UR Chapter 76

Chapter 76

“It’s cold out.”

Eun Beom-ho lightly wrapped the scarf he was holding around I-bom’s neck. The pale nape of I-bom’s neck regained some color, as if finding warmth again.

“You… you don’t have to give me something like this… uh, uh—”

I-bom waved his hands quickly, glancing at Beom-ho’s fingers tying the knot of the scarf. But his protest lost its weight when the tip of his nose twitched. It was right after the soft fur of the scarf had brushed against his cheek.

“Achoo—”

His rejection was made awkward by the small sneeze that slipped out. As his shoulders jolted with a light “hup-choo,” Beom-ho immediately took off the jacket he was wearing and gently draped it over I-bom’s shoulders.

“W-wait, why are you giving me your jacket…”

I-bom carefully gripped the jacket as if to take it off, but Beom-ho pressed down lightly on his hand to stop him.

“You’ll catch a cold. Keep it on.”

Though the tailored jacket from Italy was made of thin wool, it trapped heat well enough to add warmth over I-bom’s padded coat. And because it was tailored for Beom-ho’s broad shoulders, it wrapped around I-bom’s slender frame like a blanket.

“Then… you’ll be cold, sir.”

“I don’t get cold easily.”

He shook his head firmly and shrugged as if it were nothing.

“Why not?”

“Because I’m from Siberian tiger stock. Ever heard of someone from Siberia complaining about the cold?”

“…No.”

Hearing that, I-bom let go of the worry that had been making him restless. He nodded in understanding. Well, all tiger bloodlines in Korea came from the cold regions of Siberia and the Russian mountains, so it made sense that he wouldn’t be affected by the cold.

“But you, I-bom…”

Beom-ho trailed off, as if unsatisfied with just giving him his jacket. Perhaps because of the sneeze, the tip of I-bom’s nose and his cheeks were tinged pink. Beom-ho glanced at his face carefully, then, as if making up his mind, spoke. Being in a closed space alone with him was a little distracting, but warming I-bom up was the priority.

“Let’s get in the car.”

“The car?”

Somi had mentioned it—how the car he drove was an imported model almost impossible to find in Korea, and how it was amazing to see it here.

Startled, I-bom quickly waved his hands. Sitting in such a luxurious foreign car felt overwhelming.

But Beom-ho firmly took the car keys from his pocket and pressed a button. With a beep, the headlights flashed and, with a thunk, the door unlocked.

“It’s too cold to stand outside in winter. Let’s talk in the car.”

Beom-ho carefully placed his hand on I-bom’s shoulder, the gesture polite rather than forceful. I-bom’s lowered gaze fell on the tips of those refined fingers.

“The car will be warm. You’re frozen stiff, and it’s not pleasant to just stand outside talking like this.”

“……”

“You’ll catch a cold. Look—your hands are cold, and so are your cheeks.”

His cautious fingers moved slowly from I-bom’s shoulder to his cheek. Warm fingertips brushed against the soft skin, rubbing heat into the stiffness of his cold cheeks. It felt almost like they were burning—strangely so.

I-bom parted his lips as if in a daze.

“If… if you insist that much…”

Rubbing his chilled fingertips together, I-bom gave a small nod.

Even as he felt a twinge of regret, he found himself stepping into the car that Beom-ho had opened for him. Inside, the air was pleasantly warm, as if the heater had been running in advance, completely different from the frozen air outside.

“Do you like flowers?”

As soon as I-bom cautiously slid into the passenger seat, a large bouquet was suddenly placed in his arms, leaving no time to answer.

“Wow…”

He accepted it almost automatically, his voice full of awe. A warm, sweet scent of flowers—so unlike the wintry air—drifted to the tip of his nose. Cream-colored, lush garden roses were mixed with cute, round snowdrops, creating a beautiful arrangement. It wasn’t flashy, but the fresh, green scent mixed with hints of grass made I-bom’s lips curl up in a faint smile. It felt different from the bouquet he had once seen at Soo-hyun’s house and envied.

“What’s with the flowers?”

