Chapter 14

“Yoon Horyeon, you said? Did something happen to her?”

Beomjin repeated the name as he jotted it down. Yes, it was the same name etched into his memory. He remembered her glamorous looks, her bold fashion—then the pitiful, broken figure he’d found in the end. He had tried to forget, but her tragic story clung like a scar. All he had ever known of her was secondhand, pieced together too late.

“It’s nothing serious. It’s just… her personality is unusual. That’s why I worry. Honestly, I don’t ask favors like this often, but I thought maybe she’d behave more meekly if the one knocking is a Tiger. And if something dangerous ever happened… well, I thought you could handle it.”

“That almost sounds like she’s already involved in something dangerous.”

At Beomjin’s sharp retort, Hojun waved both hands frantically.

“No, no, nothing like that! I swear! It’s just… she’s what people call a wild kid. She fought with her parents and ran away. Now she won’t answer calls, won’t come home… so I worry, that’s all. I promise it isn’t anything too serious.”

Hojun clenched a fist, trying to show sincerity.

Beomjin had no reason to refuse. He already knew what awaited Horyeon in the future. He already knew she was necessary. Even if Hojun hadn’t asked, he would have sought her out.

Beomjin pushed back his chair and stood.

“All right. Please look after the Rabbit child. I’ll bring Yoon Horyeon back safely.”

“Good. Good! I’ll send you the basic details by text.”

Hojun raised both thumbs in satisfaction.

As Beomjin turned to leave, something hanging on the office wall caught his eye. A circular frame like a dreamcatcher, adorned with nine ornaments shaped like fox tails.

“The Nine-Tails of a gumiho,” Beomjin murmured.

“You recognize it? It’s a charm of luck for us foxes. If you like it, I’ll gift it to you.”

“No. It suits this room better.”

Beomjin clenched his teeth. The more he tried not to remember, the more Horyeon’s lifeless body surfaced before his eyes. She had been killed by Dragon.

When he stepped out, Jinyoung seized his arm.

“You’re really going through with this? Why? What do you gain? There’s no profit in finding her.”

“It’s a fair exchange. You give, you get. And besides… not everything I do is without benefit.”

“And what exactly do you gain by finding her?”

“That… you’ll see.”

Just then, Beomjin’s phone buzzed nonstop. A flood of text: Horyeon’s name, her number, her address, the clubs she frequented, the bars, the karaoke rooms—all sloppily typed with missing spaces.

He still didn’t know what had really happened to her, but for now, the only path forward was to track her down step by step. He decided to start at her home.

“I’m out. I don’t care about this sort of thing. I’ve got my own backlog to deal with,” Jinyoung said, turning away.

Beomjin repeated the address under his breath and set out alone.

He had thought of Horyeon as just another delinquent kid. Instead, the address pointed to luxury. Her apartment was worth billions of won, part of a complex with manicured gardens, a gym, a library, even playgrounds and pools.

“And she calls this running away? Living here, on her own, without anyone interfering?”

Beomjin muttered, looking up at the towering building. The residents passing by radiated ease and wealth, or maybe that was just how it felt.

Thanks to a building superintendent who was also a Beast-Blooded, Beomjin had no trouble getting inside.

“You’re sure this isn’t about some violent crime, or one of those cases you see on the news?”

The middle-aged building superintendent asked nervously before unlocking the door.

“That doesn’t seem likely. Why do you ask?”

Beomjin scowled, already sensing the intent behind the question.

“Whenever there’s trouble, the residents complain. They don’t like bad publicity. They don’t want the kids exposed. So if something happened, I’d like to know—”

“There isn’t. I don’t smell blood. I don’t even smell mildew. Open the door.”

A growl edged his voice, and the superintendent hastily obeyed before retreating down the hall.

Inside was immaculate—fragrant perfume, white marble floors, high-end furniture. A scene from a drama. But once Beomjin reached the living room, Horyeon’s lifestyle showed through: dresses draped over the couch, socks tossed on the floor, empty beer cans rolling underfoot. Receipts, bags, little fragments of daily life scattered like trash.

Beomjin wasn’t surprised. If anything, the mess set him at ease. But when he opened the bedroom door, the mood shifted again. It looked ransacked—except it wasn’t theft.

The vanity drawers stood open, jewelry still neatly inside. The closet was ajar, not torn apart, just missing certain things. The valuables were untouched. She had packed only what she wanted and left.

Wait.

Near the closet, faint marks traced a path toward the door. Shoeprints. Not random dust. She had moved in a rush, circling close to the walls. Even the bed had footprints, like she hadn’t wasted a second.

There had to be a reason. Beomjin focused his senses, combing every corner for a trace. Then his phone rang—Jinyoung.

So she’d changed her mind after all? He answered. Before he could say hello, her voice cracked like a whip:

“Where the hell are you?”

“Why are you yelling? I’m at Yoon Horyeon’s place. But this doesn’t look like a simple runaway—”

“Forget that! Get over here now! A fox has turned up!”

“What? A fox? You mean Horyeon?”

“No! Another fox! Murder victim. Get here immediately!”

Her shout nearly blew out the speaker.

Murder.

Beomjin snapped quick photos of the room before leaving the apartment behind.

