He’s a Fox Ch 5

Chapter 5

 

Tears welled up in his eyes as he received the full weight of the giant tiger’s gaze. This must be how a mouse feels in front of a cat. His size wasn’t all that different from that comparison either. Compared to a mouse, a fox was on the larger side, but in front of this beast of prey, he was nothing more than a bite-sized snack.

As the fox stood frozen and even shed a tear, the tiger, who had been striking nearby objects with his tail while glaring at him, shifted his focus to the crocodile who had been quietly standing behind.

“Juwon-ah.”

“Yes, hyung-nim!”

“I clearly said it was supposed to be a black puppy.”

“That’s right!”

“…And you thought this looked like a dog?”

Large triangular ears, a tail nearly as big as his body, and a distinctively thin, long snout. Anyone on the street would say it was a fox without hesitation. Yes, technically a canid… the fox timidly countered inwardly, but he knew such logic wouldn’t work on the tiger.

Especially since the necklace around his neck clearly marked him as a beastman. The crocodile fell silent as the tiger let out a low, threatening growl. The one being questioned seemed to shrink back slightly but didn’t appear particularly afraid—unlike the fox next to him, who visibly reacted. Seeing the glimpse of sharp white fangs, Hohyun was on the verge of fainting. How could teeth be that big? One bite from those, and he wouldn’t even have bones left. While Hohyun trembled in fear, the baby—seemingly unafraid—boldly spoke up.

“No! It’s Moongmoo!”

The one who was questioned kept quiet, but a reply came from an entirely unexpected direction. Faced with a reality he didn’t want to accept, the tiger pressed his forehead.

Meanwhile, the baby, noticing the trembling fox, stepped forward. It was a touching gesture that made Hohyun feel grateful to the point of tears, but since the baby tiger was even smaller than him, it wasn’t all that reassuring…

Seeing this, the big tiger let out a disbelieving sigh. Regardless of the guardian’s reaction, the baby tiger earnestly voiced their opinion for the poor “puppy’s” sake.

“Oppa, you promised Yuri, didn’t you?”

“…I did.”

“If you break your promise, that’s bad, right?”

“Ha…”

That forehead-pressing gesture was strangely familiar. His eldest brother used to make that exact expression when the younger siblings caused trouble. Apparently, raising kids was just as hard for tigers.

‘But why is it oppa and not dad? Isn’t the age gap too big?’

To canid Hohyun, a tiger was just a tiger. He had no idea how old the tiger was or what he might look like in human form, but judging by the atmosphere, there had to be at least a 25-year gap between them.

How much younger must the sibling be? Hohyun, the youngest of five siblings, had a 14-year gap with his oldest brother and always heard how wide the age gap in his family was—he wouldn’t stand a chance here. Their parents must’ve had quite the strong bond. The fox forgot his situation and gaped in admiration.

That wasn’t the only new thing Hohyun learned. With a sigh, the tiger gently said to the baby,

“Yuri, go to your room.”

“No. I wanna go with Moongmoo.”

“That fox—”

“No, it’s Moongmoo!”

“…The puppy needs to go wash up now. See? It’s really dirty. I’ll take it to you after a bath, so you go first.”

Apparently, the name wasn’t Yuri but Yurii. At the tiger’s firm tone, the baby glanced back. Even to a child’s eyes, the large mass of dark grime and random leaves stuck all over wasn’t exactly clean.

With a downcast look, the baby tiger nodded and walked over with little steps, stretching out a tiny hand to his older brother. Then, hooking his hand around the big tiger’s pinky, he earnestly pleaded.

“Moongmoo is Yuri’s fwend, so don’t peel it.”

“Okay.”

“You really hafta come later. Moongmoo is my fwend. Got it?”

Even after that, the baby continued to chatter—saying over and over that he had to come soon, that Mungmu was a friend, that adults had to keep promises, and that Mungmu really was a friend. Despite the repetition, the tiger nodded without a hint of irritation. Reassured by his serious demeanor, the little tiger boldly took the crocodile’s hand and walked out of the room—leaving Hohyun and the tiger alone.

