Plin Ch 1.1

1. A Lucky Day

“Hey, fox.”

A man with a puffy face called Plin, snapping his fingers to make a ‘click’ sound. The fox, Plin, holding a wooden basket, turned towards him. The man tapped his index finger on his desk. It was a gesture that said he wouldn’t engage in further conversation, and Plin should figure it out on his own.

Plin quickly approached him with a business smile.

“Ah! Our manager, Branson, also said he would order the Fox Love Juice three times a week starting today, right? I completely forgot. I’ll make sure to keep it at your desk from now on!”

The way he placed a dark glass bottle on Branson’s desk was quite skillful. This kind of disregard was nothing to Plin.

Plin was a traveling salesman, and the treatment he received was the same everywhere. He was among the luckiest of traveling salesmen, comfortably meeting customers in a large, well-established corporate building and even receiving regular orders.

“And here, a service.”

He took a piece of candy out of the basket and placed it next to the bottle. The ‘♥Fox♥’ sticker in the center caught the eye.

Branson, not hiding his displeasure, asked,

“What’s this?”

“It’s an energy candy. If you take it with the Love Juice, the duration of the effect will be longer. If you take it alone, it relieves fatigue.”

Plin spoke sweetly and smiled, his eyes curving. The tips of his fluffy fox ears twinkled pink. Branson, his face reddening for no reason, waved his bear-paw-like hand as if to shoo him away.

“If you’re done, leave.”

As Plin turned, saying, “Yes, sir,” he heard a low but clearly audible voice from behind him, “Where does a fox think he’s pulling a fast one…”

Even though it wasn’t a caste society, it was as if an invisible ranking was assigned from birth. Although it was said that intelligence, personality, and special skills varied by species, foxes were severely undervalued.

Or rather, it’s not an undervaluation, it is a prejudice that has arisen because the foxes have been scamming everyone for generations…

Marriage fraud, financial fraud, academic forgery, luxury design copy, industrial espionage… The main players in the major fraud cases that shook the whole country were all foxes. At this point, the equation ‘fox species trait = swindler’ was rather close to a life lesson.

Plin acted as if he hadn’t heard anything. He held his ears erect and didn’t let his tail droop. No matter what anyone said, Plin was an honest businessman.

The fox species is known for seducing and deceiving people, and seeing a pure white fox diligently visiting door-to-door, twice a day, morning and evening, to sell his wares created a strange impression since the product was a stamina drink. Plin himself had no thoughts about his image.

Plin’s only interest was in business.

Fortunately, the popularity of this ‘Fox Love’ drink was soaring. At first, people were hesitant, but once they experienced its efficacy, they spread the word. It was basically a stamina-enhancing drink for both men and women, but its actual effects were beyond imagination.

It was not just about increased libido and improved firmness. The superiority of this drink over Viagra was that it simultaneously boosted the stamina and attractiveness of the person who took it.

No one knew what kind of magical potion the cheeky fox mixed into the drink, but it made the voice resonate deeply like it was coming from a cave, increased muscle definition to the point where even previously unnoticed abs became defined. Pores were reduced, making the skin texture supple and smooth, thus enhancing sensitivity.

In short, it made a person sexy. Almost a s*x king.

The effect lasts only a few hours at most, but the longer one takes it, the longer the duration, and with prolonged use, it is said to improve one’s physique, according to the humble fox’s advertisement.

In the world of beasts, reproduction is a fundamental instinct. To be sexy, people exercise until they vomit, adorn themselves with expensive items, and even learn foreign languages to appear intellectually sexy, so it was natural that the drink sold by the sly fox was selling like hotcakes.

The drink also had effects such as “improved work ability and concentration,” which were byproducts of a satisfying time the night before. This was also why Plin, who was relatively conscientious for a fox, confidently sold a sexual function-enhancing drink in a company that pursued profits. But it was obvious why those who tried it kept taking it. Branson, Elaina, Jefferson, Hyeongyeong, Leo. In this office, these were the only five people he needed to deliver to.

The next stop was Hyeongyeong. Plin approached the next delivery desk.

“Manager Hyeongyeong, today’s drink.”

Hyeongyeong nodded, not even looking at Plin, only staring at the monitor. Plin carefully took out the bottle and placed it on Hyeongyeong’s desk, not wanting to disturb his work.

Without intending to peek, his gaze was drawn to Hyeongyeong’s monitor, where a young man’s photo filled the screen.

The lines forming his appearance were delicate and intricate, as if carved with a sharpened blade. The prominent bridge of his nose, the linear jawline, and even the shape of the slightly raised peaks of his lips and the lines of his eyes showed a clear distinction between elevation and depression.

