UR Chapter 72

Chapter 72

Regardless of how he felt, the world kept turning at the same pace, and I-bom realized that being sad wouldn’t put food on the table.

He let out two heavy sighs and headed toward Happy Bunny.

Wanting to live kindly and diligently didn’t mean life would always follow the course he set. Sometimes there were waves, sometimes storms, and life would bend or veer in directions he never expected. Even when he didn’t want it to.

It didn’t seem likely he would see that man again. A director of Samho Group, a pureblood beastman, with good looks, tall stature, and gentlemanly manners—the description said it all. Why would someone that impressive have shown up at a blind date?

That day already felt like something from a past life. That was why he decided to take it as nothing more than a small incident.

Just… like bumping into his favorite celebrity on the street and feeling good about it.

The walk to Happy Bunny felt unusually long and dull. Perhaps because it had snowed, the winter wind was especially biting.

His already worn, thin padded jacket had never been much protection against the cold, but now, it wasn’t the wind scraping his skin that hurt—it was his heart. Maybe it was because of all the harsh words from Soo-hyun, or maybe it was the stifling thought of not knowing what might happen next.

‘…Stop thinking about it.’

He gave his head a small shake. That man had probably already forgotten someone like him. Instead of dwelling on someone so far out of reach, he decided to think about Weoong to clear his mind.

Weoong always seemed to live at his own pace, like spring wind in the middle of a sharp winter gale, lounging lazily around the village. In winter, furry animals grew thicker coats to survive the cold—most people called it “putting on fur.” I-bom sometimes thought that maybe Weoong wasn’t cold because he’d “put on fur” too.

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Weoong lately.’

Blowing warm breath onto his red hands, I-bom looked around. On the way from the convenience store to Happy Bunny, there were fields here and there and abandoned doghouses. Maybe he was in one of them? I-bom would peek inside whenever he passed by, but he had never once spotted Weoong there.

“It must be cold in winter…”

He muttered to himself, exhaling into his hands. As brave as the animal was—brave enough to chase away the hyenas that prowled at the edge of town—he was still just a stray cat. I-bom suspected he might have an owner, but if he was wandering around in the middle of winter, did he really have a home?

Or maybe, in this harsh cold, he was just staying indoors. They said it wasn’t good to let cats roam outside since they were territorial animals.

At least there were plenty of empty doghouses around the neighborhood. In an emergency, he could slip into one to get out of the snow or rain. I-bom regretted not bringing Weoong into his own home to keep him. If he was going to worry this much, he should have brought him in… but it all came down to his circumstances.

“I-bom oppa!”

He had only just spotted Happy Bunny’s sparkling sign in the distance when Somi quietly came up from behind and poked him in the side.

“Oh, hi Somi. How long have you been there? I didn’t hear you at all.”

Her clear, ringing voice made his ears ache, but he smiled. After a day spent thinking about Kang Soo-hyun and Kang I-jun, his mind was in shambles.

“What’s up with you? What were you thinking about, walking along all spaced out like that? I even yelled at you to snap out of it.”

“Oh? Uh… thanks…”

He was grateful for Somi’s lively voice—it chased away the tangled thoughts that had been running wild in his head. Letting out a small laugh, I-bom brushed his hair back.

“Thanks? I was telling you to wake up and walk straight. Ah, we’re going to be busy again today, right? When will this end-of-year rush finally be over?”

Somi skipped ahead cheerfully as she grumbled, her tone light and playful.

“Yeah,” I-bom replied, and ran after her.

* * *

One of the biggest advantages of working at a busy shop was, of course, that your wages were never late and always came on time—but there was another perk. Being so busy meant there was no time for idle thoughts.

“I-bom—no, Hyun-a! Kitchen bell’s ringing!”

Today, too, he had changed into his uniform and was running around so busily he had no time to smile, his headband slipping loose from the constant movement. The kitchen bell rang endlessly, and customers poured in one after another like a never-ending stream.

Adjusting his loose headband, I-bom hurried toward the kitchen. They said the economy was in a slump and that university students were too busy studying for jobs that were hard to get, but Happy Bunny—tucked in the Korea University district—was packed with students who acted as if the recession and job hunting didn’t exist.

