Jiho got into his car, set an alarm on his phone, reclined the seat, and closed his eyes for a quick nap.
He had been up and moving since dawn, so he was tired, but he also needed to drive quite a long distance later to get to Yoiri.
About an hour and thirty minutes later, he woke up to the sound of his phone alarm and checked the time.
10 a.m.
In thirty minutes, he had to go to the real estate office, receive the remaining balance, and finish the contract.
He took a sip of water to wake himself up when his phone rang.
“Yes, hello?”
“Boss, we’ve cleared everything out. Please come check.”
“Oh, yes. I’m in the parking lot, so I’ll come up right away.”
Getting the call that the packing was done, Jiho hurried into the elevator and went up to his apartment.
When he stepped inside, the empty interior came into view.
He hadn’t had a lot of belongings to begin with, but now that everything was gone, it finally hit him that he was really leaving this home.
“You’re here? We already checked everything, but please take another look yourself, boss. Just in case anything was missed.”
“Oh, yes. I’ll have a quick look around.”
After inspecting the apartment, Jiho returned to the living room and thanked them.
“I checked, and nothing’s missing. If you give me your account number, I’ll transfer the payment.”
“Then I’ll text it to you.”
Receiving the account number via text, Jiho transferred the agreed amount on the spot.
“I’ve sent the money. Please check. And you did a great job today, so I added a little extra for lunch. Have a nice meal with your crew.”
“Thank you so much. Yes, the money came in. You said you’re heading down to the countryside today, right?”
“Yes. I’ll be leaving in a bit.”
“Take care even after you move. If fate allows, we’ll see each other again. We’ll get going now.”
“Yes. Thank you. Safe travels.”
Once the workers left, Jiho looked around the apartment a little longer, then checked the time and headed to the real estate office.
With the realtor handling the process, Jiho received the remaining payment and closed out the contract.
By the time he finished paying off the apartment loan, it was already past lunchtime.
He knew it wasn’t good for his health, but with no other choice, he bought a quick meal, then grabbed a cup of coffee before leaving for Yoiri.
It had only been a week since he’d returned from Yoiri, but so much had changed in that short time.
His bank balance had grown to an amount he wasn’t even sure he could use up in a lifetime, and he had suddenly wrapped up his city life as well…
Normally, starting a new life in an unfamiliar place would make a person anxious or tense, but Jiho only felt excitement.
Thanks to that, he didn’t even feel tired despite the long drive.
He turned on some music and drove energetically, and soon the scenery around him began to change.
Checking the GPS, he saw that he didn’t have much farther to go.
Jiho pulled over briefly on the shoulder and called Dae-woong.
“Hello, Chief?”
“Yes.”
“I’m almost at the village. I think I’ll arrive in about ten to fifteen minutes.”
“You came down earlier than I expected.”
“Yes. Things wrapped up smoothly, so I finished everything quickly. And from what you said before, it seems like you always notice right away when someone enters the village, so I’m calling to let you know it’s me. No need to worry.”
“Alright. Come safely.”
“Yes! I’ll see you soon.”
Ending the call, Jiho started the car again and headed toward Yoiri.
When he passed a point about five minutes away from the village entrance, he spotted a truck parked on a side road.
He immediately slowed down and stopped, frowning to himself.
“Someone living nearby? But they said there weren’t any villages around here because it’s all remote… So who brought a truck out here? Or maybe it’s someone just passing by?”
Since it wasn’t far from Yoiri, it caught his attention.
So he got out of his car and walked toward the parked truck.
The windows weren’t heavily tinted, so he could see inside clearly—and thankfully, no one was in the driver’s seat.
Jiho walked to the truck bed, lifted the tarp, and checked the contents.
Inside were square cages used for trapping animals, snares, and other random items scattered around.
As soon as he saw them, Jiho’s expression hardened.
He wasn’t an expert, but judging from the items, it was hard not to suspect that the owner of this vehicle was a poacher.
Jiho took out his phone and took photos of the cargo and the license plate.
He also recorded a video, then called 112 to report it.
Because it was a remote area, he was told it might take some time for officers to arrive, so Jiho said he would stay there to keep watch.
He returned to his car, locked the doors, and began monitoring the truck.
After about one or two minutes, the familiar fox appeared, coming down from the mountain.
The fox walked straight toward Jiho’s car, so he quickly got out.
“Uh… Hodori? Is that you?”
“Kyang!”
Seeing the fox nod and bark, Jiho felt happy—but also worried.
If poachers appeared at any moment, having Ho here could be dangerous.
“Ho, why aren’t you in the village? There might be dangerous people around here. So go back quickly, okay? If they see you, it could be bad.”
At those words, Ho shook his head and grabbed Jiho’s pant leg, trying to pull him somewhere.
“Ho, where are you trying to go? Huh? I have to stay here until the police arrive.”
