He’s a Fox Ch 27

Chapter 27

“Did you… bring that out on purpose?”

“Huh?”

Atop the round head, triangular ears had sprung up. A human form with fox ears protruding—if it wasn’t intentional, that was a problem; if it was intentional, that too was a problem.

Beastkin were able to shift between animal and human forms, and it was also entirely possible for them to settle into a mixed state in between. However, in modern society—filled with buildings and automobiles—taking the form of a four-legged beast created endless inconveniences. That is why most beastkin maintained a human-like appearance.

Usually, drawing out their beast forms while standing upright on two legs only happened when emotions were heightened, when injury or illness made control difficult, or when they wanted to assert dominance over someone. Since animal traits brought physical advantages, it worked as a kind of survival strategy.

That was precisely why Kangwoon asked the question. Although things looked a little awkward and unnatural, Hohyun showed no sign of fear whatsoever. Yet, considering the situation, it hardly seemed like Hohyun was trying to assert dominance over him. The body parts that had revealed themselves—the ears and tail—were hardly threatening. Soft ears and a fluffy tail were not something even a three-year-old child would see as a weapon. Furthermore, keeping his human ears intact while adding fox ears conferred no benefit that Kangwoon could discern.

At Kangwoon’s question, the fox ears that had been drooping slightly perked up. Looking thoroughly puzzled, the fox touched the crown of his head as Kangwoon gestured toward it. When his fingers met the triangular ears, Hohyun flinched in shock.

“Uh… uh… what?”

His hands rubbed at the triangular ears while his face cramped with confusion. He squeezed his eyes shut as though forcing them to vanish, straining hard, but instead of disappearing, a tail burst forth as well. The sudden obstruction pressing against his lower body added uncomfortable pressure. A dreadful thought occurred—that his pants might split at any moment. Frantically, Hohyun’s hand reached behind. Thankfully, there was a hidden opening for tails. He unzipped the back of his pants and pushed the tail through.

But the tail was not the only problem. Four ears! Even with transformations, duplicating the same body part was rare. In the western regions, where the rule was that maintaining a human majority of form allowed one freedom to show traits like ears or tails, this kind of twisted appearance was still scarcely seen.

Worse yet, all of them functioned. Sounds came rushing from every direction. This had never happened before. Though the doctor earlier had reassured him not to worry, hearing it said and actually seeing it before his eyes were entirely different shocks.

The fear that he might have to live like this forever made Hohyun let out a faint groan. The whimper, louder than he expected, was heard by the child behind him. The baby tiger—who had been happily playing alone, stepping on flowers and pebbles—suddenly sprang up in fright. The tail peeking from beneath her dress puffed out all at once, like something that had exploded. In the very next beat, she fell to the ground; startled into leaping, she seemed to have lost her step.

Startled by the accident right before his eyes, Hohyun forgot his own troubles and dashed toward her. He picked up the child who had collapsed on the grass, checking to see if she was hurt anywhere.

“Yuri, are you okay? Oh no, that must hurt.”

Fortunately, since she had fallen on grass, the damage was no worse than a small scrape. Some dirt brushing and disinfectant would be sufficient. Carefully patting at her knee to knock away the soil, Hohyun leaned closer and pretended to blow on it. The little girl’s wide eyes looked up at him.

Until then, whenever she fell, the adults around her showed little reaction. Her parents, with their old-fashioned attitude, declared a child must grow strong and thus left her lying on her own. Her brother, Kangwoon, would wait patiently until she got up by herself. Her older sister, Beom Taeryeong, was more often the cause of Yuri’s falls, so it was fortunate when she merely refrained.

Even the large attendants who normally fawned over their young lady were no different from Kangwoon in moments like this. If her guardians didn’t move, how could they? This was why such tender kindness was the very first Yuri had ever received in her short life.

His soft voice coaxed her, his eyes full of genuine worry. Under the reflection of light bounced from the grass, his deep black eyes were tinged with an unusual green glow that showed even more vividly than they did beneath fluorescent lamps. Yuri stared up at him with a complicated expression. She reached out, tugging shyly at Hohyun’s sleeve, and stammered a question.

“Um, Yuri’s really curious about something. Can she ask?”

“Hm? Oh—yes, of course.”