Just as Hohyun thought of quietly sneaking out too, the door shut firmly. The moment he realized there was no escape, he immediately threw himself flat on the floor. He looked like he might sink through it any second. Honestly, a hotteok seemed more fitting than a fox at this point, but the tiger didn’t even blink.

If it were just a normal animal, that might be one thing—but he had no sympathy for suspicious, black-coated beastmen. On the outside, it was a fluffy animal, but who knew what kind of middle-aged man might be inside. The tiger simply left the terrified fox flattened against the carpet and resumed his work.

In the silence, the scratch of a fountain pen filled the air. The repetitive sound gradually eased Hohyun’s tension. From the looks of it, the tiger didn’t intend to hurt him. If that were the case, he would’ve done it the moment the baby left. There was no reason to delay.

As the fear that had consumed his mind faded, his ears—previously flattened like a seal’s—began to rise slowly. His body, once flattened, began to puff up like a balloon. Round like dough in fermentation, the fox sniffed softly.

The scent of paper, ink, and polished wood filled the air, with a faint trace of soil drifting in from the window. From the tiger in front of him came the scent of milk and an inexplicable nutty aroma. The source of that incongruous smell was obvious.

‘He really dotes on his younger sibling, huh.’

Rich people were supposed to know how to hire help instead of taking care of their children themselves, but apparently, that enormous tiger wasn’t one of them. While Hohyun was busy sniffing around, the crocodile, who had taken the baby to the room, returned.

Just a moment ago, this person had felt nothing but uncomfortable and frightening, but now Hohyun couldn’t be more glad to see him. Without realizing it, Hohyun wagged his tail enthusiastically and looked up at the crocodile, who had broken the silence. It would’ve been natural for someone to be distracted by the wagging tail, but no one in the room paid any attention to it.

The tiger, who had been holding a fountain pen the whole time, set it down on the desk and stared sharply at the crocodile with narrowed eyes.

“Report the situation.”

“Well, on our way to see the black puppy as planned, the young lady suddenly disappeared…”

At the crocodile’s words, which emphasized the inevitability of the situation, the tiger lifted his right hand and pressed hard on the bridge of his nose. Of all the many dogs and cats out there, why did she have to bring home a fox? With a face full of exhaustion, the beast glared at Hohyun.

Judging by the atmosphere, it seemed too late to take it back. Knowing well his sister’s stubbornness, the tiger had already half given up on kicking out this unidentified fox. The crocodile, who had gotten a scratch on his face from trying to push the fox away, nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

“It can’t be helped. Just keep him around until Yuri loses interest.”

“Yes, sir!”

“If that kid ends up with so much as a scratch, I’ll pull out every single tooth and claw, no exceptions—so you’d better take care of him.”

Though no subject was given, it seemed clear from the looks exchanged that the one at risk of losing all their teeth and claws was Hohyun. At the overly vicious threat, the fox, who had just regained a bit of his presence, sank back to the ground.

‘A-Am I going to die like this?’

Unaware of Hohyun’s thoughts, the crocodile replied firmly.

“There’s no need for you to step in, sir. I’ll handle it myself.”

“Shut up. Just make sure that thing doesn’t get on my nerves. And…”

The tiger frowned deeply at the sight of the fox’s fur, which was dusty and patchy from being covered in grime.

“Wash him up first.”

At the gaze that looked as though he were seeing the dirtiest thing in the world, the fox momentarily wore a wronged expression. Is it my fault I haven’t been able to bathe since I was kidnapped?! Of course, the protest stayed internal. The one he was dealing with was someone who had just moments ago threatened to maim him if things went poorly. Even if words wouldn’t get through, tone surely would, and Hohyun wasn’t bold enough to pick a fight with someone like that.

Having finished what he had to say, the tiger waved a large paw dismissively. At the clear sign of dismissal, the crocodile grabbed the fox by the scruff of his neck. It hurt a little, but if it meant he could get out of there, Hohyun could endure far worse than that. Obediently curling his tail, Hohyun was carried out dangling from the crocodile’s hand.

In order to carry out the tiger’s instructions, the crocodile headed straight for the bathroom. Just like every other part of the tiger’s den, the place he was dragged into was a very large, white space. Letting out a small sigh, Hohyun resigned himself. And so, the washing began.