Jiho tried to stop him, but Ho wouldn’t budge.
Realizing it was pointless, Jiho quickly gave in.
“Alright, alright. I’ll follow you. Just lead the way. But it can’t be too far, okay? I have to come right back.”
“Kyang!”
As if telling him not to worry, Ho barked and hurried ahead.
Following behind, Jiho climbed the mountain trail for about five minutes before hearing the pitiful cries of an animal.
“Huh?”
Startled, Jiho quickened his pace after Ho.
Moments later, they reached the spot: a deer lay collapsed on the ground, one leg caught in a snare, bleeding.
Beside it, a small fawn—likely its baby—was crying and licking the mother’s injured leg.
Seeing that, Jiho understood why Ho had brought him here.
He quickly took out his phone and called 112 again.
When he reported finding a deer caught in a snare and said its baby was with it, they promised to contact a wildlife rescue center.
After the call, Jiho desperately wanted to help the suffering deer, but he was afraid to touch it and possibly make things worse, so he watched from a short distance with concern.
Just then, his phone rang: the police had arrived.
“Yes, do you see a truck up ahead? Yes, that’s the vehicle I found. And I called again a little earlier because I found a deer caught in a snare. I’m staying with it right now.”
An officer said they would inspect the truck first, then come up to where Jiho was.
After ending the call, Jiho suddenly heard rustling and human voices behind him.
“What the hell? Who are you?”
Startled, Jiho turned—and two middle-aged men stood there, clearly the poachers.
Seeing them, Jiho jumped up and moved in front of the deer to block their way.
“Heh. I thought we got nothing today, but at least one got caught? And look, there’s a baby too. We can take both.”
“Right? And hey, isn’t that a fox over there?”
“Huh?! It really is a fox! Ha! Today’s our lucky day.”
Ignoring Jiho, the men kept talking among themselves, which angered him.
“Hey! You guys are poachers, right? You set this snare, didn’t you?”
“And who the hell are you? Just get lost before you get hurt…”
“There’s always some idiot who thinks he’s a hero. You see the knife in my hand? If you care about staying alive, leave while you can.”
Even though the men threatened him with knives, Jiho couldn’t run away and leave the animals behind.
He couldn’t let the deer—or Ho—get taken.
Picking up a fallen branch, Jiho said in a trembling voice:
“What you’re doing is illegal. I already called the police. So you’d better be the ones leaving!”
He purposely didn’t mention that the police were already at the bottom of the mountain.
Holding the branch, he blocked their path.
“Hah! Unbelievable. Some people just can’t tell when they’ve been given a chance to live. You think you’re doing the right thing? Guys like you… they die first.”
“Exactly. And you think those animals will thank you for this? Huh?”
Saying that, the men approached with their knives raised.
Ho stepped in front of Jiho and growled loudly.
“Grrrr… grrrrrng!”
The men snorted in amusement.
“What’s with this fox?”
“Look at its fur. Kinda special, isn’t it? Bet its pelt would sell for a nice price.”
“Heh heh heh.”
No matter how fiercely Ho growled, the men didn’t flinch.
Seeing that, Jiho quickly stepped forward to protect Ho.
At that moment, Ho sprang toward the men.
“Ah! You damn fox!”
“I’ll kill you for that!!”
Enraged, the men swung their knives.
Jiho rushed forward and grabbed Ho, shielding him with his own body.
Then came a surge of terrible pain in his abdomen.
“Aah…”
Kneeling, Jiho collapsed while holding Ho tightly.
When he looked down, the white shirt he’d worn that morning was rapidly turning red.
“Damn it! Why’d that idiot jump in like that?”
“Forget it—run!”
With Jiho bleeding and fallen, the men fled the scene.
“Huff…”
“Kiing… kiiiing…”
Seeing Jiho wounded after protecting him, Ho cried pitifully and licked his face.
“Are you… okay? You’re not hurt, right…?”
Ho nodded as if saying he was fine, and Jiho closed his eyes in relief—then lost consciousness.
When Jiho completely collapsed, Ho slipped out of his arms and looked at the wound.
The knife had gone in deep, and blood wouldn’t stop flowing.
With Ho’s yokai eyes, he could see Jiho’s life force fading rapidly.
Seeing Jiho on the verge of death, Ho seemed to make up his mind and began to concentrate.
Then his body began to glow, revealing his true form.
Until now, he had appeared just like a native red fox.
But now he was twice the size and had four tails.
Returning to his original form, Ho expelled a small glowing orb from his mouth—and at that moment reverted back to his smaller fox form.
Carrying the orb gently, Ho placed it into Jiho’s mouth.
The orb instantly melted and disappeared.
A blinding light burst from Jiho’s entire body before slowly fading.
When the light finally dissipated, the painful expression on Jiho’s face had softened into peace.