Hohyun quickly nodded. Whatever it was, why refuse? The mere fact that cautious little Yuri was speaking to him at all made him glad. Seated on the ground while he crouched before her, the conversation continued face-to-face.

What was she going to ask? Was it whether he was really the puppy she’d seen before? Or perhaps, she wanted to know his name? But her actual question caught him completely off guard.

“Does it hurt?”

“…What?”

It was she who had fallen down—why ask him? The unscathed fox tilted his head in confusion, but with a serious expression, the little girl carried on.

“You went to see a doctor, right? But you only see the doctor if you’re hurt. And Oppa² and Woni Uncle aren’t hurt.”

² Oppa (오빠): Korean—used by a younger girl to address her older brother.

In other words, since they had been at the hospital, someone must have been unwell. With two of the three clearly fine, her conclusion was that the last one—Hohyun—must be the sick one.

Her sky-blue eyes shone with lingering wariness, but her question was not about whether or not he was truly a “puppy.” Rather, it came from a pure-hearted worry that he might be suffering.

Struck by a flood of emotion, Hohyun let out a faint groan. How can a child be this kind? In awe and touched, his eyes went moist as he quickly sought to prove his health. With a bright smile, he lifted his arms slightly before her.

“No, not at all. I’m not hurt anywhere. See? I’m perfectly fine. We only visited the doctor to ask about something.”

Indeed, there was a problem with his transformation. But since it was explained as a temporary condition, the claim of not being ill wasn’t wrong. Encouraged, Hohyun rolled up the sleeve of his oversized shirt, showing her his arm.

On his right there was still the small mark of a blood draw, but his left was flawless. His pale, unblemished arm was offered clearly for her to inspect, but still, the child’s eyes held doubt. That was only natural—the tiger and the alligator beside him weighed dozens of kilograms more than Hohyun. Her standards for health were comparative, and Hohyun scored poorly.

Thus, he had no option but to turn in a full circle where he stood, flaunting his healthy state.

As he spun, his black tail swayed gracefully. The striking contrast of its snowy white tip against the black fur made Yuri’s eyes grow wide like a rabbit’s. In an instant she stretched out her tiny hand and grasped the tail.

“…!”

The sudden touch made Hohyun leap in surprise, but Yuri clung firmly to the tail and declared:

“puppy!”

Her sky-blue eyes sparkled brightly, as though she had uncovered a great truth. Of course, Hohyun was far, far bigger than three-year-old Yuri. She could never take in his whole form at once. Already slow to trust strangers, this was really the first time she had seen his tail so clearly. That oversized, loose shirt he wore had only hidden things further.

Feeling hope stir in his chest, Hohyun wondered—Maybe things are finally going well?

But even as he thought that, Yuri’s tiny hands continued to knead his tail before she asked in an even brighter voice:

“Oppa too… is he also a puppy?”

“Ah, well…”

Hohyun’s face froze in embarrassment. Contrary to his hopes, Yuri had not realized that the puppy she knew and the person before her were one and the same. She merely thought him of the same kind.

If he agreed and said, “Yes, I’m a puppy,” then later, when she found out he was actually a fox, cleaning up that misunderstanding would be impossible. If he told the truth up front—that he was a fox—he feared the precious attention she had granted him would vanish instantly.

Help!! Hohyun sent a frantic look to the alligator and the tiger watching nearby. His gaze was desperate.

Seeing it, Kangwoon rose from the pavilion and came over. Lifting Yuri into his arms, he spoke gently, correcting her assumption:

“He’s not also a puppy. That Oppa is the puppy.”

“…Truly?”

“Of course. Look. His tail is just the same as moongmoo’s, and his ears too.”

The little girl looked carefully once more at Hohyun. At her gaze, his fox ears trembled timidly. She studied his tail, then let out a soft sound of thought. It was impossible to refute—after all, the traits were identical. Yet she could not fully accept it either. To her, the tiny fox in her memory and the adult man standing now simply could not possibly be the same being.

She could neither reject nor accept it. Watching her waver, the guardian tiger judged that they were nearly there. The wary phase was over. Just a little longer and she would return entirely to her old self—perhaps even refusing to leave Hohyun’s side. Still, it would not end here, not right this moment.

So the big tiger leaned down and poked the frowning little girl softly on the cheek.