Fox on the Way to the Association
“I’ll take good care of you, but… where is Naru-nim right now?”
“Ah, if you’re looking for Naru, she’s right here.”
At the sound of my name I peeked just my face out of the bag—and there was my subordinate candidate Kim Seoyeon, frozen with her eyes wide open and her usual blank expression completely shattered.
“Guhhk!!”
“Kaeng?!”
She suddenly coughed up blood and collapsed. I was so startled I screamed and dove straight back into the bag.
“Th-this is… far too dangerous… I took a direct hit from Naru-nim’s unexpected cuteness… If I hadn’t seen her in person today, the sheer force would have stopped my heart for sure!!”
“Um, you just threw up blood. Shouldn’t you go to a hospital?”
“I’m… fine! This will fix it.”
Kim Seoyeon pulled a clear ziplock bag from her coat, opened it, and jammed her nose inside, breathing hard.
“Haaah! Hooo!”
“Th-that’s not…”
“Yes. It’s Naru-nim’s fur. I’m all better now.”
“Please actually go to a hospital. Psychiatry.”
For some reason Yerin completely ignored Kim Seoyeon and strode away at a brisk pace. Behind us Kim Seoyeon shouted that she had prepared a special seat and supplies for me in the car, but Yerin ignored her cleanly.
And so I began sightseeing through the gap in the zipper from inside the bag. After Yerin called something called a taxi, we climbed in and raced toward a place called the Association.
“Ooooh!”
Watching the city scenery whip past outside the window made my tail wag all by itself. Everything outside was flying by so fast that I felt like I was the one going fast, and I wanted a better look.
“Naru?!”
I popped right out of the bag and plastered myself against the window.
The driver uncle looked startled when I suddenly appeared, but I just clung to the glass and enjoyed the speed.
“Naru, that’s dangerous inside a moving car.”
“Naru has decided.”
“Decided what?”
“When Naru succeeds, Naru’s gonna buy a house and a taxi too!”
“You mean a car, right? Sure. If it’s you, Naru, you’ll definitely manage it. So for now…”
Yerin scooped me up and tucked me back into the bag she wore in front. Then she hugged the bag with me inside and said,
“Normally you’d need a seatbelt, but you’re so small, so just stay with Unnie.”
I almost argued the second she called me small, but then I remembered the time I got stuck in a clothing donation bin and quietly let her hold me.
“Haha, you two look like nice sisters. Looks like the little one awakened?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Man, when she first came out of the bag I thought a doll had started moving!”
“Our Naru is pretty cute, isn’t she?”
“My own daughter used to look just like a little doll when she was small. So cute.”
Naru isn’t cute, Naru is cool…
Listening to the taxi uncle’s chatter, we arrived at the Association before I knew it.
“Woooow…”
I couldn’t help gasping at the tall building outside the window. Compared to Yerin’s house it was shiny and ridiculously high—like a castle.
“The Association was a castle all along!!”
“Calling it a castle is such a cute way to put it.”
“Who the heck lives in there?!”
“Nobody lives at the Association. It’s just a place where lots of people work.”
“What’s the difference?”
“If I had to say… maybe the difference between Naru’s den and a hunting ground?”
“The Association is a hunting ground?!”
“Something like that.”
After explaining, Yerin didn’t get out right away. She stared out the window, tense.
“Still… I didn’t expect reporters to be gathered right in front of the Association…”
“Reporters?”
“Naru, you absolutely must not come out of the bag.”
“Why?”
“They probably won’t be very nice people.”
“Are they trying to hunt Naru?!”
“No, not that bad, but they can make things really hard.”
At those words I tensed up, crouched even lower inside the bag, and hid my presence. Yerin zipped the bag shut, took a deep breath, got out of the car, and started walking quickly toward the Association.
She tried to hide her face by pulling a hat down low, but she hadn’t gone far from the car before someone shouted.
“There she is!!”
“Crap!”
Yerin tried to slip away fast, but more people than expected swarmed in and made it hard to move. In an instant we were surrounded by a weird crowd of people. I trembled inside the bag and covered my ears and eyes.
What if those people start yelling at me?
What if they hit me?
I was scared.
“Kaeng…”
“Please say a few words about the child you’re protecting!”
“What’s your opinion on the Association’s official statement?”
