UR Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Eun Beom-ho staggered in shock.

“Weeeng…”

Did I… misunderstand something?

Feeling dazed and unsure, he blinked, trying to grasp what was going on.

No one had ever pushed him away before—no one had ever rejected him.

So he was confused.

But without realizing it, he stopped himself.

‘But he said he wanted to.’

In mating, the fundamental rule is the female’s consent.

Though the one in front of him was male, hadn’t he used beastman speech—“Weoong”—to say he wanted to be underneath him?

Tiger beastmen never, ever force themselves on a partner.

As if none of the insistent licking had ever happened, Beom-ho straightened up, posture firm and respectful like a well-trained dog, and waited patiently.

He had been genuinely excited by the invitation to mate.
He hadn’t meant to rush things—he was just… swept up in it.
Had he made a mistake? He really didn’t want to be the worst kind of partner.

Nyang…

His whiskers, which had been standing tall, drooped sadly.
His ears, once perked high, now folded flat against his head.

“Weoong…?”

‘Did I do something rude? I’ve never done this before, but I swear I’d do my best.’

Beom-ho mumbled, almost like he was making excuses.

A true gentleman of a tiger knew how to wait patiently when a mate declined—but he’d never acted so poorly that he deserved to be slapped.

Thankfully, the Baby Student quickly explained.

“It’s just weird, that’s all!”

Relief washed over him. So he hadn’t been rude.

“It’s just, you suddenly started licking… and we just met, right? That’s something you do with your bonded partner!”

Beom-ho paused to think.

So it’s the fact that we just met… that’s the problem?

But—wasn’t he the one who asked to mate the moment we met…?

…So, it’s not “let’s mate now”—but more like “let’s get to know each other first, then mate”?

「Tiger-nim, humans call that ‘natural progression’—meeting and bonding organically, you know.」

The wind whispered softly.

“Hoo… I don’t know if you’ll understand, but stuff like that is for your partner. Sniffing someone’s butt the first time you meet them? That’s not exactly polite, okay?”

Ah. So that’s how it is.

He understood quickly.

Before he knew it, soft fingers were gently scratching along his chin—and Beom-ho’s eyes began to flutter shut without meaning to.

How skillful those hands were.

Purr, purr.

A pleasant vibration buzzed in his chest, and the flustered, embarrassed feelings began to melt away.

‘At least… he doesn’t hate me.’

Then all that was left was to recover his image.
If the goal was a “natural relationship,” he’d just have to find a proper, fitting way to pursue it.

---

I-bom walked briskly.

The sun was beginning to set, and a large, flashy sign with a cutesy bunny face that read “Happy Bunny” flickered in rainbow colors.

It was his second part-time job of the day—at the family restaurant Happy Bunny.

The place was already packed with couples and groups of friends chattering away at their tables. It wasn’t even full nighttime yet, and he could already see another staff member through the window handing out number slips to people waiting outside.

Looks like it’s going to be a busy night again.

I-bom let out a soft sigh as he pushed open the back revolving door.

Happy Bunny was a well-known spot in the neighborhood.
By day, it served pasta, steak, and similar fare—by night, it turned into a restaurant that also served alcohol.

It wasn’t particularly famous for its food or its atmosphere, and with the prices being a bit on the higher end, it wasn’t the kind of place you’d just casually stop by.

But there was a reason it stayed crowded.

“Hello.”

I-bom stepped into the back hallway with confident strides.
He gave a quick bow to the manager standing by the door and exchanged small waves with the other part-timers.

Along the narrow hallway of the compact restaurant, staff members dressed in maid outfits offered quick greetings—“Hey,” “Evening.”

Just like the buzzing main floor, the kitchen and hallway were already getting crowded with staff.

At the manager’s hand signal, I-bom’s pace picked up.

The ding-ding of the kitchen bell rang out noisily, urging the staff along like a pushy customer.

Catching the rhythm of the place, I-bom ducked into the storage room to quickly change.

“Phew…”

As he slipped off his shirt, light animal fur drifted in the air around him—he had no idea when it had clung to him.

What the…

He tilted his head and plucked a strand off, sniffing it.

Most likely… it was from the cat he’d met earlier.

He gave the air a little wave and quickly changed into his uniform.

Before long, the mirror reflected a pretty adorable bunny maid.

The uniform at Happy Bunny was a maid outfit. The women wore skirted maid dresses, and the men wore shorts with knee-high socks.

On top of that, they were required to wear fluffy, adorable bunny ear headbands.

He was a grown man, so wearing bunny ears and shorts with knee socks—even in winter—was a little hard to make sense of. Apparently, it was the owner’s personal taste. Still, since it wasn’t some seedy establishment and the hourly wage was double the norm, he simply followed orders without complaint.

Most of the part-timers at Happy Bunny were either very good-looking or cute. The menu was a little overpriced considering the food quality, but that was justified by the staff’s appearance.

According to his coworkers, there was even a social media page that posted pictures of Happy Bunny staff. I-bom had noticed the gaze of phone cameras snapping his face while he worked from time to time, but he had never tried to stop anyone.

The manager had never told them to stop it either, and having your face be seen was more or less part of the job.

“Hyun!”

Someone waved at I-bom excitedly from a corner table. It was a regular customer—someone he recognized from seeing often.

