UR Chapter 17

Chapter 17

“Oppa, what is that? Wait… is that a cat? Can cats even get that big?”

“A big cat?”

I-bom immediately thought of the large striped cat he’d been rolling around with earlier.

That shameless feline who had suddenly climbed on top of him and started licking his butt.

Just remembering the way the cat stared at him with those knowing, suggestive eyes while grooming him—making him let out that embarrassing moan without realizing it—made his head spin.

His face flushed red, and I-bom widened his eyes, quickly peering out the window.

Right there beneath the dark streetlamp outside the restaurant, seated calmly in perfect view of where I-bom stood, was that same giant cat—staring straight at him.

“Uh…! Somi, just a sec.”

I-bom handed off his tray and motioned with his finger.

Tap tap.

He quickly opened the door and peeked outside.
Apparently, Somi wasn’t the only one amazed by the giant feline, because the storefront was already surrounded by curious people admiring the cat.

“Damn, that thing’s huge…”

“Oh my god, it’s so freaking cute.”

“Is that even a cat? Looks more like a raccoon.”

Snap snap.

People were murmuring in awe, snapping pictures, and recording videos—little beep and click sounds rising from the crowd as I-bom pushed his way through.

Sitting calmly in the center, like a celebrity at a fan signing, the cat was indeed the same one from earlier.

“You… you? It’s you, isn’t it?”

I-bom pointed a finger and shouted.

“Weeong.”

The cat narrowed its eyes and responded in a slow, relaxed voice.
It really was a sound that said, ‘Yes. I know exactly what I’m doing.’

“What the heck? Oppa, you know that cat?”

Somi looked back and forth between I-bom and the cat, wide-eyed.

“Uh? Uh…”

Behind her sharply slanted eyes, Somi’s curious gaze darted back and forth.

As she looked more closely, a subtle sense of strangeness tugged at her.

Her small head tilted this way and that, trying to make sense of what she was seeing.

“A cat? That’s a… huh?”

Something felt off.

Somi was an experienced cat owner.

At home, she had a black cat named Kongi and a white one named Ssari.

There were tons of cat breeds in Korea.

Beyond the common Korean shorthairs, cheese tabbies, and Russian Blues, there were over seventy breeds officially registered with the International Cat Association.

She confidently approached, thinking, I know cats—but once she got close, the sight of this creature’s unusual appearance completely threw her off.

‘What the…? Is his mom a cat and his dad a pig?’

There was no other way to explain how a cat could be that huge.

“What breed is it? I’ve never seen a cat this big…”

Somi’s wide eyes followed her waving finger.

Maybe if she had some knowledge of beastmen, or was spiritually sensitive, she might’ve realized this was no ordinary cat.

But Somi was just a regular human—no heightened senses, no insight—so she didn’t have the instincts to recognize anything strange about it.

Of course, the same was true for I-bom.

“Ah, no, I don’t actually know. It’s not my cat.”

“But you said you knew it.”

I-bom quickly shook his head.

“We haven’t known each other long… I just met it in front of the convenience store, and now it followed me here? I don’t really know.”

Maybe it was because I-bom was naturally warmhearted, but he was always comfortable around animals.

And animals, in turn, tended to approach gentle people without hesitation.

This cat had likely just sensed that warmth and curled up to him affectionately.

Before he realized it, that striped body—twice the size of an ordinary cat—slid right into the dip of I-bom’s cupped fingers.

Its weight and size felt like a steaming, lukewarm fish cake soup pouch—strangely comforting and mildly absurd.

It burrowed into his chest without a shred of shame, making him wobble on his feet without meaning to.

“Oppa, I think he just really likes you.”

“Really…?”

I-bom was quite strong, but even for him, it wasn’t easy to support a massive cat that looked to be well over 20 or even 30 kilos, now leaning all its weight into him.

“Wow, it’s totally hugging you. But that’s gotta be heavy…”

Somi looked on in awe at the oversized feline nestled in I-bom’s arms. Her own cats at home weighed over ten kilos each. They were big, sure, but still babyish and clingy, so the sight of a large cat snuggling up didn’t strike her as particularly odd.
Still, this one looked at least two and a half times heavier than her own.

‘He’s gonna collapse at this rate.’

She’d never heard of someone breaking a bone from holding a cat, but this one seemed like it could snap a wrist if it wanted to.

I-bom was taller than her, but he had a slender build. Holding this fluffy cat made him look like he was wobbling under the weight of a plush toy just as big as he was.

He couldn’t go down now—they worked together, after all.

And finding a kind, hardworking coworker like I-bom wasn’t easy.
Determined, Somi rolled up her sleeves.

“Oppa, I’m really good with cats.”

She gave a confident little flick of her finger, a smug look on her face.

“C’mere, kitty~ Who’s a good boy~”

Animals usually reacted to people’s faces.

Somi was pretty, and most animals liked her—including her own cats. Any creature with eyes usually warmed up to her.

So naturally, she assumed this one would be no different.

“…”

But the large tomcat blatantly ignored her and stared instead—with clear disinterest, maybe even disdain.

Its gaze trailed up and down her with regal indifference, as though sizing up a rival. It was a cat, but that look… that was the expression of someone eyeing competition.

“Weeeng.”

The cat flicked its head and gave a pointed meow, almost as if it had understood her perfectly.

Its brow twitched ever so slightly.

“Wow. Did you see that? It totally ignored me! I called it, and it glared at me!”

Somi’s voice rose a notch.

I-bom quickly looked around—people were holding up their phones and filming them.

