He’s a Fox Ch 89

Chapter 89

Rolling a yellow cylindrical bottle between his palms, Kangwoon clicked his tongue. He had kept this medicine “just in case,” but he hadn’t imagined he would ever need to use it. With one sharp twist he snapped the cap open, tapped two white tablets into his hand, and tossed them past his lips. His face pinched—less from the bitterness of the medicine than from dissatisfaction.

Most animals, apart from rare exceptions, had defined mating seasons. Beastkin too experienced something akin to this rut period. Of course, since they were also half-human, it wasn’t as raw or overwhelming as true animals; rather, their primal urges—appetite, lust, impulses—spiked to a degree more intense than usual.

Many disliked that sense of losing control of their own body, so some managed it with pharmaceuticals. The pills Kangwoon had just swallowed belonged to that category. Nothing dangerous in itself. The problem, however, was timing.

For tiger beastkin, whose lineage stemmed from wild tigers, the “season” generally fell in the late winter. Kangwoon usually entered it sometime after the new year, lasting until spring warmed the air. But inexplicably, this year symptoms had struck early. Judging by his frayed self-control, his rhythm was thoroughly disrupted.

Had he been alone, a misaligned cycle would hardly matter. But Kangwoon was not alone. He had his sisterr Yuri—and his lover. Yuri could easily be sent to the main house if needed. But Hohyun could not simply be moved out of his orbit. Spotting the change, Kangwoon downed his medication immediately, but the strangeness gnawed at him nonetheless.

He wasn’t even in his prime youth years—so why this? A mirthless laugh escaped him. After waiting a long while for the medication’s effects to kick in, only then did he leave his study.

He hadn’t planned to broadcast it, but because the fox spent nearly every waking hour at his side, Hohyun noticed quickly that Kangwoon was taking pills. Without knowing their purpose, his gaze turned worried.

An elder who rarely even took nutritional supplements was suddenly medicating? Was he ill? The fox hovered around anxiously until the tiger snared him into his arms.

A loud, almost comical slurp sounded as Kangwoon kissed him, sucking the air right from his lungs; Hohyun squeezed his eyes tight. Even as the fox whimpered from suffocation, the tiger lingered, parting only at the very brink.

With his nose buried at Hohyun’s throat, Kangwoon exhaled hotly, even gnawing softly at the skin with sharp teeth. The shifting moods in him were plain and raw.

“…Y‑you’re not sick, are you?” Hohyun managed to ask shakily.

“No. I’m healthy.”

“Then… why the medicine?”

“Oh, that? rut season’s coming.”

“…Ah!”

Relief melted across the fox’s face. But then realization struck—why was he acting more clingy than usual? Medication usually made beastkin lethargic, heavy, dulled. Yet Kangwoon had been biting, pawing, nuzzling more than ever. Right this moment his mouth was still on him.

The tiger muttered against his skin with a sigh: “…Strange. The effect feels weak.”

It wasn’t entirely absent, yet clearly insufficient. At last releasing Hohyun’s nape, he stared hard at the fox, deep in thought. Tilting his head in curiosity, Hohyun blinked up, confused.

Catching the silent question in those eyes, Kangwoon murmured matter‑of‑factly:

“Was just thinking—maybe I should get myself neutered.”

“…What.”

The words fell like lightning from a clear sky, so out of place Hohyun’s brain stalled. For whom—for what—would he even…?

Heat flushed the tiger’s ears a beat later as he realized he had spoken aloud his wandering thoughts. He cleared his throat, abruptly changed tack.

“…How about a movie tonight?”

“…A movie?”

“Mm. You said you wanted to watch one.”

He recalled how, days ago, Hohyun had lost himself for half an hour down a rabbit hole of movie articles while supposedly searching for news. His interest had been obvious.

Brightening instantly, the fox nodded.

—

When evening came, Kangwoon led him to a room adjacent to the study. At the threshold Hohyun froze, mouth falling open.

It was a private theater room.

He’d often wondered about that tightly closed door, never suspecting this. He had expected they’d rely on online streaming at best—certainly not that a full-sized screen with acoustic panels and a sofa‑bed awaited behind oak doors.

Sniffing carefully revealed faint tiger scent, but not much. Clearly, it wasn’t used frequently. Wide-eyed, the fox circled in wonder.

“You… like watching movies?”

“Sometimes. If I have time. Really I just didn’t want to go outside, so I set this up. It only looks stocked.”

“Only” stocked—when ordinary theaters might envy the equipment.

Hohyun perched excitedly beside him, scrolling through the endless list until his eyes snagged on a familiar title: an action movie, a few years old. A blank, wistful look slid into his face.

He remembered—he had seen part of this once. Schoolmates had dragged him to a group viewing. At that time, a surprise blackout mid‑showing had left him never learning the ending. At the time, the experience felt like senseless punishment. Now, years later, even that misfortune carried nostalgia.

Absent‑mindedly reliving the memory, he didn’t notice Kangwoon selecting PLAY. The tiger hadn’t missed the expression—he simply pressed the button.

Light flared. The film began.

Curled close, the fox soon leaned unconsciously against him. Kangwoon’s unpleasant thoughts ebbed; he let his head sink gently down against the fox’s soft crown. Hohyun didn’t even register—eyes glued intently to the screen.

Later, it was he who reached for Kangwoon’s hand, fingers threading unnoticed, an unconscious gesture. The tiger froze briefly. It seemed instinctive—still, his heart warmed. He resisted the temptation to break the fox’s absorption; he would save his nips for later.

When the extremely long running time at last crawled to a finish, credits rising, Hohyun looked serious.

“…I never saw the ending before… but isn’t it kind of strange? I mean—”

His words broke off, smothered beneath rough palms on his cheeks. Kangwoon simply dragged his face closer and crushed their mouths together.

With ears muffled, every slick sound of their kiss echoed obscenely loud. The movie’s OST all but disappeared beneath it.

Melted into the kiss, breathless, Hohyun couldn’t help thinking vaguely—

…Something feels awfully unfair about all this.