UR Chapter 115

Chapter 115

The three days and two nights passed far too quickly, leaving a bittersweet sense of longing. The weather had been peaceful, and every moment together had been sweet. He had been used to a life where he was always the one looking after others, never receiving his share in return—so to have someone’s eyes on him and him alone was something entirely new. At first, the unfamiliarity made him stiff and awkward, but as they say, humans adapt. Before long, I-bom had grown used to the life of being held in Beom-ho’s arms.

It would have been nice if twenty-four hours passed equally for everyone, but time with someone you love was never fair. It slipped by so quickly it was almost startling.

“Do you like walnut pastries?”

On their way back, they stopped briefly at a rest area. Out of nowhere, Beom-ho held out a bag of walnut pastries. I-bom hadn’t said he liked them—he had only glanced at them for a moment. But Beom-ho had noticed that momentary pause in his gaze, and the quiet thoughtfulness warmed I-bom’s heart, just like the warm bag of pastries being offered to him.

* * *

“Ah, damn it.”

Bang.

Kang Soo-hyun slammed the door behind him and stepped outside. It was supposed to be a fun winter break, but instead, he couldn’t even go to a ski resort—just shuttle between school and home, cramming for TOEIC. His freedom was being stifled, his card confiscated, and all he had managed to beg for was a nearly empty check card. Pathetic.

‘Soo-hyun, are you even preparing for a job?’

It had started with his brother’s question. Conservative, rigid, the pride of the Kang family’s dog clan, and a graduate of the National Police University. Soo-hyun already hated how his father compared him to his brother, jabbing a finger at him, but now the guy had shown up for the first time in ages just to bring up job hunting.

Already sulking over the confiscated card, Soo-hyun glared, lips twitching, and set his spoon down.

‘What do you care if I’m preparing or not?’

‘What do I care? I’m your brother, so I care. You’re not still hanging around with trash like Kang I-jun, are you?’

His brother looked down on him with a sneer. Calling Kang I-jun trash? To Soo-hyun, insulting his best friend was the same as insulting him. The words burst out before he could stop them, even with their father right there.

‘Why’s I-jun trash? You don’t even know him. And he’s a lot of fun!’

‘Father.’

Ignoring Soo-hyun’s outburst, his brother turned casually to address their father. For all his pureblooded beastman pride, he was still nothing more than a public servant with a salary—yet he acted so superior. Soo-hyun found both him and their father insufferable. What was wrong with letting him laze around for the rest of his life? It’s not like his status was high enough to land him a great job anyway.

‘Make him study, Father. What good will come from hanging around someone like Kang I-jun? He’ll end up a con artist at best.’

‘That’s not true! Dad, he keeps—’

Soo-hyun clenched his fists, raising his voice. He knew his brother wouldn’t listen, but assuming his friend’s character meant predicting his own future? That crossed the line. Especially when their father tended to take his brother’s side no matter what. He wanted to shut him up before he could say more.

‘What do you know? And do you even know that last time a pureblood beastman family asked to set me up on a blind date? If I marry into a good family, I won’t need to worry about a job.’

He lifted his chin and crossed his arms. Before his brother, who dismissed anything he did, this was the one thing that could crush his pride. It was a big enough deal to stir up even a half-beastman household, especially since their parents had been so excited about that prestigious “Beastman Marriage Duo” contacting them. What was a mere salaried government worker so proud of?

‘You’re nothing.’

‘Nothing? There’s already a fraud report filed at my station about Kang I-jun. I’m the one handling it, and guess what—the name and address match perfectly.’

His brother set his spoon down and stood up, having ruined breakfast with his needling and now leaving after getting in the last word.

‘What?’

‘And you—wasn’t that convenience store theft you got caught for with Dad actually with I-jun? You begged for forgiveness back then, didn’t you?’

“Thanks for the meal.” He patted Soo-hyun’s shoulder as he passed, but his eyes, glancing down, were indifferent.

‘Think about it. Con artists scam the people closest to them the worst. I’m warning you so you won’t end up crying later after taking the fall for him.’

Before the words even faded, their father’s forehead was turning red. Veins bulged as he clenched his fists, trying to keep his temper.

‘Kang Soo-hyun, your latest TOEIC results—have you gotten them back?’

…

“Ha… seriously, both of them…” He shivered. “Ugh, cold.”

