UR Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Pew, swoosh—

In Aji Village’s only PC café, loud game sound effects of things breaking and shattering mixed with the frantic clacking of keyboards.

From here and there came voices shouting, “Die, die!” while upbeat idol music blared from all directions.

In the far corner, I-jun and Soo-hyun sat side by side, looking at their computer screens.

On the monitor in front of Soo-hyun sat a flashy game character wielding a staff, glowing with sparkling effects.

Bzzzz—

“Ah, damn. This is annoying.”

At the loud vibration, Soo-hyun pulled out his phone, grumbling in irritation.

“Why? What’s got you annoyed this time? Your dad nagging you again for bad grades?”

Sitting next to him, I-jun chuckled without looking over. In the entire Kang family village, the only two young men attending college were Kang I-jun and Kang Soo-hyun.

One was smart but from a struggling family, with a rotten personality—Kang I-jun. The other was the son of the wealthiest man in town, Kang the president, who had no real thoughts in his head—Kang Soo-hyun. Together, they made a perfectly matched pair.

Kang I-jun had spent his childhood picking trouble on purpose, hanging out with delinquents, drinking, and smoking. Unlike him, Kang Soo-hyun didn’t have such a bad temperament, but he was simple-minded, following I-jun’s lead like a wagging-tailed puppy. I-jun dragged him around like a subordinate.

“No. My grades… as long as I don’t have to retake a class, they’re fine. My dad just keeps telling me to get married.”

Soo-hyun frowned at his phone screen. His cheeks, already round like steamed buns, puffed out like a pufferfish. I-jun glanced at him, then went back to clicking away at his own screen, absorbed in the chaotic graphs and fast-scrolling chat window.

“Man, your family’s hilarious. Is it the Joseon Dynasty or something? Who tells someone to get married this early? Ah, shit. Missed the sell.”

I-jun cursed under his breath and slammed the keyboard. The loud bang drew sharp looks from those nearby, but he only scanned them up and down with shameless eyes.

“Exactly! Oh, but you’re still trading stocks? It’s already evening.”

Soo-hyun glanced at I-jun’s monitor. To him, a student at a lesser college than I-jun, the English and graph-filled screen was completely incomprehensible.

Not knowing what the graphs meant, he tilted his head and looked at the clock.

“You know, stocks are for daytime trading!”

Trying to prove he could be as smart as I-jun, Soo-hyun wore a proud expression.

“Ah, this is the overseas market—it runs at night. But what’s this about marriage? Who’s taking you?”

I-jun smirked, pulling an e-cigarette from his pocket and holding it to his lips.

“You remember when we got caught swiping stuff from the convenience store? They called me a thief. Ever since then, my dad’s been telling me not to waste food at home and just get married already.”

Leaning back into the PC café’s cushy chair, Soo-hyun tapped at his phone screen, his mouth pulled into a frown.

“Oh, that? You didn’t even take that much. The owner’s so stingy.”

“Right?!”

Soo-hyun stomped his foot in agreement.

“And marriage has an order, you know. Your older brother isn’t married yet, so why are they telling you to go first?”

“My brother?”

Soo-hyun turned to look at I-jun. Of the three siblings, Kang Soo-hyun was the second, and his older brother was three years ahead of him. Unlike Soo-hyun, who lazed around like an unemployed bum, his brother was a diligent model student. Soo-hyun narrowed his eyes as if the thought alone annoyed him.

“My brother will take care of himself. You know I’m the black sheep in the family.”

“Ah, right, your brother’s the golden boy. He’s working at the police station, isn’t he?”

“Yeah. My dad’s oh-so-proud of him. Anyway, I’m the useless one, so they just want me married off.”

Soo-hyun shrugged.

“That’s hilarious. Kang Soo-hyun and marriage don’t mix at all.”

“Right?”

Pouting, Soo-hyun glanced around.

“…Actually, I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone this, but you should know.”

Lowering his voice like he was about to spill a forbidden secret, he whispered,

“There’s a blind date proposal this time… and it’s from a pureblood beastman family.”

“What? Pureblood? Are you sure you’re not being scammed?”

“Doesn’t make sense, right? And they’re feline, too.”

Soo-hyun groaned, shaking as if a chill ran through him. He rubbed his arms as if the thought gave him goosebumps.

“Feline? Ah, you hate cats, don’t you? But there are tons of feline types. Do you hate all of them?”

I-jun snickered at his reaction. Soo-hyun pouted and said,

“All of them! And they didn’t even tell me the exact type. They said I’ll find out when I meet them.”

“That’s ridiculous. It’s basic courtesy to tell you the type before a blind date. Not that I’m surprised—felines are suspicious and obsessive about cleanliness.”

Bleh. I-jun stuck out his tongue in a gagging gesture.

“Anyway, my dad’s acting all high and mighty now.”

“Why?”

“Because regardless of the type, a pureblood beastman proposing marriage is a huge deal. He’s probably thinking about upping my ‘bride price.’”

“So, it’s confirmed you’re getting married?”

“Not exactly.”

Soo-hyun shook his head.

“You know how my dad is—lives and dies by his pride. Even though we’re well-off, we’re still half-beastmen. Now that a pureblood beastman family wants a blind date, instead of thinking about reality, he’s nursing his inferiority complex. He’s just bragging to people while testing the waters.”

