UR Chapter 116

Chapter 116

“Hey, Kang I-bom! What the hell are you doing right now?”

The man standing in front of the thick SUV door barked out, his voice sharp with irritation. Wearing a convenience store jumper with the name tag reading “Kang Soo-hyun,” he glared in anger.

I-bom glanced around, confused. He couldn’t understand why Soo-hyun was so mad.

“Me?”

It was the middle of the day, and the place was utterly silent. The still air was filled only with Soo-hyun’s cutting voice, which seemed to hum and echo in the surroundings. He swung his finger around as if lashing out.

“…What about me?”

I-bom blinked, his shoulders shrinking in uncertainty. Soo-hyun’s heavy stomps felt so violent it was as if they’d be aimed right at him any second. Did I do something wrong? His heart started pounding hard before he even realized it.

“Are you a thief? What the hell makes you snatch something that doesn’t belong to you?”

Something that doesn’t belong to him? What was he talking about? Even the treats he gave the cat had all been scanned and paid for before taking them. Unless something else had happened at the store besides the manager getting mad at him earlier? I-bom tried to think.

“I haven’t taken anything that belongs to someone else… I think you’re misunderstanding something.”

He spoke cautiously, blinking his big eyes. There was nothing unsettled between him and Soo-hyun. The money his older brother had borrowed from Soo-hyun had mostly been paid back after borrowing some from Somi. On top of that, he had even gone to meet Eun Beom-ho in Soo-hyun’s place, just like Soo-hyun had wanted, so what could be the problem?

“Uh… would you like some walnut cakes?”

I-bom held out a crumpled paper bag with frayed edges. He had kept it tucked warmly against his chest so the warmth—like Beom-ho’s heart—wouldn’t fade. He had planned to eat them all by himself, but decided to share with Soo-hyun. He thought maybe the sweet walnut cakes might soften Soo-hyun’s temper.

He didn’t know why Soo-hyun was so angry, but it was probably just a misunderstanding—like when it turned out the convenience store loss incident was actually Soo-hyun’s doing. Besides, I-bom believed people generally got crankier when they were hungry.

“Why the hell would I want that? Get it out of my face!”

But Soo-hyun harshly slapped I-bom’s arm away, making his gesture look pitiful. With a dull thud, the walnut cakes fell to the dirt. In less than three seconds, they were so dirty that even blowing them off wouldn’t make them edible.

I-bom’s face stiffened. The walnut cakes he had saved so carefully, not even finishing them, were now ruined. He frowned.

“Why are you taking it out on the walnut cakes?”

“Hey, Kang I-bom. I asked you to go on that blind date for me, not to seduce the guy. Do you have no shame?”

I-bom flinched in shock and waved his hands. He wondered if he had misheard. Soo-hyun stared straight at him with a brazen look.

“Hyung, what are you even saying?”

After asking that, I-bom bent down to pick up the fallen walnut cakes.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say such ridiculous things. And now you’ve gone and dropped the innocent walnut cakes.”

He brushed the dirt off the ruined snacks. They had been so tasty, and now he regretted saving them for later.

“Yeah, well, I get it. You and your brother are broke, so when you meet a corporate director at a blind date, of course you’d want to cling to him like a lifeline.”

“…What did you just say?”

I-bom let out a short, disbelieving laugh. He had never once approached Eun Beom-ho with such an ugly intention. The first thing Soo-hyun had asked him for was to meet a beastman from the predator class in his place. And at their first meeting, I-bom had done his best to reject Beom-ho.

“I’ve never done that. I’ve never had bad intentions. You told me to turn him down, and I tried my best.”

“So you’re doing this on purpose just to screw me over? Ah, so that’s why you didn’t answer when I asked you to put in a good word for me?”

“What could I have said in that situation? You were the one who just dumped words on me without letting me speak.”

The twisted expression on his face drew closer in quick strides. I-bom shook his head as he stepped back.

“Kang Soo-hyun, what do you think you’re doing right now?”

Hearing what Soo-hyun was saying, Eun Beom-ho came rushing forward. He stepped in front of I-bom to block him from being pointed at, planting himself firmly between them. Caught off guard, I-bom ended up standing awkwardly behind the two of them.

