SAFBIAN Ch 1

Chapter 1

The darkest hour of the night.

The imperial palace was still. At a time when all were asleep, a small shadow slipped through an opened window with a creak.

Tap.

Landing with a soft thud, the figure held its breath for a moment, then stealthily moved along the wall. Wherever the shadow passed, the short trees trembled slightly with rustling leaves.

As the clouds parted and the moonlight shone through, a white fox holding a sparkling bracelet in its mouth came into view.

Fluffy ears and a plump tail.

White, fine fur and golden eyes resembling the moon.

The fox stopped at a certain point, gently set the precious bracelet beside it, and pressed the ground here and there with its paws to find a suitably soft spot.

Then, one paw sank in.

‘Here!’

The fox dug rapidly into the dirt, but then paused and looked around.

…Come to think of it, something feels off.

‘Why is the palace so quiet tonight? There should’ve been at least one or two guards passing by.’

It was too unsettling to chalk it up to luck. But having already made up its mind, there was no delaying the escape any longer.

Tilting its head briefly, the fox resumed digging frantically. As the soft soil was removed, a thick golden cloth bundle began to glimmer beneath.

The fox grabbed the end of the cloth with its mouth and unwrapped it.

‘Thank goodness. It hasn’t been discovered.’

Inside the bundle were hidden clothes and accessories, untouched.

The fox quickly transformed into a human.

‘Brr, it’s cold……’

A cold breeze swept across the pale skin of its back, making the newly exposed flesh shiver in the chill.

Dori, now without his fox fur, rubbed his arms and hastily put on the clothes. In his hurry, he used the cloth bundle as a makeshift outer layer…

He then adorned himself with as many accessories as possible—on his head, arms, and finally gathered the rest into one bundle after trimming it down.

But perhaps it was because he’d stayed in fox form too long? The cold touch of the accessories on bare skin felt unfamiliar. The place where the hairpin was stuck prickled, and the fine hairs on his wrist stood on end where the bracelet touched.

Or maybe it wasn’t just because of that.

Dori suddenly felt a sharp gaze pierce into him. Like a predator sinking its fangs into the nape of his neck—chilling and ominous.

…No way.

Still holding the bundle, Dori slowly turned around.

There stood Haban—who should’ve been asleep—watching silently with pitch-black eyes like the night itself.

‘……!’

So shocked, Dori dropped everything in his hands with a flustered clatter.

“H-Haban…”

His lips moved on their own, uttering the name.

At the sound, Haban tilted his head slightly. Who in this palace could dare call the emperor by name?

Only then did Dori realize his mistake and bite his tongue. Luckily, Haban didn’t seem to react to that, instead pointing with his chin to the ground at Dori’s feet.

“Did you steal it?”

There, lying by his foot, was the blue silk robe that matched Dori’s pale skin perfectly.

“No!”

Dori blurted out in a panic and quickly covered his mouth.

…Idiot!

Worried he’d be accused of theft, he answered instinctively—making things worse. His toes twitched anxiously.

“That robe is made from silk only the emperor can wear, and the bracelet at your feet is mine. I gave them all to my fox. Now, it’s your turn to answer.”

As the gaze traced from his dirt-stained feet upward, Dori felt like he couldn’t breathe. That look—though phrased as a question—already knew the truth.

Just how much had he seen?

Where had he been discovered?

The thought of being captured and tortured—or worse, executed—was terrifying. Yet no plausible excuse or explanation came to mind, making it all the more frustrating.

In the end—

Poof!

Dori transformed back into a white fox and began shedding tears out of sheer despair.

“You hid your identity well, pretending to be just a fox.”

Dori flinched and curled up instantly. The way Haban looked at him was exactly like in the novel’s scenes.

“There’s plenty of time, so tonight, I’ll hear everything from that mouth of yours.”

At those words, his golden eyes quivered with fear. Because in the original story, spending the night with Haban meant one thing—

[The way he forced open what was tightly shut and drove in was brutal. Every place he struck ached like being punched from the inside.

Dori struggled, unable to even breathe. He could feel every violent thrust, and wished he could just pass out.

But even as Dori screamed like he was crying, Haban wore nothing but a cruel smile.]

‘I should’ve escaped earlier…’

Just recalling the content of the original work made every hair on their body stand on end.

Before long, the sound of approaching footsteps drew near—Dori shut his eyes tightly in fear.

A story about a fox beastman, Haban, The Way of the Gods.

Tricked by the cute cover, they had impulsively bought the entire series, expecting a healing fantasy. Instead, it turned out to be a cruel and tragic BL novel.

A snowy white mountain in the background, with a white fox sitting gracefully, its luscious tail curled neatly. Who wouldn’t expect a fairytale-like and beautiful story from such a cover?

