He’s a Fox Ch 25

Chapter 25

“She’s going with Hohyun, so Juwon, you take Yuri and come with me.”

“…Excuse me?”

The crocodile, who hadn’t been informed that he would be paired with the wolf, looked utterly taken aback. When he turned to glance at the great tiger with the expression of Was this arranged beforehand?, the guardian simply nodded and passed the younger sibling over to him.

Since Yuri’s attention was still fixed on the lightbulb, she showed no displeasure at being separated from her older brother. And so, the baby, the crocodile, and the wolf headed first toward the children’s clothing section. Kangwoon stepped up to the front seat window and tapped, knock knock. A fox inside hesitantly stepped out.

He had assumed that they would be heading to an ordinary clothing store when they mentioned buying clothes, but he hadn’t expected to arrive at a department store that, even from the outside, looked anything but ordinary. On top of that, judging from the situation, it seemed he would have to move together with the great tiger. The tension made Hohyun swallow dryly.

Following behind the tiger, who strode forward as if completely familiar with the place, they arrived at a store specializing in men’s clothing. It seemed everything had been arranged in advance—rows of hangers with dozens of outfits hung neatly in place. The staff members stood back, keeping their distance without approaching or speaking to them. Unaware that Kim Hyunseok had specifically instructed them not to disturb Kangwoon, who disliked unnecessary interactions, Hohyun merely assumed this was some unique sales policy of an expensive department store.

After scanning the clothes, the tiger gave Hohyun a light push toward them.

“I’ll be waiting, so take your time and pick something you like.”

With that, he sat down on the prepared sofa and began leafing through a catalog, starting from the children’s clothing section. Watching him, Hohyun then moved closer to the racks. He felt both burdened and amazed by this kind of treatment, something he had never experienced before. Still, regardless of anything else, he had to deal with his pants, which were currently sliding down in real time. Trying to make it look less obvious, he tugged them up as he examined the clothes one by one. Seeing so many different styles gathered in one place—almost as if every kind of men’s fashion in the world had been collected here—was oddly amusing.

Oh, this one looks nice.

He found something that matched the style he usually liked. Absentmindedly, he pulled the hanger out and glanced at the price tag. The moment his eyes registered the numbers, he inhaled sharply. One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten-thousand… a dizzying parade of zeros made him squeeze his eyes shut, reopen them, and rub them with his hands—but no matter how many times he looked, the numbers refused to change. Realizing that his vision wasn’t the problem, the fox began trembling as he turned his gaze toward where the tiger sat.

Just as he was about to say this was impossible, a familiar sensation crept up his spine, making him flinch. That feeling…! In a rush, Hohyun shoved the clothes back onto the hanger, glanced around, and bolted toward a fitting booth along the wall.

The staff were visibly startled by the fox’s sudden erratic behavior. The tiger, who had been lounging on the sofa, immediately rose to his feet. Kangwoon approached the booth Hohyun had run into and tapped softly on the door. From inside came not a voice but a pitiful whimpering sound.

Could it be…?

With a doubtful expression, the tiger carefully pushed on the door. It opened easily—apparently, the latch hadn’t been locked. Inside, buried in clothes, was the fox. His vacant, dazed expression lifted to meet the tiger’s gaze before he began to let out small, suppressed cries.

“Ki…iing… kkeng. Kkaekook…”

The sound was so miserable that Kangwoon instinctively checked if tears were forming in the fox’s eyes. They did look a bit moist, but fortunately, his eyes were still dry. Looking at the pitiful fox, the tiger asked,

“Your transformation isn’t working properly?”

“Kiing…”

The fox nodded in affirmation.

“You can’t change back, either?”

“….”

Closing his eyes tightly, Hohyun tried to concentrate, but then shook his head gloomily. His transformation seemed completely stuck; only pitiful whimpers escaped his mouth. Since nothing could be resolved by remaining there, Kangwoon reached into the pile of clothes and scooped up the limp fox. Hohyun allowed himself to be held without resistance.

The sight of a customer suddenly running into a booth only to reappear as a black fox shocked the staff. Instead of the distressed fox, Kangwoon handled the situation, asking them to take care of the aftermath. Since the clothes had only been put on as a sample, there was no need to reclaim them. The garments that had clung to the fox for an hour were thrown into the trash.

Rather than leaving right away, the tiger went back to the clothing racks. Normally, the person wearing the clothes would have picked their own, but since the fox was clearly in no state to voice an opinion, there was no helping it. Kangwoon selected several outfits he thought were decent, estimating the size by eye.

He compared Hohyun’s frame to his own to get a general idea of the fox’s size. Fortunately, his guess was fairly accurate. Forgetting his gloom for a moment, Hohyun looked up at him in surprise. The clothes were about a size smaller than he normally wore, but since he usually preferred loose-fitting clothes, it wasn’t a problem.

