SAFBIAN Ch 3

Chapter 3

 

“You must not have realized your tail was showing the whole time. It kept swaying back and forth, and I had a hard time holding in my laughter while talking with the Elder.”

‘…Tail?’

He was flustered. He had never lived as a fox before—how was he supposed to know his tail was sticking out when he thought he was properly hidden?

At least he wasn’t in human form right now. Albino skin couldn’t hide a blushing face.

Ugh!

Dori’s fangs sharpened, revealing his emotions. Misunderstanding his expression, Wonwoo furrowed his brows with a hurt look.

“What now? You didn’t even show your tail for a few days, like you were sulking. You agreed to me marrying Hori, didn’t you? You said you understood everything from my perspective. In this village, the Elder’s word is absolute—what power do I have? But you still know that you’re the only one I truly love, right?”

‘Like hell I do!’

This bastard just said earlier that Hori was his only mate, didn’t he?

If this wasn’t the definition of shamelessness, what was? To confidently speak about marrying another fox and still try to shift the blame like this.

Maybe it would have worked on the Dori from the original story—but not on him.

“So you’re really not going to talk to me at all?”

“Yip!”

‘Back off!’

As Wonwoo reached out a hand toward him, Dori barked in warning and smacked the back of his hand with a swift forepaw.

But perhaps he had swung with too much force, pouring in all his feelings, and lost his balance. He stumbled forward and collapsed straight into Wonwoo’s chest.

“You must really be upset. With your drooping tail and ears, it looks like you’ll be sulking for a day or two more. Anyway, let’s not do this here. Let’s go to your room. I actually had something I wanted to talk about.”

Wonwoo lifted him up skillfully in his arms.

“Yaaah!”

‘Let go!’

“But what are you doing all the way over here? You always avoid this central corridor because the Elder’s room is here.”

“Yap! Yip!”

‘Put me down!’

Dori shook his head fiercely and struggled.

He dug his claws into the arm wrapped around him like a snake, pressing down hard. Wonwoo groaned with an “Ah—” and furrowed his brow. But that was it. No matter how hard Dori struggled, the tight grip around his body didn’t loosen in the slightest.

‘This bastard’s stronger than he looks!’

Huff, huff.

Dori stuck out his long tongue and tried to catch his breath. Just then, a large palm gently patted his head. He recoiled in disgust and pulled his neck back, but there was no way to escape from that solid embrace.

“Wonwoo!”

Thank goodness someone showed up just then. As soon as the hold loosened, Dori leapt down and took a step back.

Wonwoo’s face twisted in irritation for a brief moment when Dori slipped away. But he quickly smoothed his expression and turned toward the person who had approached, dressed in thick silk clothes and adorned with all sorts of ornaments, exuding a strong fragrance.

“Oh, Hori.”

A red tail slipped between them and swayed right in front of Dori’s eyes.

“When did you get here? Why are you here? Did you talk to Father about our wedding? Oh! If you haven’t had lunch yet, do you want to eat with me and take a walk afterward? Dori, move aside. Don’t get underfoot.”

Thunk— Dori was shoved to the side. It was so casual, so natural to push him away without even glancing down, keeping her eyes fixed on Wonwoo, that it happened in an instant.

Hori twisted her body bashfully.

Slap, slap.

‘Wow. Did she just do that on purpose?’

Dori was stunned by the tail-slap across his cheek from Hori.

It was his first time seeing her in person. Though in human form, Hori still had visible ears nestled in her luscious hair and a swaying tail behind her.

“Careful. You said walking is still hard for you.”

“Hurry, hurry. Answer me first.”

“I stopped by briefly to see the Elder. Our merchant group will be delivering goods soon. We need to bring in supplies for the village.”

“Eh, that’s all? I thought…”

“Were you disappointed?”

A warm smile and a gentle touch were directed at Hori. As if it were only natural, Hori rubbed her head against his palm, then glanced sharply downward.

Ah. So that’s what this is—she’s asserting dominance.

From the looks of it, the wedding between Hori and Wonwoo must be close, right around the time of Dori’s possession.

‘Okay. Fine. Take him. He’s all yours.’

A piece of trash that can’t even be recycled—what value did he have, anyway?

Dori coolly turned his back.

The snowstorm outside the window was fierce. The wind rattled the window with a sharp sound, and the white fox, curled into a ball with only a thin blanket around him, shivered.

The weather had been gloomy since morning, but now it looked pitch-black outside. He had never known that when snow falls hard enough to scare you, it actually looks black.

“Kyeng!”

Dori sneezed and sniffled.

‘Why the hell is this setting like this? What was the author thinking when they wrote this?’

A fox who hunts in the snow feeling cold? Maybe a real fox would be different. But this fox was a beastkin.

‘Why did I have to possess him at this exact point in time?’

Dori buried his nose deeper between his tails.

