UR Chapter 83

Chapter 83

A warm breeze and a vivid blue sky, unusual for winter. Beneath it, the colorful amusement park looked as beautiful as a scene from a fairy tale.

I-bom took a deep breath, trying to gently calm the excitement in his chest. Maybe it was because of the weather, or maybe because he was here for a date with the man, but his breathing had been slightly quick since earlier.

“Shall we go in?”

“Oh, yes.”

The man’s firm arm brushed lightly against I-bom’s shoulder as they stood side by side. It was such a small touch, yet the unexpected heat of it startled him.

Only then did it truly sink in that the two of them were out on a date together. They were standing so close — how had he managed to make it this far without trembling or fainting? The tips of I-bom’s ears flushed red.

“Have a great day, you two!”

The staff member, still watching them, called out cheerfully. Before the thrill in I-bom’s chest could hit the floor, the man’s hand naturally guided him a little closer.

It was probably to avoid bumping into passing people, but the warmth of being drawn near, combined with the soft scent of his cologne brushing his nose, sharpened I-bom’s senses.

‘Calm down, Kang I-bom… please.’

He shook his head slightly and bit his lip.

If he’d been a full beastman, his tail would have already sprung out, wagging against his will. Maybe it was a good thing he was only half, without a tail. Determined not to let his canine “flirtation” instinct show, he forced his racing heart to settle over and over.

“I’m going to put on a cap. I don’t like making eye contact with people.”

He’d been wondering how to manage walking face-to-face with him, so this was a relief. The low voice carried on the cool breeze, tickling his ear.

Another sideways glance. If anyone saw him now, glancing up nervously and trailing behind like a sparrow chasing a stork, they’d probably think he looked like an anxious puppy.

He’d never noticed before, since the man was usually in a suit, but he looked good in casual clothes with a cap pulled low. With two buttons of his shirt undone, his long neck was exposed, giving him a look quite different from usual. And somehow… it felt like he’d seen him like this somewhere before. I-bom tilted his head in thought.

Maybe because the weather was nice — even if attendance was limited — there were still plenty of people walking the park’s paths. Most were couples, with many families too. I-bom glanced around with a pleasant expression.

Would people see him and the man as a couple too?

“I-bom.”

Maybe sensing his wandering thoughts, the man called his name, frowning slightly as he looked at his phone.

“When you come to an amusement park, the first thing you should get is… a headband?”

“What…?”

“I just got a message from Sung-woo. He says if you wear a headband while on a date at an amusement park, you’ll have more fun. What do you think that means?”

He held his phone out toward I-bom.

[You’re going to an amusement park? Never thought I’d see the day. Make sure you buy him food and put a cute headband on him. It’s a must at an amusement park.]

“If it’s Sung-woo…”

“The doctor who examined you. Remember? He’s a friend of mine too.”

I-bom recalled the man in the white coat who had treated him. He couldn’t remember his face clearly, but he remembered the kind, gentle tone that had helped ease his nerves.

“He told me you should come in for a checkup sometime. Anyway… should we look for one of these ‘cute headbands’? I’m not exactly sure what he means.”

By “cute headband,” did he mean the kind of animal ears like the staff wore at Happy Bunny? I-bom remembered how customers there liked seeing the employees wear them.

He rose onto his toes to scan the area. Standing at the entrance of the huge amusement park carved into the mountain, he needed a bit more height to see clearly. Looking around, he spotted people wearing headbands — most of them couples walking hand in hand.

‘He probably means for us to walk around like a couple.’

Lowering his heels, I-bom said,

“Couple headbands… I think he means animal ear headbands. They sell cute animal ear headbands here at the park.”

“Really? But why would we do that? We’re not beastmen…”

“Y-yeah, I guess so.”

I-bom answered while hearing the man’s mutter. It seemed he didn’t quite understand his doctor friend’s meaning. It probably wasn’t about imitating beastmen — just about doing the “couple headband” thing.

