He’s a Fox Ch 30

Chapter 30

“Hyung-nim, why are you hitting me all of a sudden?”

Although he seemed to be expressing a grievance over being struck out of nowhere, it didn’t really look like he was hurt. When the normally taciturn Bear grumbled, the Alligator clicked his tongue, as if to say, “Are you seriously asking me that right now?”

“You, punk. Every morning you couldn’t keep your hands to yourself, and now you’re suddenly acting all reserved?”

“Handsy… who, me? Don’t tell me you mean that person?”

“Yeah.”

“When did I ever do something like that!”

Although the cute word “reserved” seemed mismatched—“dismissive” might have suited better—what the Black Bear latched onto was something else entirely. At the Alligator’s words, the Bear widened his eyes and alternated pointing at both Hohyun and himself. He even made an audible “ugh” noise as if the thought itself was repulsive, causing the Fox to instinctively display an expression of utter disbelief.

When the Fox stepped outside into the garden, wasn’t it always the Bear who rushed over no matter who else might have been around? And every morning, regardless of place or time, hadn’t he shamelessly put his hands all over him? The memory was vivid. You could probably step outside and grab a random beastman to confirm—and it would be unanimous! Actually, you wouldn’t even have to go that far. The fact was well known to Yuri—who was still inside the room.

As both the Bear and the Fox frowned for different reasons, the Alligator stepped up as a witness.

“Don’t deny it. Every time the young lady came out, you ditched whatever you were doing and went over to grope the quiet one.”

“All I ever touched was the puppy.”

“Exactly. That’s what I’m saying.”

“…What?”

The Bear, who had been sulking while listening to the Alligator, suddenly gasped and stared wide-eyed, inhaling sharply. His gaze locked onto Hohyun, and there, perched atop the other’s head, were a pair of black fox ears.

Looking like he had just seen a ghost, the Bear approached with an unnervingly serious face. He came way too close, reached out without hesitation, and grabbed Hohyun’s ears.

Startled at the sudden contact, Hohyun let out a short gasp. Since ears were an unusually sensitive area, the touch felt uncomfortable. Still, with his opponent so deathly serious, Hohyun decided to suppress his irritation. He clenched his eyes shut, barely resisting the instinct to twitch his ears away.

Meanwhile, the Black Bear, lost in the familiar sensation, wore an expression as though the world had collapsed around him.

“No way. Really?!”

“…”

“This person is the ‘puppy’? That makes no sense…”

His tone was heavy, like a child realizing on Christmas that Santa Claus was actually their father. His shock was even greater than Yuri’s had been.

Most of the beastmen Hohyun had met here realized soon enough that he wasn’t just human. Those who knew about the necklace, sure—but even those ignorant of it would figure it out quickly. Hohyun had never openly transformed, but he often acted in ways no ordinary animal could. Yet somehow, this Bear clearly hadn’t been among that majority.

But how could he really not know? If it were just a human, one might excuse it as a lack of perceptiveness—but beastmen were different. Unlike humans who relied heavily on sight, beastmen relied strongly on their sense of smell. Even if appearances changed, one’s scent would remain the same. For him not to realize… this guy was stranger than he seemed.

Maybe it wasn’t too late to just ask to borrow some fare money and get away. As Hohyun considered this, uncomfortable expression plain on his face, the Alligator defended the Bear, who was still standing like a man struck dumb.

“He’s not a bad guy, though. He just prefers dogs over humans.”

“…I see.”

So in other words, it wasn’t that he disliked Hohyun for being a Fox—but for looking like a human. That somehow felt even more absurd. Still, pointing that out might just break the Bear into tears, so Hohyun let it go.

After the whole ruckus, oddly enough, the Black Bear’s prickly attitude simply disappeared. Looking a bit down, he guided Hohyun toward the garage and silently switched on the navigation system.

This time, it was a different car from the one they’d taken when visiting the hospital yesterday. The common factor was size—these cars were large enough to accommodate the Tiger, a big species. Until they left the mansion grounds, the Tiger cub never showed up. Hohyun, slightly regretful, entered the logistics center’s address into the navigator.

The padded leather seat was incredibly comfortable, and before long, they had arrived at the logistics complex. Hohyun gave directions to the Bear, guiding him to his old lodging, which was conveniently just down a neighboring street.

