UR Chapter 7

Chapter 7

“Father, why did Beom-ho leave so early?”

Eun-gang’s daughter-in-law, Baek Yun-seo, arrived late and immediately raised her voice in frustration. She had been held up with work, and by the time she arrived, her son, Beom-ho, had already left. After tracking his whereabouts, she finally found herself next to Eun-gang. Taking advantage of the thinning crowd as guests departed, she settled beside him and set down her champagne glass.

“Ahem… We had a bit of a disagreement.”

Eun-gang cleared his throat, looking around. Beom-ho had already made his escape, but there were still plenty of ears nearby. He gestured for Yun-seo to lower her voice—he didn’t want his grandson overhearing them gossiping about him later.

“What did you say to him?”

“Lower your voice.”

“Ah, yes.”

At Eun-gang’s hushed tone, Yun-seo nodded and spoke more quietly.

The image of his grandson’s cold, expressionless face as he turned away remained sharp in Eun-gang’s mind.

Even as he had coughed pitifully and pretended to be on his last legs, teary-eyed and lamenting his fleeting time left in this world, the boy had just stared at him blankly, utterly unshaken.

Polite and well-mannered to everyone—but when it truly mattered, he was the coldest of them all.

“Cough, cough… Your poor grandfather is getting old. I just want to see my grandson settle down.”

“You’re still in perfect health.”

The way Beom-ho smiled knowingly, completely unfazed, had made Eun-gang let out another deliberately pathetic cough.

His grandson’s steady, piercing gaze was almost too direct, as if he could see right through his tricks.

A beast of wisdom. It was an annoying genetic trait.

“Grandfather, you know I hate lies.”

That firm, unwavering voice had sent an icy chill through Eun-gang’s heart.

And then, as if he knew exactly what his grandfather was thinking, Beom-ho had added,

“Are you sure you’re not getting ‘Conscience Fever’?”

Conscience Fever (良心熱, Yangsimyeol) was a condition unique to those beastmen closest to the divine.

If they told lies, turned a blind eye to injustice, or betrayed the sacred trust between gods and spirits, their bodies would suffer the consequences.

Beastmen with such bloodlines lived a burdensome existence—forever shackled to honesty, unable to freely deceive or ignore wrongdoing. To live without a single lie, to uphold righteousness at all times—it was exhausting.

But at that moment, Eun-gang didn’t care about any of that.

“Even if I’m healthy now, life can slip away in an instant. Do you understand the sorrow of growing old?”

“At this point, I don’t even care if she’s a tiger or not. Hell, a rabbit or a puppy would be fine. She doesn’t even have to be a beastman—I just want a cute granddaughter-in-law.”

“…….”

“I know tiger beastmen don’t have many offspring. I’m not being greedy. But among all the unmated male tiger chieftains, you’re the only one left. Before my health worsens, I just want to see you settle down. That’s all I ask as your grandfather.”

“…….”

“How long do you think you can keep suppressing your heat? You’re over thirty now. It’s not just about instinct—it’s a matter of survival. Do you really think you can rely on medicine forever?”

“…….”

“Haven’t you heard about tiger beastmen who went insane after spending too many mating seasons alone?”

Who knew if the stories were true—but they weren’t completely unfounded.

Pure-blooded tiger beastmen went into heat every winter, and for them, the process was particularly brutal. If left unchecked, it could have severe consequences on their health.

For a grandson who showed no urgency in marrying, the thought alone was enough to make the old man’s stomach churn.

“…Alright.”

“What do you mean, ‘Alright’?”

“…….”

“At least meet someone. If you have any specific conditions, I’ll arrange it. Or, if you don’t want that, at least find a heat partner.”

“Haah… Grandfather.”

Had he even been listening? His grandson had only let out a deep sigh. That was the last thing that had happened before Baek Yun-seo arrived.

“…I just told him to go on a date at least.”

Eun-gang glanced sideways, wary of his daughter-in-law’s piercing gaze.

He had even suggested that Beom-ho find a contractual partner for his heat cycles. If Yun-seo found out that his grandson had looked visibly displeased at the suggestion, who knew how she would react?

“That wasn’t the only thing you said, was it?”

Her intuition was as sharp as a blade.

“Ahem… I told him to hurry up and get married. Before I die.”

“…….”

“…And then he just left.”

“Ah, of course. I figured as much.”

Baek Yun-seo nodded indifferently, as if she had expected this.

“But that’s odd. I’m not trying to start anything, but according to my divination, he should be getting married soon.”

She tilted her head slightly, running her crimson nails along her palm.