“What’s the table number?”

The head chef pressed the bell with a ding, and I-bom poked his head in, panting. Unlike when he had come in from the cold, blowing on his red hands, the shop was warm—almost too warm.

Before he knew it, sweat beaded on his forehead. The glass windows were fogged over from the heat inside, and the impatient chef, his face full of irritation, tapped the table at the front of the kitchen.

“Table 20. Ugh, there are way too many customers today, right?”

When the chef saw I-bom’s face, he allowed himself a smile. Impatient as he was, he treated I-bom fairly well. After all, it was always wise to stay on good terms with the person who served you food.

“Yes. Still, on days like this, we might sell out of ingredients early and get off work sooner. What should I take? For Table 20, should I bring the hash brown omelette set and all the steak bites?”

Eyeing the steaming food on the iron plate, I-bom quickly put on silicone gloves. He slid a stack of dishes into the dishwashing bin in one swift motion, then dug out a fresh tray to set the new orders. That was when a familiar name drifted to his ears from behind him.

“Oh my, Eun Beom-ho? Haven’t heard that name in ages. What’s this about?”

At the far end of the kitchen was a small TV for the cleaning crew. They said it was to have something like a radio for background noise—news, songs—to relieve boredom. Normally, I-bom paid it no mind, but the name from the news broadcast landed squarely in his ears.

―Meanwhile, Samho Group has announced a campaign to root out the rising tide of violent crimes in the beastman community, and it has been decided that Director Eun Beom-ho will serve as the face of the campaign.

“Who’s Eun Beom-ho?”

“Why, the heir to Samho Group! Didn’t they say he was almost kidnapped when he was little? That’s why he stayed out of the media for a while. He must be an adult now. It’s been ages since I heard his name—”

The kitchen aunties, who had just taken the dish bin from I-bom, glanced at the TV as they chatted. Without thinking, I-bom tilted his head and rose on tiptoe to peek at the small screen they were watching.

Samho Group.
Eun Beom-ho.
Heir.

He wasn’t sure how such surprising facts were flowing into his ears—he only knew he was listening blankly. On the TV, large subtitles scrolled slowly across the screen: “Eun Beom-ho speeding up preparations for marriage in line with corporate succession…”

“Hearing he’s getting married means he’s definitely an adult now. I heard rumors that he’s extremely handsome. I’d love to see his face just once.”

“Who do you think a man like that will marry?”

“I saw something online—apparently he had a blind date at a hotel with an unbelievably beautiful woman.”

“Come on, chief, everything you read online is a rumor. Who believes that stuff?”

I-bom kept listening to their chatter. He knew there wasn’t always truth in such talk, but his body still stiffened on its own.

…Marriage preparations. Corporate succession. Heir.

He had thought he was just a director at Samho, but heir? That was far more impressive than he had realized. From the beginning, he knew it was someone far beyond his reach, but hearing about marriage on TV made the truth hit like a rising tide—the man was someone he could never even dream of having.

“…Ha.”

‘You’re cute…’

The image of Beom-ho smiling gently swelled in his mind. To have looked at him with such affection, only to hear he was marrying someone else—it made a small, sharp ache tug at the corner of his heart.

So that confession of love at first sight, that kindness… it was all a lie.

“I-bom, what are you doing? Aren’t you taking that out?”

“Huh? Oh… y-yes, I’ll take it now.”

“What are you zoning out for in the kitchen? Be careful, you’ll hurt yourself.”

The name “Eun Beom-ho” had stopped him in his tracks without him realizing it, but the bustling kitchen had already moved on to other topics. The news was now about the weather, and the kitchen aunties were busily discussing their plans for the Lunar New Year holidays.

Catching I-bom still glancing at the TV, the chef shot him a sharp look, and I-bom gave an awkward smile before quickly carrying the plates out.

It was a busy day. Maybe the chaos was better for sorting out his feelings. He decided he would keep away from the TV for a while—at least until he could hear the name “Eun Beom-ho” without flinching.