The Story Of A Small Fox Who Has A Star Chapter 24 Part2

The news about Ho-Chi's occupation reached JHo's ear. Hearing the news, JHo went to visit Master Cheon-Ho.

Because it was an early hour when JHo visited him, Master Cheon-Ho was enjoying his morning tea.

According to the servants, Master Cheon-Ho was spending his time indoors rather than partying, drinking, and hunting, like how he used to.

The change of Master Choen-Ho's behaviors worried the servants so much that they informed JHo in detail when JHo arrived in the palace.

Not believing what he was hearing from the servants, JHo payed his respect to Master Cheon-Ho as he sat down next to him.

When looking around, to JHo's surprise, he found a embroidery frame near Master Cheon-Ho.

JHo, wanting to deny what he suspects about Master Cheon-Ho's favorable feelings for Ho-Chi, clenched his sleeves tight before asking Master Cheon-Ho, "Master Cheon-Ho, isn't that an embroidery frame?"

"Ah-, yes, it is."

Master Cheon-Ho answered JHo's question absentmindedly as he sneaked glances at the sliding door while sipping his tea.

"May I ask why Master Cheon-Ho is keeping such thing in his room?"

"Ah-, I needed it for something."

Once again, Master Cheon-Ho answered JHo's question with little attention as he continued to watch the door. Abruptly, Master Cheon-Ho got up from his seat and walked to the folding screen behind him.

Master Cheon-Ho, then, took two carefully folded silk fabrics from behind the folding screen and spread them out in front of JHo.

"Look at these. Ho-Chi did the embroidery on these fabrics yesterday. Aren't they breathtaking? I've never seen anything so beautiful in my life."

Saying the words, Master Cheon-Ho wore sweet smile on his face. Worrying he might dirty the embroidery, Master Cheon-Ho never touched the adornment.

Watching Master Cheon-Ho talking about the work as if he was the one who done it while flushing with pride and his eyes sparkling, JHo bit down on his lower lip with frustration.

"That small fox, he loves sewing so much that he was not aware of me calling him from his side. He puts so much effort into his needlework that it takes him hours just to complete one flower. But don't you think his works are worthy of his labor? They are so vibrant and lifelike, you can almost smell the flowers."

As if he can actually smell the flowers on the silken fabric, Master Cheon-Ho brought the clothes close to his nose.

Stifling his emotion, JHo spoke to Master Cheon-Ho.

"Then…would you consider giving them as a gift, Master Cheon-Ho? Didn't you promise to reward me for the game that I hunted during the last hunting expedition? I would very much like to have that fabric."

Upon hearing JHo's request, Master Cheon-Ho hastily threw the silk in his hands over the folding screen, successfully hiding them from JHo's gaze.

Master Cheon-Ho looked away from JHo as he replied.

"No, you can't have them. They were made for me."

"That is unreasonable. If I can't have my reward, then please return Ho-Chi to me."

"!!!What?!!! re, re, return?!! What nonsense are you blathering about?!! How dare you?!!!"

Master Cheon-Ho jumped up from his seat as he shouted at JHo with his index finger pointing at him accusingly. Master Cheon-Ho's face was colored red with rage.

JHo smiled mirthlessly as he spoke.

"Didn't you give Ho-Chi to me all those years ago? Although I've sent him away to Master YMang, I had every intention of bringing him back to my side, I just didn't find the way to do so earlier. Why does Master Cheon-Ho think that I brought Ho-Chi into the main palace? I only wanted Ho-Chi to recover, so I can bring him home with me, Since Ho-Chi recovered, return him to me."

"What? Didn't you hate him?! You told me that with your own mouth!! AND NOW YOU WANT HIM BACK ALL THESE YEARS LATER?!!"

"Yes, I hate him, however, he is of my blood. It is true that Ho-Chi escaped to the human world without properly performing his duty as my brother, but it will all change once I train him in my palace. I am very ashamed to have him walk around in the main palace as he is now. Please return him to me Master Cheon-Ho, so I can properly educate him. I will prepare a different child of your liking for you to play with while he is gone."

"I!"

Master Cheon-Ho opened his mouth to speak, but he stopped. Instead of looking at JHo, Master Cheon-Ho's eyes were fixed on the door.

To be precise, Master Choen-Ho's eyes were fixed on Ho-Chi who was standing on the doorway.

It wasn't clear when Ho-Chi entered the room, but he looked pale. In Ho-Chi's hands, there was left over work from yesterday that Ho-Chi didn't finish.

Noticing Ho-Chi at the door, JHo avoided looking at him and turned his head.

Panicking, Master Choen-Ho hurriedly brought Ho-Chi in to seat right by his side. Not wanting Ho-Chi to run away, Master Cheon-Ho pushed the embroidery frame onto Ho-Chi's lap.

"You, you can work here today. You were an eyesore sitting in a corner yesterday."

Ho-Chi replied Master Cheon-Ho in such a small voice that it was barely audible like a whisper of a wind.

Master Cheon-Ho gestured for JHo to get out before he sat down carefully on his seat.

When JHo showed no sign of leaving, Master Cheon-Ho pushed JHo's sitting cushion, JHo still sitting on top, to get him as far away from Ho-Chi as possible.

"Just leave, would you!"

"…I will come back tomorrow."

"Just don't come. You are not welcome here."

When JHo finally left, Master Cheon-Ho locked the door after him as he sighed in relief. Master Cheon-Ho then slowly approached and sat beside Ho-Chi as he studied Ho-Chi's face.

