He’s a Fox Ch 80

Chapter 80

“So then—specifically, what exactly do you want my cooperation with?”

“Nothing big. I know you’re busy; asking you to spoon‑feed me data would be shameless. Just point me toward the people worth talking to. After that, I’ll handle the legwork myself.”

It was a pledge: all he needed was an introduction. Once the dam was cracked open, he wouldn’t bother again.

Kangwoon fell into thought. He did know a fair number of figures who might be touched by the trafficking business. Closest at hand there was that wolf cousin who’d dabbled in such trades. A bit farther afield, other possibilities. But of course, Kim Hyunseok was immediately struck off the list.

Certainly, Hyunseok himself would love nothing better than to humiliate his brother Kyungseok by assisting an outsider—but the boy was noisy, unpredictable. Introducing him to Amur was inviting chaos. This was meant to offload a nuisance, not create a worse problem by letting two troublemakers ally together.

As Kangwoon weighed his options, Amur bit his lip lightly. The elder knew the younger too well—but the reverse was true as well. If Kangwoon hesitated, he must be calculating. The direction of that calculation probably would not favor Amur. So how to pull leverage his way?

He thought through what buttons he could push. The cub? No, Kangwoon would scoff. Other ties? Not much effect. Then suddenly, black fur popped into his mind: the fox. The one drenched head to tail in Kangwoon’s scent—that told enough.

“Or,” Amur said casually, throwing down the card, “the little fox outside will do as well.”

“…What?”

The atmosphere turned in an instant. Kangwoon’s brow furrowed dangerously, loose demeanor flicking into a razor‑edged glare. The air itself cooled. Enough to make one’s calves weaken—except Amur was a tiger too. He just tapped his own throat with two fingers, calm.

“I noticed earlier the way he kept rubbing his neck. Looked… connected, don’t you think?”

The habit of scratching at one’s throat unconsciously was a common tic among rescued trafficking victims. Add to that: he was a mid‑sized species, a fox, and black‑haired to boot—rare enough that the insinuation did not sound wholly far‑fetched.

Of course, it could just be itchiness, coincidence, happenstance. Amur likely knew as much. But what mattered was that he numbered Kangwoon’s sweetheart among possible informants. It was a prod, meant to shove the tiger to produce a real lead instead.

And indeed—though Amur expected anger or an outburst, none came. Kangwoon’s tail ticked, heavy and dark, tapping rhythm against the floor. He didn’t deny.

For Amur, that confirmed his hunch. Bingo.

Opportunity. His smile curled confident. That was when Kangwoon leveled the warning:

“Touch the fox, and I’ll break you.”

“Relax. So long as this gets resolved, I won’t need to.” Amur shrugged, smirking. The implication plain: if it doesn’t get resolved, I know where to lean.

In the end, Kangwoon decided to barter away a different contact, a schoolmate from the past—better sacrifice a noisy friend than allow his lover into Amur’s sights. He sighed darkly at his own bargain.

Satisfied, Amur left whistling. Kangwoon, however, lingered in the study, brooding over the conversation, shifting forms back to his human skin before stepping out.

The moment he appeared in the living room, Yuri bolted upright. Tiny running steps drummed as she hurled herself forward. At the cub’s eager cry, Kangwoon’s lips curled in rare smile. He hoisted her up and carried her over to where Hohyun stood waiting.

Panting with excitement, Yuri thrust her fist toward her brother’s face and then dumped its content onto his open palm: a small, white tooth.

“Yuri’s tooth fell out!” she declared proudly.

“That so?”

“Uh‑huh. Moongmoo Oppa said a bigger one will grow in!”

Her round eyes stared intently at her brother’s canines, as if wishing hers would grow equally large and sharp. Kangwoon, however, frowned slightly. Normally, milk teeth wobble for days before coming loose. The crocodile caretaker brushed her teeth daily; if one had been loose, he’d have noticed. Which meant this… was sudden.

Hohyun lifted a toy into view: the long plush puppy, with new bite marks dug deep into its side. The tooth gap and the plush’s punctures matched neatly. He murmured,

“…How on earth did you bite to lose a tooth?”

“Well… there was a bit of an incident,” the fox admitted, and recounted briefly the tug‑of‑war with Amur.

Kangwoon listened to the end, and summed it tersely: it was Amur’s fault. He’d caused this and said nothing. The tiger’s smile curved crooked: when next they met, he would extract the cost.

While he simmered, the cub closed her report. She scooped her baby tooth back up. Kangwoon, glancing, wondered whether she’d make him keep it. But before he could raise the matter, Yuri trotted away and unceremoniously tossed it straight into the trash bin.

That was that. She had learned, after all: use things until their task is done, then discard. Tooth had fallen, message delivered—useless now.

Hohyun nearly fainted, rushing to salvage it again. Kangwoon added mental note: teach his sister nuance in valuation.

The buzz finally settled, Yuri tucked into bed by the crocodile. Exhausted with the entire day, Kangwoon quietly guided Hohyun toward his own room. The fox put up token resistance, but one look at the tiger’s smile was enough to obliterate protest.

While Kangwoon showered, the fox lounged across the bed. His eyes roved idly around, catching on one unfamiliar object atop the desk: a glossy catalog, letters embossed in gilt across its cover. The pages shimmered with glossy prints of finely dressed models. Surely a promotional booklet—but strangely, there were no prices listed.

Of course, fashion houses of that rank didn’t trade with mere printed numbers. The fox’s eyes glazed as he flipped through, imagining each piece on him. This suit, that coat… though honestly, the man could wear sackcloth and still look like a runway model.

So lost in reverie, he didn’t notice the water shutting off. Only when a shadow fell across the catalog did he start.

Big frame dripping damp, towel tossed aside, the tiger leaned down.

“What’s got you grinning so wide?”

A hand cupped his chin, tipping his face upward, and the fox’s eyes went round. Only then did he realize—the tiger had already come out, silently, to stand directly over him.