He’s a Fox Ch 3

Chapter 3

 

“Of all the things that could happen in life, I’ve ended up getting kidnapped.”

He’d never once thought of himself as lucky in life, but this time, things had really gone too far. To be kidnapped by human traffickers! He was sure that, if he ever made it back home, this incident would become the hot topic at family gatherings for the next forty years. That is, if he could return home at all.

It was truly an absurd situation, but perhaps because he had been tempered by countless large and small incidents over the course of twenty-one years, he regained his composure fairly quickly. Hohyun calmly looked around.

Inside the metal cage, barely 90 centimeters in size, sat two empty bowls. When he brought his snout closer and sniffed, it seemed one was for water and the other for kibble. He hadn’t expected gourmet food, but this was beyond what he could’ve imagined.

“Suin(beastmen/shifters)” were a race that could freely shift between human and animal forms. They could fully take on either appearance or mix the two. So, eating kibble while in a more animalistic state wasn’t inherently a problem. But being fed from a dog bowl was a different story altogether.

It was like being treated as a literal animal—offensive, to say the least—but what could he do? The ones in charge were criminals. They had knocked someone out from behind in broad daylight and abducted them; no way they were going to entertain complaints.

And so, a week passed in confinement. The puppy that had shared his cage was sold on the second day. Watching the delighted buyer and the gleeful seller, Hohyun was able to gather quite a bit of information.

First, these people treated beastmen as smart and long-living pets. Since ordinary animals died too quickly, they thought, “Let’s raise beastman instead!” It was an idea so vile it could put Satan out of a job, but apparently, it was alluring enough to those with money rotting in their coffers.

So many beastmen were sold and brought in that he couldn’t count them all on both hands. Dozens were trafficked out and new ones were captured. Still, perhaps because they knew deep down they were selling people, the traffickers had some restrictions in place. Chief among them was forcing collars tightly around the necks of beastmen in their original animal form.

Those brought in were all small-sized species or children. Naturally, beastmen were bigger in their human form than in their animal one. So by fitting a snug collar while they were animals, it ensured they couldn’t transform into their human shape—if they tried, they’d be choked to death.

But that wasn’t all. The inside of the collar was lined with sharp, needle-like protrusions. Though he hadn’t seen it directly, just brushing it with a paw made it sting, so it was clear that any attempt at transformation would tear the skin to shreds.

An animal’s vocal cords had their limits, so to speak like a human, additional transformation around the throat was necessary—but that would mean the needles would… Thanks to this, even communicating with the beastmen in neighboring cages wasn’t easy. No matter how hard one tried to talk, if they were from a different species, it only came out as animal noises.

Perhaps aware of this, the traffickers rarely caged similar species together. Over the past week, the only beastman Hohyun had spoken with were a puppy barely able to babble and an old dog whose every other word was a cough. Eventually, Hohyun gave up trying to get information from others.

Amidst the string of worst-case scenarios, the one silver lining was that foxes were an unpopular species. Perhaps the same social perception that had once landed Hohyun in unemployment also applied here—no one showed much interest in foxes. A few people gave him curious looks, but it ended there; it never turned into a sale.

From the conversations of those feeding him, he learned they had captured him because he was a rare black fox, but his condition was too poor to sell.

Just a month ago, Hohyun had been suffering from overwork and malnutrition. His appearance was far from pleasing—his fur was dry and patchy, and he was so thin his ribs were showing. Naturally, customers looking for pretty and healthy pets ignored him and picked only the well-kept beastman next to him.

The traffickers didn’t like that, but to Hohyun, it was good news. Who knew what would happen after being sold off? The environment here was rough, but it was still far better to stay put and wait for a chance to escape.

“Being a fox does have its perks,” Hohyun thought for a moment before sinking back into gloom. If he hadn’t been a fox to begin with, he would’ve landed a new job instead of working a part-time shift at a warehouse. If that had been the case, he wouldn’t have ended up getting kidnapped.

How did my life end up like this? The twenty-one-year-old fox, who prided himself on having lived a good life, let out a sorrowful cry.

“Ki-aaeeng…!”

As the fox cried out loudly from his cluttered cage, the nearby beastman glanced over at him. Half the looks said, “What’s wrong with him?” while the other half were filled with concern, as if to say, “That’s going to cause trouble.” The man responsible for the latter soon came running and kicked the bars of the cage.

BANG! The squirrel caged right beside him flinched and shrank back. The man had kicked so hard the cages shook. With a menacing scowl, he growled.

“Damn it, can’t you shut that mouth of yours?”

The grim expression was unfamiliar, but the face itself was all too familiar—it was the last one he saw before being captured. The so-called “Mr. Jeong,” who had a reputation for being quiet but competent, turned out to be a criminal. If Mr. Hwang or the other residents of dorm room 7 saw this, they’d probably faint.

To make things worse, this guy was the lowest-ranking member among the traffickers. He always groveled in front of higher-ups and took on the dirtiest jobs. But he took out all the stress he accumulated from work on the captured beastmen.

He kicked cages, overturned water bowls, and withheld food. The other beastmen trembled at the sight. Though they couldn’t speak to each other due to the collars, it was clear they feared being beaten if they stepped out of line.

But Hohyun, who’d been there longer, wasn’t scared at all. He could kick the bars all he wanted—he’d only hurt his own foot. There was a solid cage between them. That meant direct harm was impossible.