“Tell us in detail how you met the child!”
“Did you come alone today? What’s the purpose of your visit?”
“Are you alone? We’d like to interview the child.”
“P-please calm down. I only came today for the child I’m protecting. Please make a path.”
“Just one more comment!”
“Legal issues surrounding Awoken are being raised—what’s your take on that!”
“That’s enough.”
At that familiar voice, people in black clothes pushed through the reporters—smooth yet rough—and peeled them away from Yerin, clearing up the chaotic situation. At the center of it all, Kim Seoyeon approached and spoke.
“I’m sorry. I should have warned you in advance.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“This way, please. Unauthorized reporters can’t enter the Association building.”
“I never imagined things would get this big.”
“Yes. After Yerin-ssi’s broadcast, all sorts of problems at the Association started coming to light one after another. Naturally, attention focused even more on you and Naru-nim, who started it all. Well, thanks to that we’ll finally be able to replace some of the rotten water, so I don’t think it’s entirely a bad thing.”
That was how we left the reporters behind and safely entered the Association. Even inside, though, there were quite a few Awoken, and I could feel their gazes gathering on us.
“Ahaha, it’s been a while since stares felt this heavy.”
“I’ll guide you. I’ve already prepared everything so we can handle Naru-nim’s identity issues and the Awoken test.”
“You’re quite thorough.”
“The incident has grown large, so we rushed the preparations, but nothing will put Naru-nim at a disadvantage. If anything does…”
For a moment a thick, heavy atmosphere rolled off Kim Seoyeon, and my danger sense screamed that she was dangerous.
“I’ll handle it with my own hands.”
“I appreciate that, but you’re leaking killing intent.”
“Ah. Excuse me.”
Gulp.
My subordinate candidate seems stronger than me… is that just my imagination?
No. Naru is a strong fox!
The only people stronger than Naru in the whole world are Boss, Yerin, and Subin…
Huh? Isn’t that everyone I know?
…
Ah!
It must be that thing where strong people gather around strong people!
Naru is definitely not weak.
As we kept going up, the presence of people gradually thinned. I poked my face out of the bag and started exploring the surroundings with my nose.
“Kh… as expected, Naru-nim’s destructive power is incredible. If I hadn’t prepared in advance I might have collapsed again.”
“???”
“Ah. I mean that Naru-nim is strong.”
“Hmph! Naru is strong!”
As expected of my subordinate candidate—she clearly understood my strength. A moment ago I’d worried she might be stronger than me, but seeing that reaction, I was definitely the stronger one.
“Please go in this way. The person in charge will be waiting inside.”
“Thanks for guiding us.”
“Not at all. For Naru-nim it’s only natural.”
“If only she wouldn’t say or do weird things, everything would be fine…”
Inside, a staff member who looked utterly exhausted was waiting for us. Her dark circles were so deep I almost mistook her for a panda for a second.
“I’ve been waiting for you. I’m Yu Nara, the officer assigned to Naru this time.”
“Hello, I’m Han Yerin. And this is Naru.”
“Grrrr!”
“She’s a very wary child, so please understand.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be handling Naru’s identity registration, the Awoken test, and various other odds and ends, so if any problems come up, contact me here.”
She handed Yerin a business card. I heard Yerin murmur quietly, “At least she looks more normal than Kim Seoyeon-ssi. That’s a relief.”
“Then let’s start with identity registration right away…”
“Grrrr!”
When the stranger got closer I instinctively growled a warning not to come near. The woman called Yu Nara, as if she’d expected it, pulled something out and held it in front of my face.
“Sniff sniff.”
On her palm sat a small brown lump. Because of the instinct to smell whatever was right under my nose, I caught a faint sweet scent sealed inside the little piece, and my mouth watered.
Without hesitation I popped it in.
It slowly melted in my saliva, and a rich sweetness flooded my mouth. It was only a tiny piece—how could the sweetness be this violent!!
By the time I came back to my senses I had already eaten the whole thing and was licking Yu Nara’s hand clean.
“If our little friend finishes the investigation with this unnie, I’ll give you another one.”
“Just… with something like that you think you can…”
“Want two?”
“Huff huff!”
From behind, Yerin watched me with a bitter smile.
“Our Naru… she’s cute, but I’m a little worried she’s way too easy…”