UR Chapter 118

Chapter 118

“I’m back.”

I-bom greeted quietly as he closed the front gate. With a creak from the sharp hinges, the door shut with a loud thud.

‘Mr. I-bom. Why don’t you just come to my place starting today and get permission from your grandmother later?’

Beom-ho had held both of I-bom’s hands with a grave expression. The space between his straight brows twitched faintly as he looked down at him darkly.

‘I don’t like the look in Kang Soo-hyun’s eyes. When people are angry, you never know how they might react.’

His voice was low, tinged with concern. The sharp, steady eyes of a cold predator who feared nothing in this world were, for once, clouded with unease.

I-bom thought his worry was unnecessary—probably just an overly sensitive reaction from someone who had faced too many dangerous predators. In reality, Soo-hyun was the type whose emotions were written all over his face, someone easy to read. Having known him since childhood, I-bom was sure he understood him better than Eun Beom-ho ever could.

“Nobody’s here….”

He had hurried home, half expecting someone to be waiting, but the place was silent and empty. Speaking to himself, he looked around the house.

Bathed in the afternoon sun, the quiet home seemed lonelier than usual.

“Where did Grandma go?”

He crouched down on the wooden floor where he could see the gate, staring blankly. The old door, its paint peeling in spots, looked even older today.

Propping his chin in his hand, he scanned the house, spotting all the places that needed repair. Whenever it rained or snowed, the house would creak, groan, and thump in a noisy rhythm, shifting with the weather. Ah, I need to start with repairs. That way Grandma and I-seol won’t have such a hard time. He murmured to himself quietly. It was something he always said every winter, but today the thought felt heavier than usual. Lowering his eyes slowly, he let out a sigh.

He knew well enough that his grandmother didn’t pay much attention to him, that she had never truly looked at him with approval. Sometimes he even wondered if she thought of him as her real grandson at all—he’d once overheard her arguing with his father to “send I-bom away” because he had been born different from others.

They say there’s no finger you can bite without feeling pain, but some hurt less, and some hurt more. With his parents gone, his grandmother was the only adult he could depend on, and so he had learned to obey and follow her no matter how unfair the situation.

But now, ripples stirred in the calm waters of his heart, turning into a quiet gloom. No—hurt.

He had never minded doing all the tidying and cleaning alone before. But now, after Beom-ho’s offer to live together, this worn, empty house felt even lonelier. He had lived this way his entire life, yet suddenly the thought of enduring it alone felt unbearable.

After tasting kindness, it hurt to be in a silent home where no one was waiting for him, aching for affection that wasn’t there.

Bzzz—

Lost in thought for quite some time, I-bom was pulled back by the long vibration of his phone. Slowly taking it out, he opened the blinking messages. They were all from Beom-ho, sent in quick succession.

[Mr. I-bom. Did you get home safely? How are you feeling? Is your grandmother well? She didn’t scold you, did she?]

[Mr. I-bom. Did I make you uncomfortable by pushing too much? It wasn’t meant as pressure, so please take your time to think and decide. But if anything happens, don’t hide it—tell me. They say worries are halved when shared.]

[If Kang Soo-hyun comes to your house or if you feel in any way unsafe, call me immediately. That area is part of my mountain’s territory, so if you call, I’ll come right away.]

I-bom blinked at the densely packed texts. There were no emojis, but somehow the tone carried Beom-ho’s careful worry. With a serious look, I-bom typed a reply.

[Yes, Mr. Beom-ho 🙂 I’m fine.]

He tapped out the words to say he was fine. He understood Beom-ho’s intentions, but this was something he had to handle himself, and he had no intention of being a burden. The phone screen glowed brightly, the cursor blinking as if waiting for more. He was about to hit ‘send’ when it happened.

“……”

Was it because the feeling of emptiness had crept in without warning?

A yearning called love whispered inside him. His heart urged him to whine to Beom-ho.

Yes. You’re right. I’m lonely. I miss you. When I got home and found no one here, I felt sad. I want to hold you and breathe in the scent of your neck. I want to hug you, rub against you, and be spoiled by you while you smile.

[I miss you]

The words slipped out unconsciously. I-bom caught his breath in alarm and quickly erased them all.

‘…No. I can’t.’

[Yes! Thank you for your concern. Have a good day at work too, Mr. Beom-ho 🙂 Let’s do our best!]

As soon as he sent the message, his phone rang.

I-bom hesitated, then forced a bright, casual tone as he answered.

“Yes, hello?”

—It’s nice to hear your voice.

The pleasant, soft voice whispered in his ear the moment he picked up. The prickly, guarded feeling in his heart melted away as if it had never been there. The sound of Beom-ho’s light, cheerful laugh tickled his chest like a gentle comfort.

—I almost broke the office window and escaped just because I wanted to hear your voice.

But the words that followed that gentle tone were rather alarming. He spoke as if sharing a great secret, his voice low and conspiratorial. From the other end came the noisy background of ringing phones and people calling out.

I-bom’s eyes went wide. Could he really say something like that at work? It sounded far too extreme. Breaking a window to escape—surely… he didn’t mean turning into a tiger? The thought made him panic.

“A-ah, no! Breaking a window is… that’s dangerous!”

—Dangerous because it would be cold in winter if the window breaks? It’s fine. A window can be replaced. Anyway, I just really wanted to hear your voice. But, I-bom… other than wishing me a good day at work, don’t you have anything else to say?

“What do you mean?”

—Hmm. If you think about it, there could be plenty… like, ‘Don’t go’?

His voice softened into a faint chuckle. Instantly, an image of Beom-ho came to I-bom’s mind—leaning lightly against a window, smiling gently, quietly thinking of him, a man whose dignified looks were touched with a hidden, playful whine. Just imagining it pulled up the corners of his lips again and made his cheeks flush warmly.

Ah… I really do like him so much.

“I-I don’t know. You should… go to work.”

I-bom murmured, rubbing his reddened cheeks.

“You’re the director, right? I-if the executives work hard, the company won’t go under, and… then you can still buy me good food….”

He stumbled over his words without even realizing what he was saying, pulling random thoughts out of thin air. It was a clumsy attempt, but instinctively it kept a line between them.

—Ah, you’re right. I am a director.

A light laugh came from the other end. It went on and on, as if he couldn’t stop finding it amusing.

—My lover is too smart for me to argue with or tease. Alright, I’ll go work hard at the office and come back. And I’ll buy you lots of delicious things. Deal?

His voice dripped with sweetness. Embarrassed, I-bom ran a hand down his face.

“Mr. Beom-ho… but…”

He didn’t want the conversation to end at “Deal?” Hanging up would mean losing that warm voice and the soft, cozy feeling in his heart.

—Yes? Do you have something else to say?

“Ah, no. I’ll hang up. See you later.”

I-bom answered briskly. Though his fingers clutched the phone with reluctance, he kept his mouth shut, worried that if he said just one more thing, Beom-ho might actually break a window and run out of the office.

Creak—

Just as he hung up and started to turn away, the unpleasant sound of the front gate opening was followed by light, confident footsteps. He pricked his ears and turned his head toward the front door.

“Grandma? With your bad back, where have you been—”

But standing before him wasn’t his grandmother. It was a young man—or rather, someone who looked like a young man.

It was Eun Pyeong-hwa, Beom-ho’s father.