But the content was completely different.

By the time they realized something was off, they had already read more than half the novel.

Dori, a white fox born in a village of red foxes.

His mere existence brought great turmoil to the village. It didn’t help that his twin brother, born on the same day, was a vivid red fox.

Blindingly white, soft fur. Golden eyes that looked like they were melted from pure gold. The greater the difference from the red foxes, the more isolated Dori became in the village.

Even his father, a village elder, and his twin brother, Hori, turned their backs on him. On the day his lover ultimately married his twin, Dori was chased out of the red fox village with only a meager bundle of belongings.

The person he met afterward was the novel’s main “seme,” Haban—the Emperor of the Empire, a cold and cruel tyrant.

“Be happy, please just be happy.”

But as if mocking such desperate hope, Dori led an even more miserable life after being dragged to the imperial palace. Every night, the emperor’s bedroom echoed with the moans and cries of a fox.

While deriding Dori for his “cheap body,” Haban never let go of Dori’s body or heart.

Normally, a story would end with good triumphing over evil and justice being served.

But the novel ended with Dori dying after being struck by an arrow while fleeing. With Dori already dead… they couldn’t bear to read the side stories and closed the book.

[Comments]

⤷ Is the author completely insane? What a waste of time.

⤷ 100! 100! Everyone, take it back!

⤷ Even though I got it for half price through an event, it was a waste of money. Just order chicken instead, folks.

When they searched the platform for reviews, the chaos was evident. The ratings had been mercilessly slashed. The most recent comment was: [Are you mocking your readers?].

“…Wow. This is insane.”

At this rate, wouldn’t even the author get hurt?

After some hesitation, they gave it a 10-point rating but left a comment instead.

[Comment]

⤷ Thank you for the read. But the ending was a bit disappointing.

Just in case, they checked the spoiler box before closing the screen. Lying there blankly, a bitter feeling kept creeping in.

“He lived unhappily all his life… Couldn’t they at least have given him a happy ending at the end?”

Feeling dejected, they pressed their cheek into the pillow. As they rubbed their pale skin, strands of hair slipped down, white as snow, just like Dori’s fur on the cover.

He, too, had been abandoned the moment he was born. It’s called albinism, a condition where some or all parts of the body lack pigmentation.

His snow-white hair and skin were abnormally pale, and his eyes, which became visible as he grew, were a light gray.

Occasionally, couples would visit the orphanage hoping to adopt, but due to his unusual appearance, he was never even considered. In a country like Korea, where everyone had dark hair and dark eyes, he always stood out and could never blend in.

Overseas adoption was also considered, but in the end, the opportunity never came. So, the white fox Dori, born a mutation in a red fox village, inevitably felt like himself.

“Though he faced adversity and hardships, Dori lived diligently and eventually met a good partner and lived happily ever after.”

…If only the novel had ended like that, how wonderful it would’ve been.

He knew all too well that such dreams were foolish in real life. Precisely because they were unattainable, he wanted them more—and the ending felt even more hollow. As if even the novel was telling him he’d forever be unhappy.

…And yet, to think he would become the protagonist of that very novel.

At first, he thought it was a dream.

So, when the white fox reflected in the ice tilted its head in the same direction as he did, he cheered inwardly without a second thought.

My favorite!

My cute white fox!

How can you be even cuter in real life!

Just as the novel described—shiny golden eyes and soft white fur.

He admired the reflection of the fox in the frozen water again and again. He touched its black nose with his front paw, tucked its fluffy tail between his legs, and rubbed his cheek against it. The soft sensation was incredibly vivid…

…Wait, vivid?

If this were a dream, he wouldn’t be able to feel anything, would he?

Then it dawned on him. The place where he was sitting looked exactly like the cover background of the novel he’d seen before falling asleep.

Chills.

He got goosebumps. Looking back at the reflection in the ice, it was unmistakably the white fox from the cover of Haban, The Way of the Gods.

…For real?

Did he really transmigrate into the novel?

Me? No way!

He smacked his cheek without thinking. He expected a crisp slapping sound, but it felt soft instead. Again, the sensation was real.

In a panic, he slapped himself a few more times, and one of them hit his nose so hard that tears welled up in his eyes.

“Kyain!”

Even the cry that came out was beast-like.

He crouched quietly, covering his nose, then slowly stood up.

…How do I go back?

The fox reflected in the ice wore the same dumbfounded expression.

Who would believe you if you said, “One day I went to sleep and woke up as a fox”?

For now, he scanned the area with a helpless feeling.

Judging by the snowy surroundings, he must’ve climbed the mountain after being chased out by the red foxes, and fortunately, it seemed to be near the fox den where Dori usually hid.

Let’s wait and see for now.

Dori headed toward the small den, avoiding the red fox village visible below.