Holding the fox with one hand, the tiger pulled out his wallet with the other and opened it wide, holding it out to Hohyun. The fox sniffed the cards instinctively. Watching this, Kangwoon said gently,

“My hands are full right now. Could you pull one out for me?”

It was something even clumsy paws could manage. Hohyun placed his paw on the wallet and pushed upward. Startled by his own body’s sudden change, his jelly-like pads grew damp, and the plastic card slipped right out. Kangwoon accepted the card the fox had personally pulled out and handed it to the staff.

When the fox realized what was happening, he remembered the price and gave a startled cry. He had nearly fainted over the cost of just one outfit—yet now they were buying several at once. His trembling gaze fixed on the shopping bags being neatly filled with clothes. Following his line of sight, the tiger calmly explained,

“If you only have one, you won’t have a change of clothes. That’s why I bought several.”

“…Kkia-ung.”

The number was one thing, but what really unsettled the fox was the price. With a desperate little paw, Hohyun tapped the tiger’s wallet. Only then did Kangwoon realize why the fox was distressed. His response, however, was dismissive, as if it were nothing.

“Even if I bought this entire building, it wouldn’t be a problem, so don’t worry. If it makes you feel better, just think of it as employee benefits.”

Strictly speaking, Hohyun wasn’t officially an employee yet, since no contract had been signed. Still, the tiger’s words were clearly meant to ease his burden. Touched, the fox licked his hand in gratitude—the only option available while dangling in his hold.

The soft sensation made Kangwoon glance down at the fox, before casually stuffing his wallet back into his pocket. His now-free hand naturally rested on the fox’s head, gently stroking. The action seemed a little more practiced than last time. Hohyun, too, silently leaned into his touch.

After fiddling with the fox for a while, the tiger waited until the chosen outfits were fully packaged before leaving. The fox flinched when he saw him walking away without the bags, turning his head to look back. But Kangwoon scolded him for twisting around and told him to face forward, lest he fall.

While looking straight ahead, Hohyun could hear footsteps approaching from behind. Glancing at a mirror in one of the stores they passed, he saw the staff trailing them with shopping bags in hand. The whole thing felt like a scene straight out of a drama. Wide-eyed, the fox curiously looked around, his head bobbing this way and that. Seeing his twitching ears, the tiger slowed his pace, allowing the fox to take in the sights until they reached the children’s clothing section.

Though there weren’t signs pointing out “this way to that section,” he could tell they had arrived. Familiar voices carried from a distance.

“Wow, our princess really is a princess!”

“She’s the best, young lady!”

Deep, booming voices echoed as grown men fussed loudly. Unsurprisingly, just a couple of blocks ahead, the crocodile’s silhouette was visible. A wolf, nearly as large as the reptile, was clapping in awe beside him. Watching his embarrassing companions, the tiger sighed.

He didn’t even need to see to know what they were reacting to. Striding forward, Kangwoon sought out his younger sister, hidden by the others.

Deliberately making his footsteps loud, he approached, drawing Hyunseok’s attention. With a “Look at this!” expression, Hyunseok pointed down to his feet. There stood the baby, dressed in a sailor-style two-piece outfit, complete with a round beret. It was exactly Hyunseok’s taste. Judging by this, it seemed they had already finished shopping here as well.

The baby tiger, listening to the fuss with a disinterested face, suddenly locked eyes on the black bundle of fur in Kangwoon’s arms. Realizing it was the beloved puppy, her little face lit up.

“Moong…! …Huh?”

ashe had started to run over excitedly, only to skid to a halt so abruptly it squeaked. Hadn’t the one who came in the car with him earlier been that strange adult who insisted he was the puppy? Where did that man go, and why was his brother now holding the real puppy?

Everyone else was equally shocked at the sight of the black fox occupying the tiger’s arm. Hyunseok shot Kangwoon a questioning look, but the tiger merely gestured toward Yuri with her chin. Understanding, the crocodile quickly scooped up the little girl.

The tiger carried the baby and the fox straight back to the car. Hohyun, nervous that he might be rejected again, was relieved to find that since he was in puppy form this time, the baby didn’t protest. Still, she didn’t cling or hug him as usual, too preoccupied by her unanswered questions.

Once his sister was safely tucked inside, the tiger stepped back out. Watching the staff load shopping bags into the trunk, Hyunseok commented wistfully.

Footnotes:

1. Transformation (“변이”) – In this story’s context, certain characters can shapeshift between human and animal forms. Hohyun, referred to as a fox here, struggles with controlling his transformation. 
2. “Employee benefits” remark – Kangwoon frames his extravagant spending as if buying expensive clothes is no more than workplace perks, downplaying the burden and subtly expressing care. 
3. Sailor-style outfit (“세라복”) – A Japanese-inspired clothing style often associated with school uniforms or children’s fashion, recognizable by its sailor collar.