“It’s to ask you out.”

“…Ask me out?”

“You said if I wanted to ask you out, I should give you roses.”

I-bom stared at him blankly.

His expression was a mix of bewilderment, confusion, and quiet delight, unable to fully comprehend the bouquet that had been suddenly handed to him.

“Ah… I mean, I do think that way, but… This is strange. How did you know?”

I-bom blinked as he asked.

‘If you’re going to court someone politely… um… I like roses, so it’d be nice if you brought at least a bouquet of them.’

The reason for his puzzlement was simple—he had never said that in front of anyone. There had been no one to talk to about his romantic ideals for dating, and the only time he might have said such a thing was probably when he had been with Weoong…

“I saw it on the news. They said if you’re going to ask someone out, you should give them roses.”

A flicker of awkwardness crossed Eun Beom-ho’s face, but he soon spoke with a completely straight, shameless expression.

“Really? The news talks about things like that? That’s funny. Honestly… getting roses has always been a bit of a dream of mine.”

I-bom’s eyes curved in a soft smile. Beom-ho, watching him intently, spoke carefully.

“…Earlier, in front of Happy Bunny… I saw a notice saying the shop will be closed for a week starting tomorrow.”

“Oh, yes. That’s right. We work until the end of the year, then take time off at the start of the new year. But why…?”

“I’m asking you to go on a date with me tomorrow.”

“With me?”

I-bom’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Why… with me?”

The question tumbled out, his gaze round with astonishment at how naturally the words had been spoken.

Why someone like me…?

With a baffled face, I-bom parted his lips as though at a loss for words.

Eun Beom-ho inhaled slowly, steadying his breath, then gave a faint smile. From where he sat next to I-bom, the sweet fragrance of the bouquet rustled in the air.

“I’m making my case. Asking you to meet me.”

Beom-ho quietly breathed in the sweetness lingering in the air—the scent that came from the man sitting beside him.

“Wasn’t that just something you said offhand during the blind date?”

Beom-ho gazed steadily at him—at the brown hair swaying before his eyes, the soft, fair skin, the straight nose, the gentle expression, and the lips that curved high when he was happy.

A person perfectly suited to the name “Bom,” spring—a person who could melt a heart frozen like winter, who made his own chest pound.

He was smiling, but restless inside. For now, I-bom was too tangled up in the burdens gripping his life to notice, but sooner or later, others would realize how lovable he was.
And when that time came, when others tried to take their place beside him… what then?

“Of course not.”

Somewhere deep in the heart of Eun Beom-ho—who had always looked down on life with a calm, almost bored detachment—there was a fine crack.

A crack made of jealousy and impatience.
A gap that would only widen with time, until one day he might no longer be able to bear it.

“I like you, I-bom. From the very first moment I saw you.”

“……”

“What do I have to say for you to believe me?”

A soft, sweet scent clung to I-bom. Whatever shampoo he used, his sleek brown hair carried a faint smell of cotton candy. Beom-ho slowly lowered his gaze.

His fingers, which had been resting idly in the air, reached forward.
They touched I-bom’s cheek carefully, a ticklish sensation blending with the gentle texture.

Before him, I-bom looked as pretty, cute, and lovable as spring itself.

Beom-ho’s car was spacious, yet still too small to escape from. Slowly, their eyes aligned, and Beom-ho’s face drew closer. The faint shadow between them deepened.

“Why? I… I’m only half-beastman, and…”

As I-bom tried to rise as if to turn away, the man—forgetting any sense of hesitation—lightly caught his wrist.

It wasn’t violent, but it was persistent; not forceful, but polite.
Like a well-trained hunting dog, he stayed close at his side, clutching only his wrist as if begging for affection.

“You said you liked me too, didn’t you?”

‘You said you liked me the first time we met, and that you wanted to mate with me.’

Beom-ho stopped himself from speaking the rest, then, as if making a firm decision, spoke in a serious tone.

“…Huh?”

“You kissed me. First.”

I-bom leaned back, wary.

“M-me?”

It was nothing short of a bombshell.