“S-Somi—uh, I mean, Jenny.”

He lowered his voice and used her nickname, mindful of the crowd.

“I think we should head back inside.”

She had followed him out because of the commotion, but it was still work hours.

With so many people watching, the manager wasn’t likely to scold them on the spot, but they couldn’t just stand around playing with a cat forever.

I-bom gently bent forward to put the cat down.

Since it seemed to understand everything, he decided not to make excuses and just spoke honestly.

“Weoong, we have to go back in now. I’m technically still working.”

His arms tensed as thick veins stood out beneath his skin—this cat was seriously heavy.

As he tried to lower it, it wriggled in resistance, refusing to let go.

“Weeeehng.”

“Aww, look at him! He’s acting like such a baby. I swear, he must have an owner. He’s way too spoiled.”

House pets often wandered farther than expected, so there was a chance someone out there was frantically looking for him.

They needed to return to work, but just tossing him aside felt too cold.

“Does he have a collar or something? If it had a number, we could call.”

“Oh, right—his collar.”

I-bom pushed aside the fur around the cat’s neck and reached in.
Deep within the soft fluff, he found a solid, triangular pendant.

He looked all over it, but there was no phone number.

“There’s nothing here.”

“You don’t think he’s, like, some kind of national treasure or something, right? Looks like a rich person’s cat, and he doesn’t even have a number on his tag? Suspicious…”

I-bom furrowed his brow in concern, then bent over to get a closer look at the cat’s face.

“Yeah… but this pendant. I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before.”

“Wanna see?”
He pulled the pendant out and held it up for Somi.

“Hmm. It does look familiar. Where have I seen that…”

“Weoong, where’s your home?”

“Weeeehng.”

The cat let out a baby-soft cry, lifting its chin with pride and brushing its cottony paw gently against I-bom’s cheek.

“What. You want a kiss or something?”

The cat nodded.

Just a tiny motion, but it was definitely a nod.

Does he really understand me?

Or… is it because I’ve got beastman blood, and I can understand him?

It was almost surreal—the plump cheeks, the triangular lips, the way it shamelessly demanded affection with such confidence.

And then there was him—I-bom—actually understanding and reacting to it.

He laughed and looked at the cat.

“I asked where your home is, so why are you changing the subject?”

Despite his size, the cheeky cat pushed a fuzzy paw right against I-bom’s lips.

A moment later—boop—its plush cheek fur lightly brushed against his lips.

“…Huh?”

It was precise. His lips had definitely brushed the cat’s cheek.

Before he could even process it, the cat slipped smoothly from his arms and hopped down. Without a sound, it disappeared into the nearby shrubs.

It had all happened in an instant.

Oh my gosh, so cute…

They had only shared a kiss—cat and human—and yet everyone in the crowd around them (except Somi) was smiling in bliss.

“…Wow. The flirting is next level,”

Somi muttered under her breath, the only one not caught in the spell.

---

[Korea Univ. Anonymous Board]

[Off-topic] Anyone been to Happy Bunny recently?

Even though their iced americano is 2,000 won more than other cafés, I still drank it for the sake of the hot baristas at Happy Bunny… and now, we’ve got another legend in the house.

(Anon1) What kind of legend? Did another god-tier part-timer show up? I always complain but I can’t stop going.

└ (Anon2) ㅠㅠ It’s crazy expensive, feels like a hotel, but the baristas are hot and the iced americanos are handsome.

(Anon3) Wait, the OG hot baristas didn’t quit, right? I’m curious about the one with the big eyes and brown hair—not the one with the short black hair. When’s he debuting?

└ (Anon2) Oh, the soft-looking one? LOL he looks like the MC from this webtoon I’m into. But it’s an R-rated one… shhh (shy)

└ (Anon3) What’s “R-rated”?

└ (Anon2) Just… it’s a thing lol (shy)

(Anon4) But that guy’s got crazy walls up. I heard some dance majors asked for his number and he turned them down saying he doesn’t have a phone.

└ (Anon3) Honestly, someone like him probably has a girlfriend 😢 He turned them down so politely I was more shocked just watching.

(Anon5) What even is this place? Why is it always showing up on our uni board? Is this like… viral marketing or what ——

└ (Anon2) Can’t believe you don’t know HppyBnny, the café where all the hottest people in town gather. What are you, a boomer?

(ㄱㅆ) Nah you’re all wrong. These days, whenever I go to HappyBunny, there’s this massive loaf-shaped cat at the entrance. It’s huge. Like, my cat Cheese has a big ol’ head too, but this one’s just built different. (photo)

└ (Anon5) Wait… are cats even supposed to be this big? 😨

└ (Anon2) That thing’s seriously huge lol

└ (Anon6) Is that a lynx or something…?

└ (ㄱㅆ) Lynx? Lmao they’re aggressive as hell, what are you saying;; This one always rolls over and shows its belly to the brown-haired barista.

(Anon7) LOL seriously, I’m curious now. Is it like a leopard? A cheetah? What even is it?

(Anon8) Maybe it escaped from the zoo and it’s just “blending in with society.”

└ (Anon7) LOL now that’s hilarious if true

(ㄱㅆ) (photo) It doesn’t run even when people take pics, but it’s totally obsessed with that brown-haired guy. Rolls over, asks for kisses… people even bring treats but it won’t budge. It’s hilarious. There’s even a TikTok clip going around—check it out (video link)

(Anon9) LMAO I’m dead. It’s like the two of them are dating ^^

└ (Anon3) Wow, you’re so open-minded lmao