He’s a Fox Ch 116

Chapter 116 Side Story 11

“Really? Doesn’t look that way to me.”

“…Pardon?”

At the blank flutter of his lashes, an impulse leapt up. Unable to resist, Kangwoon took a big, playful bite of the white cheek. Startled by the sudden nip, Hohyun couldn’t even make a proper sound, only squeezed his eyes shut. When those eyes opened again, wide with confusion, Kangwoon couldn’t help laughing out loud.

A fox tail had sprung out at some point, standing on end. Seeing such a vivid sign of tension, Kangwoon narrowed his eyes. His gaze met Hohyun’s as the fox fumbled to catch his own tail. The end, extra fluffy, flicked like it had a will of its own. Even without the earlier near-confession, the body language was clear enough to guess the feeling he held.

Intrigued, Kangwoon took a step closer. The already small gap shortened until “within arm’s reach” hardly covered it. Their breaths seemed visible between them. The familiar scent wafted over, and Hohyun felt dizzy.

It was a face devastating even from afar. Taking it in up close—close enough that a forward slip could bump a nose—blanked his mind white. Staring at eyes unusually bright under the stark streetlight, Hohyun couldn’t endure the overload and squeezed his eyes shut—an unthinking act, never guessing how it might be taken.

At the sight of a fox squeezing his eyes shut the moment faces drew near, Kangwoon’s gaze deepened. Lifting a hand to cup his cheek, the tiger bowed and set a light kiss on the fox’s lips. The moist warmth, so at odds with the dry winter air, made Hohyun’s eyes fly open. Almost at the same instant his tail fur bristled, his body jerked back.

He clapped both hands over his mouth at the unfamiliar sensation, but couldn’t stop the sound that slipped out.

“…Hic.”

At the helpless hiccup, the smile tugging at Kangwoon’s lips grew. Staring at that easy grin, Hohyun muttered in a daze,

“Th-this… hic… what just…”

News of the dead returning would be less shocking than this. Seeing him clearly wrestle with whether this was real or fantasy, Kangwoon closed the distance again. He caught the fox’s hand before he could retreat; even the threadbare words he was managing broke off. Watching him with an air of amused ease, the tiger asked lightly,

“Was that your first time?”

“H-how did you know?”

At the bull’s-eye, Hohyun’s eyes went round. Kangwoon’s eyes crinkled. The tight lips since the touch, the fidgeting hands with nowhere to go—anyone could tell.

Though he didn’t want to look crude by fixating on the word “first,” hearing that it was his first time being this close with anyone sent a surprising rush of pleasure through him. A first of any kind lingers in memory. Thinking he might remain forever in this guileless fox’s mind made the corners of his mouth lift.

At that unsurprised reaction, Hohyun rubbed his cheek, sheepish. Was it that obvious? If he noticed that fast, he must have looked hopelessly green. But it couldn’t be helped. Until now, “kisses” had been limited to father or Puppy… Wait. A thought flashed, and his face grew grave.

Thoughts flickered by in a blink, and at last Hohyun took back what he’d said.

“Boss. Um…”

“Mm.”

“I, well…”

After hemming and hawing, he finally let out what had come to him, face falling.

“It actually wasn’t my first kiss.”

Even at the limp confession, Kangwoon didn’t bat an eye.

“Yeah? With who?”

“Happy.”

“Happy?”

Happy. A name no one would give a person. No parent on earth would saddle a child with that. As if to confirm the guess, Hohyun mumbled an addendum.

“When I was four… the neighbors’ poodle.”

It was a dog who loved people so much he’d sprint over at the faintest sign of life, tail going wild… The rest dissipated as Kangwoon leaned close. The fox who, not five minutes ago, had touched lips with a non-relative for the first time, snapped his eyes shut on reflex. His taut nerves made his expectations plain, and the tiger tilted his head, watching the fox hold his breath and wait.

But instead of kissing, he reached to gently clasp Hohyun’s chin. When the fox slid an eye open at the unexpected move, Kangwoon set his lips to the tightly sealed mouth. If non-sapients counted, semantics aside—one needed at least this to hear a proper kiss.

His grip firmed. With a light press under the chin, the vacuum-tight lips parted a hair. The tiger’s thick tongue slipped through without missing the opening.

Having something of another’s inside one’s mouth was rare. Startled by the foreignness, Hohyun jolted—but the tongue, once in, didn’t withdraw.

Kangwoon traced and tested the wandering tongue with a careful rub. The new sensation made both of them twitch. The canid was shocked that a person’s tongue could feel this textured; the felid, doubting how anything so soft could do its job. The surprise passed quickly, and Kangwoon found himself amused by the fox’s reactions.

The once-tentative tongue began to move as if to taste every inch. Hohyun clutched at his arm with a pained little sound. Meeting those desperate hands with an easy steadiness, Kangwoon slid an arm around his waist.

Somewhere near his ear, a wet sound echoed. Only much later did Hohyun realize it came from the two of them. The sheer embarrassment of the sound flushed his face. He silently praised his past self for choosing left at the fork. Thank goodness no one was around; otherwise, what a nuisance they’d have been…

Even while imagining disaster, he felt no urge to push away. Kissing someone whose mere presence felt good? Who could stop that of their own accord? For a moment all his focus narrowed to the press of lips—until an unexpected problem arose.

When a person becomes conscious of an automatic act—breathing through the nose, swallowing—everything turns awkward. The moment he noticed he was breathing through his nose, breathing became hard. He was too aware his breath might hit Kangwoon. As time went on, his face reddened for a different reason.

Sensing the panting through their joined mouths, Kangwoon opened his eyes. Seeing those trembling lashes and flushed cheeks, he let out a sigh before he knew it. With their lips still sealed, that breath passed directly into Hohyun. Having inhaled twice in a row, the fox hastily shoved him back, coughing hard. Kangwoon owned the misstep.

He steadied the heaving fox, rubbing his back in slow strokes, and clicked his tongue. It had ended unwittingly—what a shame. To be having thoughts like this with a youngster who counted a smooch with a poodle among “first kisses”—it made him feel unscrupulous. Well, perhaps rightly so. Even so, he eased Hohyun closer by the waist, rumbling his throat with quiet satisfaction.

“Sorry—clumsy, huh? I haven’t kissed much either.”

“…What?!”

Not much kissing—what was that supposed to mean? Hohyun stared up in shock. With a face so magnificent you’d believe he’d done far more without blinking, such a claim strained credulity. Shaking his head, Hohyun refused to believe it.