The colors that made up the man were all refreshing. His jet-black wavy hair, his transparent emerald eyes like a tropical lagoon near the equator, and the blue pupils that narrowed under the flash.

An imprudent expression rested on his extremely symmetrical and neat face. His eyes were lowered as if looking down on the other side, one corner of his mouth was raised, and a mischievous dimple was etched next to it. It was an attractive disharmony.

The man in expensive-looking clothes… Is he a model? An actor? Since Hyeongyeong’s screen was a portal search result, it must be one of the two.

What species is he? What movie did he appear in? As he looked, he saw the man’s name under the photo.

‘Hugo K. von Ydrohan’

Wow. Long name… he thought, and then he saw Hyeongyeong, a forest wolf, staring at him with his gray eyes, so he quickly bowed his head. It wasn’t something to glare at so fiercely…

Plin thought Hyeongyeong was probably upset that a peddler caught him slacking off, and he cautiously backed away.

Tap, tap.

Having finished the delivery to the 7th-floor office, Plin quickly walked up the emergency staircase.

He had to visit more than ten offices, making it a grueling delivery schedule. Even so, he couldn’t even dream of taking the elevator. The proud office workers didn’t want to encounter a peddler in the company elevator. Due to his fox nature, he was quite quick-witted.

As Plin climbed the stairs, he carefully calculated how much interest he had to pay next month and how much principal he had paid off.

Someone might think he was raking in the money, seeing him roam this building like it was his own, but that wasn’t the case. After deducting the monthly interest, principal, and material costs, there was no money left to save. He was barely making ends meet each month.

Fortunately, his financial situation had improved slightly since he started evening deliveries last month, but Plin still only ate two meals a day. He thought he should gradually increase the product price as he visited the next office.

Media Networks Department.

If the department he had just visited was mainly composed of carnivorous animal members and the work they did was equipment management and supervision, so the atmosphere towards peddlers was somewhat harsh, this department was composed of herbivores, so the people were much more gentle.

There were many sickly people, so it was the department with the highest sales of drinks. Before entering the office on the 17th floor, Plin practiced a big smile, then entered.

“Plin’s Fox Love Juice is here!”

“I’ve been waiting for you, Plin. You’re a bit late today?”

“Yes, Manager Jax. I had some new customers. Here’s your drink, Manager.”

Plin placed a drink on everyone’s desk. The kind people carefully put it in their bags as soon as they received it and politely praised that their work efficiency had definitely improved thanks to this drink these days.

“Plin, some of my acquaintances tried a few bottles and said they wanted to order too. They’re in Middle Forest Junction. Is it possible?”

“Of course. My house is close to there, so if it’s nearby, I can deliver!”

“I got the address. Here. Five days a week, four bottles each, so they want 20 bottles.”

“Wow, thank you, Manager Cecilia.”

Twenty bottles at once, that’s great. Plin was excited by the large order, holding the note with the address.

“You’re going to thrive at this rate. Well, everyone who’s tried it knows.”

Following the referral, even more kind words. Plin’s tail, reflecting his mood, wagged rapidly.

Just by looking at his fluffy white tail, some people blushed, but Plin didn’t notice.

Thrive. That word alone filled Plin’s head.

If the order volume remained the same as today, he could pay off his debt in 12 years. Then he would be free and could eat three meals a day.

Maybe he could buy a house in the neighborhood where he lived as a child. No, maybe that’s too difficult. Maybe that would only be possible if he started his own Fox Love company. Plin put a stop to his wildly positive imagination. How much is the land price in Middle Forest Junction now?

Before the redevelopment, Middle Forest Junction, where he lived alone with his younger sibling, was a poor village. The house Plin lived in was more like a shack made of slate and cement. However, Plin and his sibling didn’t know its shabbiness and lived there, making it their home.

When they made a living by selling gum on the streets, sometimes they were beaten by bad men for being beggars, and sometimes their money was taken by bad older kids.

Still, when he ate the clear soup with a few pieces of cabbage with his sibling at home, blowing on it, all the hardships of life were forgotten. Now even that scene is blurry. As if the excavator had demolished and discarded it along with the debris of the shack.

Since he got a delivery order, he’ll be able to go to Middle Forest Junction after a long time.

When the city reconstruction project was in full swing, he was forced to move to Kill Green across the street. He used to visit every day because he was sad to see the familiar scenery being demolished. The speed at which office buildings and commercial facilities were built was like a wildfire spreading.

He doesn’t go there these days. When he sees the commercial advertisements flashing on the large screen in the central square and the light reflecting on the ground where sewage used to collect when it rained, he feels unnecessarily depressed.

Lost in thought for a moment, Plin placed a drink on a desk whose owner was absent and left the 17th floor, heading for the stairwell. The basket was much lighter now.

***