Eating too many sweet things would be bad for his health. Still, it would be better than not taking the medicine. He quickly erased that worry from his mind and carefully set down the fox, now completely wiped clean of honey, on the floor.
“There. Now that you’re clean, do as you like.”
Having fed him plenty, he intended to let him sleep or play as he pleased. Adrian moved his steps to eat. But this small one began following his footsteps like a shadow.
When Adrian sat at the table for breakfast, the fox quickly went under the table and crouched, and when he headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth after finishing his meal, the fox tottered after him on short legs.
After finishing brushing his teeth and returning to the office, when Adrian sat before the desk, the fox looked up at him with round eyes from his feet. However, his gaze was already fixed on the piled documents.
Realizing he wasn’t paying attention to him, the fox’s interest shifted elsewhere.
He’d been to the office before. But that was when he was still full of wariness, so he’d only quickly checked if there was anything dangerous. This was the first time leisurely looking around with peace of mind like this.
The fox stealthily rose and began exploring in earnest, making a round of the office.
He sniffed at the tall bookshelf with his nose, walked on the thick rug feeling its cozy texture with his paw pads, and tapped the globe beside the desk with his paw to spin it. Occasionally his tail swished as if enjoying the small exploration.
However, even this small exploration quickly became boring. There were no fragrant flowers here, no moving insects. Only large furniture and papers he couldn’t read were plentiful.
The fox turned his head back toward Adrian. Watching him still absorbed in documents, he tilted his head.
Are those papers fun?
Adrian looked at papers almost every day. As a fox who couldn’t read, he couldn’t understand at all what was written on those papers that kept him occupied every hour.
The fox stared intently at Adrian, sending desperate gazes with large sapphire-like eyes. ‘Look at me.’ ‘Please look at me.’ But Adrian, as if his soul had been stolen by documents, didn’t move even slightly with his head bowed. He was concentrating so deeply he didn’t even care when his hair fell onto his forehead.
The fox waited more patiently. Still no response. He waited again. Still nothing happened.
Something began bubbling up inside his chest.
The fox whose patience had run out finally made a small resolution. Sneaking closer, he quietly settled at Adrian’s feet, then bumped his forehead against his shin with a thunk.
Play with me. I’m here. I’m bored.
The fox looked up while swishing his tail. His sparkling eyes held a mixture of expectation, affection, and slight complaint.
But what came back was a cold voice flowing out with a sigh.
“I’m busy, so go to that corner and sleep quietly.”
The tail that had been swishing with anticipation drooped weakly. The perked ears also slumped gloomily.
Busy? So you won’t play with me?
Disappointment washed over him like waves. Earlier he’d so gently wiped his mouth and stroked his head. Had he already become bothersome?
But he wasn’t a fox who’d give up over just this. The fox rose from his feet and deliberately rubbed his body against his legs as if to show him. Still no response. This time he gently tickled his ankle with his tail. Soft fur tips brushed against skin.
“……”
Adrian didn’t even move. The fox felt spiteful.
Why are you pretending not to know me?
He himself had ignored him or pretended to be uninterested. But conversely, being ignored himself was a first. He was flustered and irritated. Suddenly, an absurd thought flashed through the fox’s mind like lightning.
You’re not looking at me because of those paper bundles!
The documents piled on the desk. Those were the problem.
Then if I get rid of those papers… you’ll play with me, right?
The fox panted as he approached near the desk. And immediately tried to jump onto the desk. He courageously put strength in his hind legs and leaped. However, his body crashed into the drawer with a thud and fell helplessly to the floor.
“Kkaeng!”
At that scream, Adrian briefly raised his head then lowered his gaze downward. On the floor, a small fur ball was sprawled spread-eagled.
After lying there dazed for a moment, the fox met Adrian’s eyes, then jumped up and brushed off his fur as if nothing had happened. As if saying, ‘Let’s pretend you didn’t see what just happened!’
When Adrian’s gaze returned to the documents, the fox, who’d been trying hard to act nonchalant as if embarrassed, sneaked toward the desk. He intended to climb onto the desk again. However, this time too he failed miserably.
Eventually the fox gave up and instead looked up at Adrian while crying pitifully.
“Kking! Kking….”
Adrian’s gaze turned downward. It was a clear demand to be lifted up.
A sigh came out naturally. But that sigh contained affection closer to resignation than annoyance. He ultimately put down his pen and bent down.
Adrian lightly lifted the small, light body and seated him on his lap. He thought if he put him here, he’d sleep quietly as usual. But the fox didn’t sleep and immediately jumped onto the desk as if he’d been waiting.
The fox had no interest in Adrian’s lap. He intended to get rid of all the papers that were monopolizing his attention.
‘But now what?’
Having climbed onto the desk, he hadn’t thought about how to get rid of the papers from here.
Hmm. Should I try knocking over that bottle like before?
The fox glanced at Adrian while sneaking toward the inkwell. But somehow knowing, he closed the inkwell’s lid without even looking. So that ink wouldn’t leak no matter how much the fox knocked it over.
This method won’t work!
This time he walked over the papers with small paws. He deliberately extended his claws and pressed down firmly on the papers, squish, squish.
Thin claw marks were engraved on the papers like scars, but even that couldn’t draw the Emperor’s attention.
Fortunately, those documents weren’t important papers requiring approval but simple reports he’d already read several times, so even if they were torn it wouldn’t be a big problem. If truly necessary, he could just tell Kael to write new ones.
This failed too.
When his efforts were ignored, competitive spirit blazed in the fox’s eyes. Now, he decided to commence Operation C.
The target was clear. That very document where Adrian’s quill pen rested.
The fox walked boldly and occupied that document. He didn’t just sit. Like choosing a sleeping spot to his liking, he spun around several times on it to settle himself. Then as if having found the fluffiest part, he plopped his black body down.
“……”
Adrian’s pen stopped. His gaze turned not to the document but now to the fox’s pink belly.
The fur ball started licking his front paws while swishing his tail as if to show off. His confident attitude seemed to say, ‘I won. Now play with me.’
One of Adrian’s eyebrows rose.
Just until yesterday, he’d fall asleep as soon as he ate, so why was he bustling around interfering with work today? Was he doing this because eating honey put him in a good mood?
Thinking he wouldn’t come out even if told, he reached out to lift the fox. Then the fox lowered his center of gravity and endured by tensing his entire body with strength. A ngh sound leaked from his throat.
Still just a fur ball.
No matter how much strength he put in, to Adrian he was light as a feather all the same. He lightly grasped the small body that was holding firm with both hands. And lifted the fox into the air.
Th-this shouldn’t happen!
Even while dangling in midair, the fox didn’t give up and flailed all four legs in the air. But to Adrian it was just a cute gesture.
Adrian set the fox down in a corner of the desk, an empty spot with no documents piled. Then he laid down one piece of the softest-looking parchment.
“Stay here. This is your spot.”
This isn’t it.
The fox stared down at the parchment laid under his feet. What he wanted wasn’t a spot on the desk like this. Only Adrian’s attention. When he raised his head, he saw him grasping the pen again and bringing it over the documents. At that moment, the fox hesitated no longer.
Stride stride.
He crossed the desk and approached him in one go. This time it wasn’t on the documents.
The hand Adrian held the pen with.
Right on top of it, he laid his body down with a plop. Small but definite weight covered his wrist and the back of his hand. At that weight, his hand trying to continue work stopped.
“Kyuung….”