Because Ho-Chi bowed his head low, Master Cheon-Ho had to strain his neck sideways to have a look at Ho-Chi's face. Ho-Chi had reddened eyes.

Even though Ho-Chi didn't shed tears, just looking at Ho-Chi's reddened eye rims, Master Cheon-Ho felt sorry.

Then, Master Cheon-Ho smelled something on Ho-Chi.

"Eh? Are you hurt? I smell blood on you."

"…On the way, I helped someone who was hurt."

"Oh, is that so…"

The atmosphere became awkward as the conversation came to an end. Master Cheon-Ho continuously cleared his throat. Stretching out on his side, Master Cheon-Ho looked up at Ho-Chi's face. When Master Cheon-Ho noticed Ho-Chi's small tail, he reached out and touched it without much thought.

Startled, Ho-Chi tried to run away, but before he can do so, Master Cheon-Ho retrained Ho-Chi by grabbing and pulling Ho-Chi's sleeve down.

Master Cheon-Ho spoke quietly as he replaced the embroidery frame onto quivering Ho-Chi's lap.

"Your tail is so small that it intrigues me."

Hearing Master Cheon-Ho, Ho-Chi's eyes became even more red around the rims as Ho-Chi lowered his head.

"I…do not have..much spiritual power…"

Although Master Cheon-Ho didn't mean to belittle Ho-Chi by pointing out his small tail, he felt guilty as he bit down on his lower lip. Master Cheon-Ho turned his gazes away.

"…Shall I…change your name to something else?"

Just at that moment, Master Cheon-Ho thought up a good idea, so he carefully spoke to Ho-Chi, but when Ho-Chi heard Master Cheon-Ho's question, he lowered his head farther as he replied.

"…The name I have suits me Master Cheon-Ho…I am not very foxlike after all…"

Master Cheon-Ho bit down on his tongue and stamped on his feet in his mind.

To get a glimpse of Ho-Chi's face again, Master Cheon-Ho laid on his back completely. Thinking that Ho-Chi's black hair looks nice on Ho-Chi, Master Cheon-Ho began.

"You loo-"

Master Choen-Ho was about to say, 'you look good with black hair', but thought better of it and stopped, mid-sentence.

It was clear from the way Ho-Chi replied to the last comment that Master Cheon-Ho made about his tail that Ho-Chi will most likely reply with, 'it's because I don't have strong spiritual power.'

Feeling like vomiting fire, Master Cheon-Ho breathed heavily to stifle his emotion. When Master Cheon-Ho looked up to see Ho-Chi's face, Master Cheon-Ho noticed that Ho-Chi was avoiding his gaze.

Having bad disposition because of Ho-Chi's behavior, Master Cheon-Ho pocked the embroidery frame in Ho-Chi's hands.

"You, do you have anything that you want or anything that you wish for?"

"No, I don't wish for anything Master Cheon-Ho. I have everything I need."

Watching Ho-Chi's small head shake from side to side, Master Cheon-Ho pursed his lips in frustration as he inwardly complained.

If Master Cheon-Ho were to ask the same question that he asked Ho-Chi to any of his concubines, they would have asked Master Cheon-Ho to give them the world.

However, even though Master Cheon-Ho complained about Ho-Chi's lack of ambition, in truth, he felt that Ho-Chi's answer was, somehow, pretty.

"Then, do you, perhaps, have anything that you want to eat? I can get you anything."

"No, I am eating better than before. I don't need you to get me anything."

Hearing Ho-Chi's answer, Master Cheon-Ho sighed deeply in his mind.

This poverty-stricken fox was too innocent and lack in experiences, Master Cheon-Ho was sure, that Ho-Chi didn't know what is good and what is poor, so Master Cheon-Ho spoke again.

"Do you know a place called Jeon-Ju? The region is famous for honey-filled rice cakes. The rice cake is elastic and warm that when it is combined with sweet honey, they fill your mouth with both great texture and taste."

Ho-Chi's eyes became wide with surprise. Watching Ho-Chi's reaction, Master Cheon-Ho cheered in his mind. Master Cheon-Ho felt excited to see Ho-Chi's reaction.

Master Cheon-Ho's tails wagged happily, displaying his feelings.

"There is a white powder that is sweet like honey even though it looks like salt. It is called sugar and if you eat it once, you will never forget the taste. Have you had it before?"

"…"

-My bride! Let's go to Jeon-Ju! You remember the honey-filled rice cake, the area is famous for that! We can go eat!! I heard that they also have a powder that is white as salt but sweet as honey called sugar!

As the voice of Master Cheon-Ho echoed louder in the room, Ho-Chi's eye rims grew redder and redder. In the end, Ho-Chi buried his face onto the embroidery frame in his hands.

Although it didn't look like Ho-Chi was crying, Master Cheon-Ho sat upright when he saw Ho-Chi's slight frame trembling.

Worrying that he might have said something to hurt Ho-Chi's feelings, Master Cheon-Ho studied Ho-Chi intently.

It would be bad if Ho-Chi had chocked on a large piece of rice cake, or he became sick because of an expired sugar because, then, what Master Cheon-Ho said might have brought up Ho-Chi's trauma.

Not knowing what to do, Master Cheon-Ho became fl.u.s.tered.

When Master Cheon-Ho was running through all the possible scenario for Ho-Chi to be distressed by a honey-filled rice cake, Ho-Chi raised his head and spoke.

"…Master Cheon-Ho, please allow me to leave the palace."

"…"

Hearing Ho-Chi's request, Master Cheon-Ho stopped his breathing.

TN:Yes!! Be more a.s.sertive Ho-Chi! You have the right to find happiness (this goes out to all of you).