Once the skeletons acknowledged the Shadow Fox as the High Priest, they didn’t question it at all. The synchronization rate with the real one was 100%, and due to the Fox Church’s doctrine of implicit trust from the get-go, it never crossed their minds that this Shadow Fox might be someone else entirely.
They simply thought, “The room must not be safe anymore, so Baby Fox came out personally.” So in the eyes of the skeletons, the Baby Fox Room where Ju Hak-beom had been trapped was no longer a sanctuary.
— Useless room! Must make better room, skull-skull!
They immediately began constructing a new home for the Shadow Fox.
— Skull carry, skull carry!
The laborer skeletons started moving the items from the old Baby Fox Room into the new one. Two of them struggled together to carry the ball pit. As they lifted it, Ju Hak-beom—who had been hiding inside—suddenly popped out once the surroundings had grown quiet.
He had a scarf wrapped around his head.
“Ssshhhha.”
Tears streamed down from the eyes of Fox Ju Hak-beom.
What he was inhaling now wasn’t just air—it was freedom.
[System]: Due to a decrease in the believers’ faith, you have lost your job.
Not far from there, the Shadow Fox who had replaced him was happily mewling in delight.
“Shadow Fox-nim, does the position of High Priest suit you well, nya?”
— I like it, the skulls like me too, nya.
“That’s a relief, nya. I hope you’ll stay happy forever, nya.”
Covered head to toe, Ju Hak-beom approached them cautiously, gave his thanks, and slipped away unnoticed from the Shadow Castle.
Ju Hak-beom arrived at the train platform at last and sat down in the Fox-Reserved Seat, waiting for the others. A short while later, Kim Teolbo—currently playing in human form—came running up.
“Hak-beom!”
“Teolbo!”
The two had learned they were the same age through casual chat in the group DM and naturally started speaking informally.
Feeling reassured by Teolbo’s arrival, Ju Hak-beom climbed into his lap and settled into a snug position.
“Haru Noona and Bori Noona said they’ll be here soon, too.”
“Yeah. The Pro still isn’t up yet, huh?”
“According to Juwon-hyung, he got home late last night. Said he started a new training regimen.”
“Getting good sleep is more important than anything.”
At that moment, tufts of fur came rapidly into view in the distance. Ju Hak-beom’s tail began wagging like crazy.
***
They arrived at their destination with just one minute to spare before the scheduled meet time of 10 o’clock.
“Good morning.”
“Pro!”
I bumped tails with Ju Hak-beom like a high five.
Ju Hak-beom:
Everyone, thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here right now. Even though I caused trouble for Player Woo-rim at the beginning, you all embraced me warmly… etc.
The moment he escaped the Shadow Castle, Ju Hak-beom had sent a long, thesis-length thank-you message to the group DM, overflowing with gratitude for his newfound freedom.
“I’ve never seen a fox look this excited.”
“I’m thrilled. It’s my first time leaving the Shadow Castle.”
“There are lots of guides around here, so if you’re unsure of anything, just ask anytime… wait, is everyone not here yet?”
Before the sentence could even finish, the sound of footsteps approached. Turning their heads, they saw Haru and Bori sprinting toward them.
“One-minute late! Sorry!”
“It’s okay. The train’s not here yet.”
They checked the info display. The train was scheduled for 10:10, and everyone had arrived 9 minutes early… except for Kessler and Jung Da-hoon.
“Everyone’s here, right? What about Woo-rim and Juwon?”
“I heard they had a lot of stuff to bring.”
And right then, they saw Jung Da-hoon hauling a suitcase the size of a house, with Kessler dangling from his back, directing him like a foreman.
“Hoooh, made it just in time, safe, safe.”
“Whoa… what’s with that suitcase?”
“Did you have that much to pack?”
“Da-hoon and I bought a few things together in bulk.”
As the train arrived on cue, they boarded and handed their tickets—issued with the Shadow Fox’s authority—to the ticket-checking skeleton.
“What even is all this?”
Once they found their seats, they began the grand suitcase unveiling. Wearing a smug grin, Jung Da-hoon popped it open to reveal an array of Baby Fox-related merchandise.
“This one’s a high-capacity film that’ll perfectly capture our friendship and love—starting with Baby Fox-nim, of course.”
“Da-hoon, aren’t ‘friendship and love’ just… accessories to Woo-rim-nim?”
“…They are not.”
“I can’t with you.”
Bori pressed her hand to her forehead, while Haru burst into giggles as if she’d expected this.
Then came a baby fox brush that softened tail fur, baby fox butt cleanser, and a Yeo Woo-rim fan badge.
“Wow, this is seriously impressive. Can I take just one of those fox badges?”
“Of course. Pin it on your left chest—it makes a fantastic accessory.”
While Ju Hak-beom eagerly accepted the fox items being handed out, Bori Noona’s expression gradually darkened. Jung Da-hoon, who’d been gleefully showing off his items, quickly noticed the shift in her mood.
“And this—this is a couple outfit for Bori and me. I chose a cute bunny outfit that reminded me of her.”
“Gasp. Wait! Isn’t this a limited seasonal item? How did you know I wanted this?!”
“Hehe. I wanted to give it to you earlier, but the shopkeeper skeletons were off doing religious duties, so I couldn’t get it then.”