“Man, that’s some useless pride for someone who’s not even an old man yet.”

Pfft. Kang I-jun stifled a mocking laugh.

“Well… but there’s something else that’s bothering me.”

Soo-hyun let out a sigh.

“Have you ever seen a pureblood beastman in person? A feline one?”

Dogs and cats had their own stereotypes about each other. Dogs thought cats were sensitive, prickly, and obsessive about cleanliness, while cats thought dogs were thoughtless, dumb, and oblivious.

“No. Of course not. They act like they’re royalty.”

I-jun shook his head.

“I’ve never seen one either, but ugh—they say they can transform completely into their animal form.”

Soo-hyun shuddered and rubbed his arms. Pureblood beastmen were the kind of beings you only saw in dramas or movies.

“Yeah, but that is kind of scary. If they can fully transform into their animal form, their fangs must be sharp. And in felines, there are way more predator species than in canines.”

“Predator?”

Soo-hyun grimaced and shook his head, fear and displeasure mixing on his face.

“You don’t know? The most dangerous canines are wolves and foxes, but in the feline family, there are separate large species.”

A sly grin spread over I-jun’s face, like he had found something entertaining.

“If they’re a large species, their wild instincts must be strong. More realistic that they’d lure a half-beastman or human on a blind date and eat them.”

“Ugh, don’t even say stuff like that!”

Soo-hyun slapped at I-jun’s arm in disgust. Dogs tended to be as skittish as they were dramatic, and just a little scare—like talk of a predator transforming or crunching bones between its teeth—was enough to make most of them faint. I-jun just chuckled, amused by how easily he could rattle him.

“Hey, I’m joking. Don’t get so scared.”

“Haa…”

Soo-hyun exhaled a deep, weary sigh.

“You know about that recent incident where a cheetah bit a person, right?”

“Yeah. Isn’t that something that happens every now and then? Big predators bite people once or twice sometimes.”

I-jun laughed loudly, his tone edged with mockery, like other people’s misfortunes were his entertainment.

“So what about it?”

“I almost fainted when I saw that. And then right after that—this blind date thing pops up? Doesn’t that sound suspicious?”

Soo-hyun groaned, rubbing his forehead.

“Maybe I’m just paranoid, but I started wondering if it could be a cheetah beastman. So I asked what species they were, and those arrogant bastards—told me to meet them in person to find out. Like they’re not looking down on me just because I’m a half-beastman.”

“They’re treating you like a mutt because you’re a half-beastman, that’s all.”

I-jun sneered. Discrimination against half-beastmen was nothing new—it was something they’d been through more times than they could count.

“And they say this beastman is really intimidating. Overbearing.”

“Well, of course a pureblood beastman would be strong-willed. I heard their rut season is terrifying too. They hole up in a hotel and spend a whole week doing it.”

“Bet he’s huge and built like a tank. Isn’t that terrifying just to imagine? If a guy like that is feline, I might pee myself just making eye contact. I’m wondering if I should wear glasses with the wrong prescription or put on sunglasses.”

“Say something that makes sense. You’re just too much of a coward.”

I-jun let out a short, incredulous laugh. He already knew Soo-hyun was slow-witted, but every time he said things like this, it was hard not to find him pathetic.

“My dad’s uneasy about getting involved with a pureblood beastman, but he won’t say no because he wants to raise my ‘bride price.’ And my mom says there’s no way we can refuse and that I have to meet them! She said at least meet them once, so I’m being dragged into it… ha… but I really don’t want to. I’m too scared, I-jun. What should I do?”

“Hey. I’ve got a great idea.”

I-jun’s lips curved into a subtle smirk as he looked at the grimacing, grumbling Soo-hyun. One corner of his mouth slowly lifted, forming a sneering, mean-spirited smile. Soo-hyun blinked, tilting his head as if to say, “What is it?”

“Make Kang Idiot do it.”

“Kang Idiot? I-bom?”

Soo-hyun repeated it, unsure if he’d heard right. Kang Idiot was his nickname for his younger brother, I-bom.

“Why I-bom?”

“Because he’s a fool and will do anything you tell him to. You’re too scared to go, right? Then just dump it on Kang I-bom.”

“What if I-bom faints from fear too?”

“Don’t you know that thing idiots have—‘pointless, overblown sense of responsibility’?”

At Soo-hyun’s worried look, I-jun rubbed his lips and spoke casually.

“Just say you lent me money and I disappeared. Then bring up the blind date, and tell him if he helps you, you’ll hold off on collecting right away. He’ll probably volunteer to go in your place.”

“Hey, but he’s your brother… what if that feline predator uses the blind date as an excuse to transform and maul him to death?”

Soo-hyun hesitated, his words trailing off into a grimace, but I-jun just grinned.

“Then we’d collect damages. Maybe I should get him a life insurance policy first.”

“…”

“Anyway, dump it on him. It’ll be over after one meeting, but if you tell him it’s something only Kang I-bom can handle, he’ll put on the most ridiculous show.”

I-jun spoke lightly, as if he didn’t notice Soo-hyun’s reluctant expression at all.