When the Bear tried to come along, Hohyun stopped him. By now, he was personally accustomed to being around beastmen, but for ordinary humans, coming face-to-face with a massive predator would surely cause alarm—especially dressed in sleek black formalwear.

Following the familiar path, Hohyun entered his old dormitory. His place had been Room 7, all the way at the end of the hall, so it took some walking. Even from outside, the scent of canids wafted powerfully from the door labeled “7.” Knock, knock. Something rustled inside. Most likely, one of them had been sprawled out lazily until the sound drew them to the door.

Creaaak. With a faint squeak, the door opened, revealing a familiar raccoon beastman—Mr. Hwang—who reacted with wide-eyed shock upon seeing Hohyun.

“Hey, kid!”

“…Mr. Hohyun?”

“How have you been all this time?”

“Wait, where the heck have you been without a word? I searched high and low for you!”

The surprise lasted only a second before Mr. Hwang broke into a broad grin. He grabbed Hohyun by the arm and ushered him inside. Hearing their exchange, the canid beastmen sprawled about the room perked up and turned their heads. There were some new faces, but most were familiar.

Sniff. A dog beastman resembling a Tosa1, black-nosed, sniffed in greeting but then tilted his head in puzzlement as his gaze rose toward Hohyun’s fox ears. Pretending not to notice, Hohyun continued following Mr. Hwang.

Stepping deftly around the others, Mr. Hwang made his way inward and rummaged through the bottom of a cabinet.

“I kept your things safe, Hohyun. The manager kept nagging me to toss it all…”

“Really? Thank you so much.”

To outsiders, it must have seemed like Hohyun had vanished without a trace. Naturally, they might have thrown his belongings away. Thankfully, all of it remained—clothes, bag, even his wallet. With a sigh of relief, Hohyun immediately kicked off the oversized slippers he’d been wearing.

Due to unexpected circumstances, neither he nor Kangwoon had realized just how much clothing was lacking. A person wears more than simply shirts and pants: shoes, socks, even underwear. Without these essentials, Hohyun’s outfit at present felt… incomplete.

There were guest shoes available, but none fit his size. Shirts and pants could be managed with folding or holding them up, but shoes didn’t allow that luxury. And going barefoot was unthinkable. Thus, he had come wearing slippers, which slapped the ground noisily with every step but were still preferable to a pair of leather shoes bigger than his forearm.

And most urgent of all—underclothes! Digging quickly into his bag, Hohyun pulled out a fresh set of clothes, underwear, and socks. Finally, the issue with his bare lower half would be over.

Though suddenly stripping to change might have startled some, the dorm dwellers barely reacted—they’d all lived together too long to care.

In a flash, Hohyun slipped on underwear and trousers, pulling his tail neatly through the special hole stitched in the back. These pants felt a little tight. Back during the days of meager living, he had shed flesh and fur, forcing all his pants to be tailored smaller. Now, well fed at the Tiger’s mansion, things fit much more snugly. Not unbearable—but noticeable.

As Hohyun tugged awkwardly at the waistband, absorbed in inspecting the fit, Mr. Hwang glanced around, ensuring no one else was listening. Then he leaned in and whispered quietly.

“By the way, do you remember that boy, Mr. Jung?”

“…You mean the dog beastman?”

“Mm. That’s right. Anyway, for some reason, the police came looking for him the other day.”

He was referring to the one Hohyun used to call “that damn mutt.” According to Mr. Hwang, even when he’d asked the authorities, they refused to say why. Hohyun let out a soft, awkward laugh. Mistaking it for ignorance, Mr. Hwang clicked his tongue.

“He wasn’t as well-behaved as you, but still a good lad overall. I’m worried what happened to him.”

Hohyun felt a pang of guilt. To Mr. Hwang, this “good lad” had not been a victim, but rather a perpetrator. And Hohyun himself had been one of his unnamed victims. Hohyun decided to keep the truth buried. The man was older than his own father—why burden him with something that could make him collapse? Sometimes mercy meant silence.

Though time wasn’t pressing, Hohyun thought it better to hurry anyway—someone was waiting outside. He was just about to excuse himself when a white dog in the center of the room suddenly raised its head and barked.

Footnotes

 

1. Tosa (도사견) – A Japanese fighting dog breed, large and muscular, sometimes referenced to indicate a dog with a black nose and strong build.