Beastkin were originally foxes, so they were resistant to the cold. That’s also why the red fox village was nestled deep in the mountains.

However, during the period when a young fox transitions into adulthood, it becomes difficult to regulate body temperature. Sometimes, they unconsciously transform into human form or revert back into fox form.

That’s why a fox parent had to work constantly to keep the room warm for their young fox during this stage…

“Kyang!”

Dori sneezed again and twitched his tail.

The room was as cold as an icebox. Rather than stoking the underfloor heating, the chill seeped up from the frigid floor that didn’t even have a single ember.

‘By now, Hori’s room must be really warm, right?’

Maybe even boiling hot.

They were born from the same womb, yet one was about to freeze to death while the other slept snugly on a warm bed with silk blankets. No matter how he thought about it, it felt absurd.

Even while Dori trembled, the fierce winter wind blew as if it would tear down the door and walls altogether.

It had already been fifteen days since he possessed this body.

During that time, Dori realized that the situation of the “Dori in the original story” was far more serious than he had vaguely imagined, and that his initial plan was utterly unrealistic.

Build a friendly relationship with the red foxes? As if.

They were too busy cursing and bullying him whenever their eyes met for him to even attempt such a thing. Just a few days ago, he had even been locked up in the storage shed, unable to get even a sip of water.

“……”

No matter how fictional it was, wasn’t this too much? How could there not be a single sane fox in the village?

‘Ugh, it hurts.’

Maybe because of the sneezing, the wound on the corner of his mouth that had just barely started healing seemed to have split again—it stung.

‘Of all places to get hit, why the face? How could anyone hit this cute and lovely thing! Seriously, I should’ve chased those bastards down to the end and ripped all their tail fur out……’

Tss.

Dori rubbed the corner of his mouth with his front paw. Crimson blood stained his snow-white fur, and his face crumpled in pain.

The herbs he had barely managed to obtain had all run out, and there was nothing suitable left to clean it with.

‘……Guess I have no choice. I’ll just have to lick it clean.’

Dori stuck out his tongue and licked the wound. A metallic taste spread across his tongue.

As he continued to apply saliva to the wound, the sliding door creaked open slightly, and a shabby meal tray was pushed inside.

Dori stretched his neck eagerly. Then, soon after, he scanned the tray with disappointed eyes.

If the menu was lacking, shouldn’t they at least give him a large portion?

A few shriveled herbs and a lump of cold rice. That, too, was only as big as a child’s fist. There wasn’t a trace of meat, fresh vegetables, or fruits that foxes usually enjoyed.

“Kaaang……”

With a sigh of disappointment, Dori quietly dragged the tray closer with his front paw. He knew that if he hesitated even a little, they’d come and take it back, so there was no time to delay.

“Tch, who does that thing think it is, acting all high and mighty.”

Noh-ho muttered loudly enough for Dori to hear and slammed the door shut. His tone made it clear that he didn’t approve of Dori’s seclusion.

‘Who was it that locked me up, saying not to cause trouble?’

Who could defy the will of the Elder, Dori’s father and the leader of the red fox village?

It wasn’t something he wanted, yet he was the one being scolded—how unfair.

Dori’s tail bristled with anger for a moment but soon drooped again with a gloomy face.

Hori’s wedding was just around the corner.

With such a major event coming up, the adult foxes clicked their tongues, saying ominous things were happening, and foxes his age kept throwing stones at him.

Dodging them could only last so long. Just yesterday, unable to take it anymore, he ended up fighting with a fox one year younger, biting each other’s tail fur until he was chased back to the mansion. It wasn’t because the other fox was bigger.

‘Isn’t it cheating for an adult fox to interfere in a fight between kids? And so what if their fur is red or white!’

The Elder, who was his father in name only and had never once embraced him, once again sided with the red foxes of the village.

He had ordered Dori not to leave the room until the day of Hori’s wedding.

In the village, the Elder’s word was as good as law. Thanks to that, Dori would be confined for the remaining week. It was proving much harder than expected to pave a smooth path for his fox life.

‘Just hang in there a little longer. There’s not much time left until I become an adult fox.’

Except for special cases like Wonwoo, who was born outside the village, red foxes weren’t allowed to leave until they became adult foxes.

Because there were so few beastfolk, and their existence had to be hidden, the young foxes, who were poor at transformation, had to stay within.

Of course, that included Dori. When flustered, his ears would pop out—poof—and when in a good mood, his plump tail would pop—thump—and sway.

‘In the novel, didn’t Dori also struggle with transformation even after becoming an adult fox? If I get caught, I won’t be allowed to leave the village.’

The original Dori believed that once he perfected his transformation, he would finally be recognized by the red foxes and be allowed to stay in the village, but reality was the opposite.

The village foxes had been biding their time to drive him out the moment he became an adult fox. So, if they found out he wasn’t good at transforming, they would hesitate.

Dori snorted in disbelief.