Sure, he had the keys to the cages, but as a mere underling, he didn’t have the authority to open them. The only time the locked cages were opened was when a customer asked to take a closer look at a specific “animal” for sale. What was this guy going to do, beat up a product?

The dog beastman surnamed Jeong had long since been branded a mutt in Hohyun’s mind. When Hohyun snorted and turned his head away, the mutt growled. Clearly, he didn’t like Hohyun’s attitude.

Grinding his teeth, the mutt kicked the cage again. KA-BANG! This time, the sound was even louder. It didn’t scare him, but the sheer volume made Hohyun’s ears instinctively flatten. As the echo rang through the warehouse, another worker came over and scolded him.

“Can’t you knock it off? A VIP will be arriving soon—you’re ruining the atmosphere.”

A distinguished guest? At the unfamiliar word, Hohyun’s ears perked up. But no further explanation followed. The dog tucked his tail quietly under the rabbit beastman’s warning, who ranked higher than him. The staff member who gave the warning returned to his duties, and as soon as his superior disappeared, the dog began grumbling.

“…They said that person wouldn’t even come this way, so what does it matter? And why should I be concerned about people who haven’t even shown up yet?”

He irritably kicked Hohyun’s cage again. Compared to the earlier forceful kicks that had echoed all around, this one was laughably weak. It was clear he was overly conscious of the rabbit with the sharp hearing.

That day, the dog didn’t feed Hohyun. It was obviously revenge for what had happened earlier. Still, it didn’t matter much — the dog only handled lunch and dinner. The morning meal was managed by a sheep beastman on the early shift. Hohyun clutched his growling stomach and tried to sleep, thinking he would just wait until morning.

But it was the next day that Hohyun realized his plan had gone awry. The sun had risen, but the food he was waiting for never came. Instead, unfamiliar people flooded in. They were all large, carnivorous-type beastmen. It was the visit of the “distinguished guest” the rabbit had mentioned.

Their sharp black suits, perfectly fitted, contrasted strongly with the way they walked on two legs, tails swaying slightly behind them. In modern society, hands and feet — better suited for delicate work than sharp claws or teeth — were preferred, so most beastmen chose to resemble humans.

Only a select few retained their original forms while walking on two legs. Most of those were gangsters or had other shady jobs.

The strange thing, however, was that there didn’t seem to be a single individual among them who could be considered the “distinguished guest.” They were all lined up, appearing to be of the same rank. Usually, human buyers came in person to choose according to their tastes.

The suited beastmen positioned themselves a bit away and showed no interest in the cages. They simply stood quietly in place.

As Hohyun poked his snout through the bars and curiously watched, another group appeared. Unlike the intimidating suited group, this one didn’t seem particularly special. Judging by their attire and numbers, they looked like ordinary customers.

From the wings poking up behind them, they appeared to be bird-type beastmen. One of the customers approached, chatting cheerfully with a staff member, and stopped in front of Hohyun’s cage, his eyes showing interest.

“What species is this one? A dog?”

“It’s a fox.”

“A black fox, huh? That’s rare.”

The casually tossed words had a slightly awkward accent. Perhaps they weren’t from the Eastern Region? The obvious interest that spread across the customer’s face made the rabbit staffer beam with excitement. Even the fox behind the bars brightened a little.

There was no sign of the so-called distinguished guest, but unlike usual, the area was bustling. Everyone was distracted with other things, and the only ones paying attention to Hohyun were the rabbit and the dog who had accompanied the bird beastman. Hohyun sensed an opportunity.

He used his tail to shield his body from the scanning gaze that moved from head to toe. Though patches of fur were missing, his tail was originally as big as his torso, so it wasn’t difficult to conceal himself. Curling up like a round ball, he covered himself completely, prompting the customer to click his tongue.

“Hmm, can’t really see properly. Is it not possible to get a better look?”

“Of course it is, sir. Just a moment, and I’ll take him out for you to see.”

Afraid of missing the chance to offload some problematic inventory, the rabbit urgently nudged the dog. At the rabbit’s glaring eyes, the dog hastily unlocked the cage. As the metallic clinking sound rang out, Hohyun tensed his body.

One, two, three… now!

As soon as the cage opened completely, Hohyun sprang out like a coiled spring. The traffickers, startled by the sudden situation, tried to grab the fox, but it was hard for them to match the speed of someone in their beast form while they remained in human-like form. A few hairs from the tip of his tail were pulled out, but that was all. Hohyun wasn’t caught.

Hearing the sudden commotion, people began to gather. The fox darted through the gaps between their feet in a panic, searching for an escape route. The shouts behind him were deafening, but he never looked back. Turning around would only slow him down and get him caught — no way he’d risk that.

With the desperation of a starving child, he ran for dear life. Behind him, the rabbit’s voice ordered them to catch him, faint but audible. If he got caught again, it would be the end. If they dragged him back, he’d either be beaten to death or locked up more securely. Since he had low market value as damaged goods, the former was more likely than the latter.

After running wildly, the fox finally reached a deserted place. Frantically looking around, Hohyun searched for cover. First, he needed to hide. Then he could figure out a path to escape.

Tall stacks of boxes, asphalt ground, small feet on top, and sacks filled with who knows what…

Wait. Feet?

Startled by the presence of something that shouldn’t be there, he whipped his head around. There stood a small child. Regardless of Hohyun’s alarm, the child beamed brightly.

“Puppy!”