“Have you been here before, I-bom?”

He shook his head.

“No. This is my first time. I’ve… been busy working part-time jobs.”

“Is that so?”

The truth was, he’d never had enough money to spend on a place like this. But he couldn’t bring himself to tell the man “because I’m broke,” so he just smiled.

“Same as me, then.”

The man smiled as if such things didn’t matter at all.

“Actually, it’s my first time too. I’ve been so busy with work, I’ve never come to a place like this for myself.”

“……”

“It’s nice to have something in common with you, I-bom.”

I-bom had thought before — the man had a way with pretty words. People around him, especially his brother and his brother’s friends, would have mocked him with something like, “You can’t even afford an amusement park, you broke idiot.” But the man’s warm kindness only made I-bom blush as he followed carefully alongside him.

“Oh, I think it’s over there!”

I-bom pointed toward a stand.

It was a small outdoor stall labeled “Neverland Gift Shop.” Cups of cotton candy, lollipops, and glowing toys were all lined up together.

“It was close by after all.”

A sign at the neighboring stand read, “All kinds of cute headbands available ☞.” A staff member in a frilly dress approached with a bright smile.

“Are you looking for something in particular?”

“I’m looking for a cute animal headband for this friend to wear.”

With his hands resting on I-bom’s shoulders, the man spoke. The staff member nodded knowingly and gestured for them to follow.

They were led to a display packed full of animal headbands. I-bom’s eyes went wide, his mouth falling open.

‘It’s going to look like I’m pretending to be a beastman…’

“If you like cute ones, the cat and rabbit ears are popular. If you want something unique, this elephant is also in demand. Everyone’s tastes are different, so take your time and look around.”

“Yes…”

I-bom answered with a reluctant expression.

‘Still… since I’m a half-dog beastman, maybe dog ears are better?’

He rummaged through the display, looking for a dog-ear headband. At least something familiar would feel less embarrassing.

[Brave Puppy Headband ☞]

Wondering what exactly a “brave puppy” was supposed to be, I-bom followed the label toward the dog headbands, only to find there was just one kind.

Not the droopy white fluff of a Maltese, but a headband with small, pointed ears like a Pomeranian.

“A Pomeranian is a brave dog?”

He muttered in surprise. Compared to that, Jindo dogs or Maltese seemed much braver. Who decided a Pomeranian was the symbol of courage?

‘Poms… aren’t exactly that brave…’

Smoothing down his slightly disappointed thoughts, I-bom looked into the mirror next to the display and carefully tried it on. The small yellow ears sat neatly atop his light brown hair, looking dainty and cute.

“Mm… does it look weird?”

Was it okay for a Maltese to wear Pomeranian ears? Would people think it strange? He stared at his reflection seriously. If his grandmother or the neighbors saw him, they’d probably laugh their heads off. Quietly, he took the headband off.

Curious about the price, he glanced at the dangling tag — and his eyes went wide. It was 20,000 won.

‘Wow… expensive.’

He recalled Jin-sang’s words about everything in an amusement park being overpriced. Still, a headband for 20,000 won was about ten times the cost of one at a shop like “Daiso.” On top of already feeling awkward about imitating a beastman, the price sealed it. He set the headband back down.

“Dog ears suit you. What’s supposed to be weird about it?”

“Oh—… how long were you watching?”

“From the start. It only looks pretty and cute to me.”

“But… I’m the only half-beastman here. It feels like I’m pretending to be a full beastman. And…”

Glancing around, I-bom carefully lifted his hand toward the man’s ear and whispered,

“I’m Maltese, but these are Pomeranian ears. What if people think I’m a Pom?”

The man lowered his gaze, as if he hadn’t expected that reason. Removing his black cap, he picked up the dog headband from the display and put it on in front of the mirror.

“Does it look good on me?”

Though the headband looked small on such a large man, his refined features and fair skin made it suit him perfectly.