Bori Noona’s face brightened again. Kessler, refusing to be outdone, placed a flower necklace around my neck.
“With you among the flowers like this, I can’t even tell where Baby Fox ends and the flowers begin. Is this a flower or a baby fox?”
“?”
“Kiki. So pretty. Look this way.”
Pretending to sniff the flowers, Kessler leaned in and sneakily licked my cheek, then pulled out a camera. Click, click.
“Me too, me too!”
At the sound of the camera, the others jumped in to join the photo shoot.
Amid all the noisy, eye-burning displays of affection, the train kept rolling forward.
***
While the train chugged along, I put my character to sleep and used the time to sneak in a nap myself.
“Yaaaawn. That felt amazing.”
Before I knew it, it was already noon. Time to get up, wash, and get ready for work. I rolled around lazily in bed, and that’s when a delicious smell reached my nose—doenjang-jjigae.
“I made that potato stew you like.”
Thick potato chunks, tofu, assorted vegetables, and generous pork slices… It was the kind of hearty stew you’d find in a barbecue joint. A steaming mountain of rice sat on the table, along with a spread of banchan (side dishes) from the deli.
“I made the stew and rice myself.”
“Thanks.”
After binge-watching cooking videos for the past few days, he’d finally gone and done it. The moment I took a bite, my eyes shut on their own.
“This is seriously so good.”
“Maybe I should become a chef.”
“Honestly, just the effort you put in is already more than enough.”
He watched me devour the meal without a word, then quietly smiled.
“Watching Baby Fox eat well… that’s my happiness.”
I made a point of polishing off every last grain of rice, then got washed up and left the house with Kessler seeing me off.
As I walked to work, I rubbed my lower belly.
“…Ugh. I’m so full.”
He looked so hopeful and gave me such a huge portion that I couldn’t bring myself to leave any of it uneaten. But I may have gone overboard. Honestly, I think his hands are even bigger than my mom’s.
“I’m here.”
“Hey, Soopi, welcome!”
“Heaaaah.”
“Ugh, you overate again, didn’t you?”
“It’s been like this every day. My guy’s been getting really into cooking lately.”
“Choki was asking if you’re trying to make a Tactical Stomach Pouch to match your DPS stats.”
“Oh come on, it’s not that bad… is it?”
Suddenly uneasy, I jumped up and checked my reflection in the mirror.
Naturally skinny by build, I didn’t look chubby or anything… but thinking about all the recent binge-eating made me feel a bit alarmed.
“Nope, that’s it. I’m working out before practice.”
From now on, I am serving my own rice. I refuse to become DPS Meat. I do not need a Grip Capacity Pouch.
Practice started at 2 p.m. and ended at 10 p.m. We’d just been integrating what we’d discussed in the meeting into real gameplay, but somehow eight hours had flown by in an instant.
Completely drained, my body felt like jelly. I hadn’t even noticed how tired I was from being so focused—but as soon as we wrapped, exhaustion hit me like a wave. But it didn’t last long.
The moment I saw Kessler waiting for me outside the company, my energy returned all at once.
“Plod-plod.”
I approached, playfully muttering silly sound effects. He held out his hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I reached out and took it—his warmth instantly seeping into my skin.
“Kiki. Why’d you come over all plod-plod?”
“To entertain you.”
Kessler wrapped an arm around my shoulders and gently pulled me closer.
“Feels like practice is going really well these days.”
“You can tell?”
Kessler sometimes knew things with uncanny precision. Part of me wondered if I’d been that obvious… but no, I hadn’t, right?
“How could you tell?”
“Your walk changed. Wanna go get ice cream?”
The moment I spotted the ice cream shop sign across the crosswalk, I suddenly craved some.
“My walk? Ice cream? Ugh, is that okay? What if I gain weight and the sponsor pulls out of the deal last minute saying I got chubby? Should I just eat today and stop tomorrow? What if I lose my six-pack?”
“Don’t worry. You never had one to begin with.”
“Hmm… still feels like a matter of willpower.”
“I’ll feed you. Then it’s not your will—it’s an irresistible force. And we need to go there anyway to plan our next summer together.”
“That’s… actually convincing.”
I wriggled the fingers interlaced with Kessler’s. He responded by holding my hand tighter, no gaps between our palms.
“No fine dust today, huh. You can see all the stars.”
“Yeah. It’s beautiful.”
At my quiet remark, Kessler turned his gaze toward me.
“So how does my walk change? Feels the same to me.”
“If you want to know… kiss.”
After scanning our surroundings to make sure we were alone, I slipped behind him and lightly pressed my lips to his shoulder.
“There. Happy now? Now tell me.”
“That doesn’t count. That’s a woodpecker game, not a kiss.”
The crosswalk light turned green. Kessler pulled me close and pressed his lips to my temple, then took my hand again.
“When you’re excited, you walk nya-nya style. But when you’re tired, it’s more like nyaaaan… nyaan… walk.”
“Are you kidding me? What kind of difference is that?”
I bumped my head lightly against his shoulder a few times.
Swinging our hands, we walked side by side.
And thus began Kessler’s latest thesis on Yeo Woo-rim, paid for with a kiss.
[Side Story — Complete]