“Right now? What else? I’m talking to I-bom here. Hah… don’t tell me you two are in on this together to make fun of me?”

Kang Soo-hyun glared at Beom-ho with eyes wide open, refusing to back down. Between Beom-ho’s cold gaze and Soo-hyun’s defiant glare, the air crackled with tension.

“Fine, I’ll just say it all. Since you’re here too, Mr. Eun Beom-ho. That I-bom kid and his brother? Total liars and swindlers.”

“……”

I-bom looked up at Beom-ho in alarm. The moment his brother was mentioned, he feared what might be said next. To their grandmother, his brother was a source of pride, but to I-bom, he was a constant troublemaker—a burden heavier than anything else in his life. His stomach churned at the thought there might be yet another scam he didn’t know about.

“Hey, I heard from a cop I know that your brother’s been going around scamming people left and right. He didn’t just borrow money from me and disappear—he’s already under investigation for fraud at Manwol-gu Police Station. Always acting like you’re the victim, but for all we know, you’re the same kind of scammer as your brother. Mr. Eun Beom-ho, you’d better be careful. Who knows, maybe while pretending to flirt with you, Kang I-bom will end up cleaning out your safe.”

Soo-hyun let out a sharp sigh, as if he couldn’t contain his frustration.

“Isn’t the real reason you stuck to that guy because you didn’t want to deal with the fallout? Or maybe it’s because you wanted to get away from your brother and grandmother? Ashamed of your family, so you’re trying to climb the social ladder no matter what?”

It was true that I-bom’s demeanor tended to turn prickly when he was around his brother. And yes, he’d had his share of grievances with a grandmother who told him to always be gentle, sweet, cute, and doglike, and with a brother who did whatever he pleased. But it wasn’t shame about his family that made him want to get away—if anything, he was starved for their affection.

The idea that he had clung to Eun Beom-ho just to escape his family was completely absurd. I-bom looked up at him, his face pale. Soo-hyun’s words sounded plausible enough that he feared Beom-ho might misunderstand, and his heart sank. The cold edge of reality stung.

“I’d say your words are going too far.”

Most people would have taken Soo-hyun’s side in a dispute between him and I-bom. I-bom was powerless, while Soo-hyun was the son of one of the most influential families in Aji Village. No matter what I-bom said, no one ever defended him. But now, Beom-ho pulled I-bom behind his back and gently took his hand. The warmth of their joined palms was striking.

“Mr. Kang Soo-hyun, your premise is wrong. I’ve already said this was clearly my mistake. I got the name wrong, which is why that family ended up with the blind date in the first place.”

“B-Beom-ho…”

Beom-ho’s expression as he looked down at Soo-hyun was intimidating, and Soo-hyun’s defiant face had gone a shade paler. I-bom was used to this by now, but the sheer pressure Beom-ho gave off still made him worry something might escalate more than necessary.

“When I first met in human form, Mr. I-bom was wearing your vest, Mr. Kang Soo-hyun. That’s why I thought he was you. I never should have made such a stupid mistake.”

With a curt flick of his finger, Beom-ho tapped the upper part of Soo-hyun’s jumper—right where his name was embroidered.

“But now you’re telling me that mistake is somehow I-bom’s fault? And by that same logic, wouldn’t the fraud charge be yours, Mr. Kang Soo-hyun?”

He then brushed his fingers off, as though touching Soo-hyun had dirtied them.

“From the way you talk, I take it you never apologized to I-bom either. He’s the victim here. You forced him into that seat when you told him to go in your place, so I fail to see why you’re calling him the perpetrator.”

“What…!”

Soo-hyun clenched his fists so tightly they shook, then sank to the ground without meaning to. His face was pale, his lips trembling and drained of color.

“I was willing to let this go because of I-bom, but I’ll have to reconsider. I’ll be filing charges soon through our legal team—for fraud and defamation due to impersonation.”

Beom-ho gave the trembling Soo-hyun a fleeting glance before taking I-bom with him and leaving the scene.