According to his coworkers, the customer worked in casting for an entertainment agency.

I-bom had even received a business card from him once. A shiny one that read “Han Yu-hyun, Casting Director, JW Entertainment.” JW Entertainment was a well-known company—I-bom had heard of it too.

So when the man told him, ‘You’re handsome,’ and ‘You’re pretty,’ I-bom had taken the card and, with a tiny bit of hope, showed it to his grandmother.

‘What, you think just anyone can be a celebrity?’

The only thing he got in return was his older brother’s mocking voice.

‘If someone like you could be a celebrity, I might as well be president. Faces like yours are everywhere. Quit messing around and go earn some money. You didn’t even get into college because you’re an idiot.’

He couldn’t risk being humiliated by people finding out he was from Aji Village.

His brother had yelled and crumpled up the card I-bom had handed to their grandmother.

I-bom had carefully opened it back up with both hands. It was wrinkled and damp with sweat from his grip. Holding it like something precious, he gently smoothed it out, sniffed it to see if it had any scent, then quietly returned it to the customer.

‘You don’t want to be a celebrity? Our company’s actually a pretty clean and decent place…’

‘Sorry, the adults around me said no. I’m really sorry.’

He thought he had done his best not to cry.

The words ‘from Aji Village,’ ‘so embarrassing,’ and ‘too dumb to even get into college’ circled around in his head.

At his part-time job, no one knew where he was from. They just looked at his face and called him cute or pretty—but if he became a celebrity, it felt like he would have to be perfect. If people found out where he came from, even the kind customers might end up disappointed in him.

“You’ve gotten even prettier since I last saw you.”

I-bom ran over with a wide smile, following the waving hand. Familiar faces always made him happy—his energy bouncing like a wagging tail.

“Ah, hello! It’s been a while!”

He fiddled with his plastic name tag that read ‘hyun’. At Happy Bunny, no one used their real names. Staff were made to go by names completely unrelated to their own. The reason was because some customers would flirt inappropriately or stalk the employees—so real names were strictly off-limits.

“Have you been well? I came just because I missed you, Hyun. Still not thinking about becoming a celebrity?”

There were the occasional difficult customers, of course, but ones like him—wearing name tags with their company logo—tended to be polite and respectful.
More than that, unlike the usual guests who treated I-bom like he was just some background character or product, this man spoke to him kindly, almost like he was talking to a younger brother.

“Yes… I’m sorry.”

I-bom smiled softly, eyes curving.

“I know, I know—I’m the type who just can’t let go. I ask you about becoming a celebrity every time I see you, and that must be a lot of pressure. But really, if you ever do want to give it a shot, promise me you’ll say something, okay? It’s such a shame to see someone this talented stuck here. Honestly, it’s a national loss.”

“Thanks for the compliment. But you really don’t have to keep asking.”

“Huh? I’m totally going to ask again next time.”

The man laughed heartily as he accepted the menu. As he turned to head out, a voice echoed from the other side.

“I-bom oppa.”

While carrying menus and stepping into the staff corner to move a beer keg, someone lightly bumped I-bom in the side. It was Somi, another part-timer.

“Somi.”

“That guy always asks about you, huh? I guess you need that kind of persistence to be a casting director.”

Somi had short, bobbed hair and catlike, slightly upturned eyes. She was a college student working the floor alongside I-bom.

During the first semester, she had been constantly on shift, working weekends and weekdays alike—but this semester, it seemed she was finally focusing on her studies, and it had become rare to see her around.
I-bom’s expression lit up at the sight of her after so long.

“But still, oppa, you always turn him down. That’s impressive in its own way. Why though? You could make a lot of money if you became a celebrity.”

“Somi…”

“I mean, we barely make peanuts working here anyway.”

“Please, stop…”

I-bom’s cheeks flushed red.
He started to feel embarrassed, wondering if she had seen him getting all flustered and unable to respond properly to a compliment.

Somi giggled at the sight of him.

“I’m in theater and film, and even in my department, there aren’t many guys with a face like yours. You should see how ugly some of them are.”

Her eyes widened mid-sentence, only to twist into a grimace as if she’d just recalled something unpleasant.

As the kitchen bell chimed—ding-dong—she grabbed a tray, set the dishes in place, and muttered quickly under her breath.

“I don’t know what kind of acting they think they’re doing with those faces. You’re way better. And half of them are full-on prince syndrome. Totally insufferable.”

“Oh, come on. They must have some talent. I mean, you’re in that program too, Somi.”

I-bom smiled while scooping ice into the glass cups on his tray. Then he leaned slightly forward to take the second tray Somi was handing off to him.

“Talent, huh. Please. Anyone with enough practice can do it—dogs, cats, whoever. Anyway… huh?”

Somi suddenly pointed toward the wide glass window, something clearly catching her attention.
Maybe it was because her voice was unusually loud for her small frame, or maybe because her tone had a sharp edge of surprise—it pierced right through the noisy background and rang clearly in I-bom’s ears.

“What is it?”

Just as I-bom was about to step into the hallway with his tray, his feet paused mid-step.
He turned his head slightly to get a better sense of the situation—and right after Somi’s voice, something familiar slipped into his field of view.