as their father—might attack head-on, but she would never go for an opponent’s back. Something about it lacking dignity, or what have you. To those who didn’t know that, Kangwoon’s behavior would look recklessly foolhardy.

Seeing Kangwoon approach, the leopard faltered and backed away. Thanks to that, Han Kyungwoo, left standing alone, staggered but tried to rise the moment he saw Kangwoon. Helping him up by the arm, Kangwoon departed at a measured pace. He had delivered his warning safely, and he had found the bear who had ventured into the mansion alone to look for Hohyun. All that remained was to go home.

Thus, after tying up all loose ends, Kangwoon returned home around two o’clock, having boarded the car that had been waiting near the edge of the forest. It had been hours since he’d sent Hohyun ahead with the crocodile driving, so contrary to his expectation that no one would be there, a guest remained in the garage. The large tiger approached the car, which was parked with its engine running, with a puzzled look.

His eyes met those of the crocodile in the driver’s seat, who was looking at his phone. The instant he spotted Kangwoon, he darted out in a hurry. The reptile, whose face looked tired, mouthed words soundlessly. It seemed he was trying to convey something, but to the eyes of a tiger beast with a different oral structure, it wasn’t easy to make out what he was saying. Judging by how he tried to reduce the noise as much as possible, Kangwoon could roughly guess the situation.

Kangwoon quietly leaned toward the rear window. In the glow of the headlights, the interior was faintly visible. Inside the dim cabin, a fox slept deeply, oblivious to the passage of time. After a brief moment watching the pale face even in the darkness, Kangwoon carefully opened the door and lifted Hohyun into his arms.