The crime scene was already crowded when he arrived. Police lines, Special Unit agents, and onlookers swarmed the lot.

“You made good time. I thought you’d be longer,” Jinyoung said, a little flushed. Behind her stretched the communal parking lot.

“I was nearby. The victim’s a fox?”

“Yeah. Of all things, a fox.”

Beomjin braced himself. He prayed it wasn’t her.

It wasn’t.

At least not the Horyeon he remembered. This victim was another woman, mid-twenties, short-haired, dressed in a neat suit. She lay sprawled face-down between the lot wall and a brush of shrubs, arms and legs stretched stiff. Along with her fox scent came the faint sting of disinfectant.

“Looks like she worked at a hospital nearby,” Beomjin muttered.

Jinyoung’s eyes widened.

“How the hell did you guess? Yeah. Two blocks over—dermatology clinic.”

He crouched, brushing aside her hair to reveal her face. His hunch was right. Both eyes were gone.

“What? How’d you know that before I even told you?”

“I smelled the blood. Around her face.”

He played it off, but the truth was different. Horyeon’s corpse had looked the same. No eyes. Which meant the same killer.

“Gumiho carry a special fox bead. Whoever holds it gains limitless recovery—so valuable that in any era, any world, it’s a treasure beyond price. They say even lost hair will grow back.”

Those were Uwan’s words, once upon a time, rubbing his balding forehead with a bitter laugh.

Someone was hunting foxes.

And in Beomjin’s mind flashed the arrogant gaze of Dragon.

“Piece of shit,” Beomjin muttered under his breath. And with that, he was certain. Horyeon hadn’t just run away—she was on the run to survive.

“Why are you suddenly swearing? Do you know who did this?” Jinyoung asked.

“Not directly. What’s certain is, whoever did this is hunting foxes.”

“I figured that much. This makes three already.”

Beomjin’s head snapped around. “Three? What do you mean, three?”

“Yeah. You didn’t know? It was before you joined up. This is the third fox murder. After the second, it went quiet for a week, so we thought maybe it had stopped.”

Three victims already. If they didn’t put an end to this string of killings soon, more would follow.

“…Unbelievable. Who the hell’s pulling this shit?”

The curse came out soft, almost melodic, but no less venomous. Beomjin turned to see two familiar faces approaching.

The man was a little smaller than Beomjin, but solid muscle filled out his frame. His swept-back hair, narrow eyes, and blunt nose gave him a sharp, rugged impression.

The woman in front of him had the opposite look—slender, model-like, with long golden hair that perfectly framed doll-like features. A cigarette dangled from her lips as she let out a stream of curses, fury bleeding from every word.

“It’s been a while,” Jinyoung greeted first. The two nodded back, then both sets of eyes landed on Beomjin.

“So this is him? The Tiger you brought in?”

“That’s right. Introductions. This is Agent Chae I-rang, and this is Risa.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Baek Beomjin.”

He shook their hands briefly. He already knew who they were—Wolf I-rang and Fox Risa, one of the Special Unit’s most famous pairs. An odd couple at first glance, but their teamwork was flawless. More than once, they’d been likened to a married couple in the field.

“Another fox? Damn it, I can’t stand this shit anymore,” Risa snarled, her voice like rocks grinding together. Jinyoung stood closer beside her, showing the easy closeness of old comrades.

“Why foxes? What could they have done to get targeted like this?” Jinyoung asked.

“How the hell should I know? Some pervert out there gets hard at the sight of a fox? If we catch him, I’ll tear his bones out and—”

“Calm down,” I-rang said softly, hands in his pockets. She didn’t answer, but at least her swearing stopped.

“Do either of you know someone named Yoon Horyeon?” Beomjin asked.

Risa blinked, then glanced at I-rang. “Sounds familiar… who mentioned that name again?”

“That’s Professor Yoo Hojun’s niece,” he replied.

“Oh! Right, that girl he’s always asking about.”

“That’s correct,” Beomjin said. “Professor Yoo asked me to find her.”

“He asked you too? Damn, he nags everyone. Why doesn’t he just find her himself if he’s that desperate?” Risa blew smoke like she was venting at Hojun directly.

“So you don’t know where she is either?” Jinyoung asked.

Risa shook her head. “She doesn’t call me. Just because we’re both foxes doesn’t mean we’re all on a group chat.”

“Fair point,” Jinyoung said, conceding with a shrug.

While the others talked, Beomjin tuned them out, chasing the traces left in the air. Strong alcohol, the sour stench of vomit, perfume sprayed too thick, exhaust fumes settled heavy in the air. Beneath it all, the mingled scents of humans and beast-blooded.

A dog.

Through the haze of I-rang and Risa’s scents, Beomjin caught it clearly now. A dog Beast-Blooded had been nearby. Not unusual in itself—but there was something about it that felt strangely familiar, tugging at his senses.

It wasn’t far. The scent had drifted out of the crowd, but it wasn’t too old to follow. Beomjin tracked it like fallen leaves marking a path, slipping past the lot.

Risa frowned as she watched him walk off without a word. “Hey. Where’s he going?”

Jinyoung, used to it, only sighed as Beomjin’s back grew smaller in the distance. “That’s just how he is. Don’t worry about it.”