Each tiger beastman with divine lineage possessed their own unique supernatural abilities. In Baek Yun-seo’s case, she had an uncanny talent for reading omens through natural elements—her predictions were sharper than any spirit’s. There were plenty who sought her out specifically for her fortune-telling.

“Hmmm…”

Lowering her gaze, she reached toward the centerpiece arrangement on the table.

Her gleaming red nails pressed into the lush bouquet, slightly crushing the delicate petals. As they brushed against the flowers, specks of pollen clung to her fingertips. She murmured under her breath, Which one should I pick?

Finally, she pulled out a single cotton flower branch, buried deep within the arrangement.

Her eyes sharpened as she examined it, tracing the fluffy texture with her fingertips.

“His fated partner is close.”

Intrigued by her ritual, Eun-gang immediately leaned in.

“Close? Where? Where exactly? Does the name appear?”

“Hmm… Be quiet for a moment, Father. Even better…”

Shhh.

She silenced him with a glance, closing her eyes.

The smooth, pale skin of her forehead twitched, her brows furrowing. Then, she snapped her eyes open, sharp and gleaming.

“Today? Or tomorrow? He’s going to meet them very soon!”

Bang!

The table shook as she slammed her hand down, making a loud noise.

Eun-gang and Baek Yun-seo locked eyes.

“What? That doesn’t make any sense! Meeting them today or tomorrow?”

Eun-gang narrowed his eyes in disbelief.

Baek Yun-seo’s fortune-telling had always been eerily accurate, but “today” sounded absurd.

This wasn’t some romance comic—how could he suddenly meet his fated partner within the day? It felt like a joke.

What, was he planning to go clubbing? Or maybe hitting up a hunting bar?

To Eun-gang, the only “young people’s dating spots” he could think of were clubs and bars, and even that knowledge came from the morning dramas he sometimes watched.

But his grandson, Eun Beom-ho, was the most boring person alive. He neither drank nor danced—instead, he spent his days locked in his office working or exercising at the gym.

Eun-gang couldn’t even imagine his grandson flashing a playful smile while flirting with someone. The boy was just too stiff, too serious—the type to keep his head down and get things done without unnecessary distractions.

“I’ve never been wrong. You know that.”

Ignoring the old man’s disbelief, Baek Yun-seo shrugged.

Sure, fortune-telling with tree branches might look ridiculous, but the results were never a joke. Even she found the idea absurd, but she knew better than to dismiss a reading.

Crossing her arms, she leaned against the table, watching him closely.

“He said he’s heading back to the office today, so let’s wait and see. In the meantime, why don’t we arrange a formal meeting for him? What do you think?”

No matter how much they thought about it, neither of them could envision any realistic scenario where Eun Beom-ho meets his destined partner today.

But fate wasn’t just something that happened—it was something you made.

With that logic, Baek Yun-seo quickly devised a plan to stall her father-in-law’s nagging while keeping an eye on Beom-ho’s movements.

Outside the window, the wind howled violently.

[⚠ Emergency Disaster Alert]

A strong wind advisory will be in effect for the Manwol-gu area starting at 5 PM. Please take special precautions regarding facility management and personal safety.

[⚠ Emergency Disaster Alert]

Due to the strong wind advisory, all hiking trails around Manwol Mountain are now closed.

Beep, beep.

Hearing the shrill alert, Eun Sung-jun pulled out his phone.

The screen blinked with a warning symbol, displaying the message: “Strong Wind Advisory Issued.”

He glanced out the hallway window, watching as the tree branches outside whipped around like mad.

There was an old saying—When a tiger gets married, even on the sunniest of days, rain will fall.

But now, with over a hundred tiger beastmen gathered in one place, it seemed the effect had amplified tenfold.

Dry thunder cracked across the sky despite the clear weather, and the winds were so strong that even airplanes couldn’t take off.

‘No sign of the weather calming down anytime soon.’

Tucking his phone back into his pocket, Eun Sung-jun shifted his gaze toward the tightly closed CEO’s office.

He had been with the President since their university days, but even after all these years, the man rarely showed his emotions outright.

Even when irritated or displeased, he never lashed out or became difficult—just kept it to himself.

But today… his mood was noticeably lower than usual.

Sung-jun had carefully tested the waters earlier, asking,

“Is it because your grandfather told you to get married?”

But his boss had simply shaken his head silently.

Even if he hid his irritation from his employees, the heavy atmosphere in the office was enough to put everyone on edge.

His subordinates had already started spamming tearful emojis in the team chat, complaining,

“The boss seems really upset today… 😭😭😭”

‘…Yeah, they definitely noticed.’

Sung-jun muttered to himself as he tapped his fingernail against the stack of approval documents in front of him.

Winter was approaching.

And with it, so was that time of year.

The time when tiger beastmen went into heat.