Soo-hyun stuffed his hands in his pockets as he left. He had run out before his TOEIC scores could even be brought up, still wearing a shabby convenience store jacket. Fishing in his pockets for cash, he found only a single light plastic card. If there had been even a ten-thousand or fifty-thousand won bill, he’d have gone to the pool hall or a PC room instead.

“Ugh—what a joke.”

Since it wasn’t his dad’s card but his check card, the balance was obvious. And with his brother having stoked their father’s temper, there was no chance more money would be transferred. The only solution left was his mother—the only person in that old-fashioned household who ever took his side.

Dragging his slippers, Soo-hyun headed toward the convenience store. At this hour, there were only a few places his mother might be. As he trudged up the hill, scanning around, a loud screech of brakes echoed from somewhere ahead.

“What the…?”

To his sharp ears, it was the sound of a very nice car—like the heavy, expensive foreign car he’d seen parked in front of his school before. He pricked up his ears, glancing around for the source.

“…What the hell.”

Down by the village entrance, a large imported SUV had stopped. In this shabby neighborhood, no one could afford a car like that. Soo-hyun stared to see who was getting out. The passenger door opened as if on cue, and to his surprise, Kang I-bom stepped out—smiling brightly, looking happy.

And right after him came his original blind date, Eun Beom-ho. Completely unconcerned about being seen, Beom-ho strode up to I-bom and pulled him into a hug.

“Huh?”

Without a care for their surroundings, Beom-ho kissed I-bom on the cheek, even stroking his hair like they were a couple.

“Wow… what the hell is this?”

Soo-hyun bit his lip. Worse than Beom-ho’s boldness was I-bom’s reaction—no surprise, no rejection. When Beom-ho smiled, I-bom smiled back; when kissed, he leaned in.

“Has he lost his mind?”

And to think Soo-hyun had swallowed his pride to ask I-bom to put in a good word for him with Beom-ho. He’d even splurged a whole thousand won on a gifticon to sweeten the deal.

Someone like I-bom didn’t even need gifts—he was the type who, without ego or suspicion, would agree to a favor as long as you coaxed him gently. Easy to handle.

But right now, to Kang Soo-hyun, I-bom was nothing but a backstabbing traitor and a thief.

* * *

“Thank you for the ride.”

Clunk.

When they reached the village entrance, I-bom spoke politely. He went to open the door, but Beom-ho’s fingers tangled with his, stopping him. The look on his face was brimming with reluctance, as if regret was spilling over. His eyebrows drooped, teeth lightly biting his lower lip, his expression pitiful.

“Uh…”

Not understanding the situation, I-bom fidgeted against the hand blocking the door handle. Watching him blink slowly, Beom-ho murmured,

“I don’t want to send you home.”

He brushed the sharp bridge of his nose against I-bom’s earlobe, whispering softly. For such a big man, he had more than enough charm to spare. He sighed dramatically, playing up the act of being miserable. The way he could be dignified and gentlemanly in front of others, but slow and affectionate with him, was both surprising and endearing—something no one else got to see.

“Ah… but I should still go.”

Looking at the face gazing at him so warmly—like it was begging him to stay—he smiled faintly. The truth was, he didn’t want to go home either.

Whenever their eyes met, they smiled. When the distance between them closed, their lips would follow. If they hugged, the dull ache low in his body made it feel like he might react at any moment. The worn-down, weary Kang I-bom was nowhere to be found; even in this cold winter air, the sweetness between them floated like spring.

He caught himself smiling for no reason, wondering if this was the real joy of dating—experiencing things he’d never felt before. He reached past the blockade to place his hand gently over Beom-ho’s.

“We can see each other again, right…?”

“What about staying over at my place? That’s… not allowed?”

“No. Next time…”

They said tigers were part of the cat family—maybe that was true. He remembered how nervous he’d been when he first heard “large feline, predator species” before they met, and now he couldn’t even recall why. He was so cute and affectionate. People really did have too many prejudices about what they hadn’t experienced themselves.

With his own voice heavy with reluctance, I-bom stroked the back of Beom-ho’s hand before pushing the door open with their hands still linked.

“First… I need to get my grandmother’s permission. Beom-ho.”

“Then at least give me one more kiss. It’d be a shame otherwise.”

Just as I-bom stepped out of the car, Beom-ho suddenly opened the door and followed him out. Wrapping an arm around his waist, he kissed his cheek. He didn’t even check to see if anyone was around this time, and I-bom was about to laugh—when an all-too-familiar, disgruntled voice suddenly cut in.

It was Soo-hyun.