UR Chapter 84

Chapter 84

“I’m obviously not a Pomeranian. If we both wear them, no one will think that.”

The corners of his mouth curved up playfully.

“Want me to put it on you?”

With neat, steady hands, he lifted the headband and gently placed it on I-bom’s head. His soft brown hair brushed under the band, carrying a faint, sweet dog scent. Two little dog ears perked up over the shadow of his head. The man’s lips curved in clear satisfaction.

“Now we’ll definitely look like a couple, right?”

I-bom’s gaze wavered, following that pleasant smile. Biting his lips, he nodded.

Bzzz—

Then, the phone in I-bom’s back pocket started to vibrate.

“Ah, excuse me. I need to take this call.”

Wondering if it might be about a short-term job, he raised a hand in apology. The man nodded as if he understood. On the screen, the caller ID read “Jin-sang.”

Oh, right. He had promised to tell him how the date went. Trying to steady the strangely buoyant tone in his voice, I-bom answered as if nothing was unusual.

“Hey, Jin-sang.”

—I-bom, what are you doing? Having fun? You did go on the date, right? You didn’t text me, so I got curious.

“Uh, well…”

I-bom trailed off hesitantly. He was having fun, but after everything he’d said to Jin-sang yesterday — agonizing over it in front of him — it was embarrassing to admit that he’d done a complete about-face and was now happily dating at an amusement park. He could already imagine how much Jin-sang would tease him.

—Didn’t you say you had the day off from your part-time jobs today?

“Huh? Wait… how did you know? Did I tell you?”

Had he told him his work schedule? I-bom’s eyes darted around as he tried to remember last night when they’d had beers together.

—Nope. Saw it on the neighborhood Insta page. Said Happy Bunny is closed for a week. That’s your main workplace, isn’t it?

“Ah…”

—Anyway, I called to make sure you weren’t sulking at home because you couldn’t ask him out.

“Th-thanks, Jin-sang.”

It wasn’t wrong — but the difference was, right now he was actually out on a date with that kiss partner.

—You can’t even sit still at home because of your grandma. If you’re there, she’ll have you doing chores all day, and that’s depressing. If you are home, make an excuse and get out. I’ll treat you to tteokbokki and sundae.

Jin-sang’s voice was full of boastful loyalty. The sincerity of it made the inside of I-bom’s mouth go dry. He was just about to tell the truth when—

Ding-dong-dang—

Somewhere nearby, a loud chime rang out.

—Welcome to the land of dreams, Neverland! The parade will begin shortly. Those who wish to watch, please make your way to the square in an orderly manner!

Upbeat music blared alongside the announcement, completely ruining any chance of keeping the date a secret. I-bom covered his face with his hands, silently screaming.

—…What was that?

Over the loud Neverland background noise, silence settled between them. After a beat, Jin-sang couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.

—Oh, Kang I-bom! Looks like you actually took my advice to heart!

“Uh… I…”

I-bom rubbed the back of his neck, his face heating in embarrassment.

—Having fun at the amusement park, huh?

“…It’s not like I was hiding it on purpose… I was going to tell you when I got home…”

—Why are you so flustered? I’m not even scolding you. Just go have fun. I don’t need to worry about you. I’m proud of you, you know?

“Ah… okay. Thanks for understanding…”

He wasn’t sure what there was to be “proud” of, but he smiled faintly and brushed his cheek with the back of his hand. Still, there was a subtle pressure in Jin-sang’s chuckling “you’d better tell me later” that made him feel shy.

Just as he was about to hang up, before he could even put the phone away, a warm, heavy palm landed lightly on his shoulder. Startled, I-bom turned around.

“Who were you talking to?”

“A… a friend.”

His fingertips trembled as he shoved the phone into his pocket. He didn’t want to be caught having a conversation about both his friend and the man in front of him. For some reason, his tongue felt dry with tension.

“Hmm… is that so?”

At the man’s leisurely tone, I-bom cautiously asked,

“Y-yeah… Why…?”

“Your voice was so gentle and kind.”

“What?”

“It worries me.”

“Why would that—”

“I want you to be gentle only with me.”

His careful voice carried a surprising seriousness, and the slight droop at the ends of his eyebrows was enough to show that he had grown sulky.

“K-kind…? No, he’s just a friend.”

All he had said was “Jin-sang-ah,” hardly enough to be called affectionate. I-bom shook his head with a puzzled expression.

“I didn’t— no, I—”

“Right. I have something for you.”

The man cut him off naturally and suddenly held something out. From behind his back, it appeared with a flourish.

“Here, a present.”

It was a fluffy cotton candy, pink and blue in a gradient. The sweet scent drifted over on the light breeze.

“Cotton candy…”

“Do you like it?”

“Yes…! I really like cotton candy.”

“That’s good.”

His long, graceful fingers held the stick as if hooked through a ring, passing it to I-bom. The way he steadied it so it wouldn’t fall made I-bom’s fingertips flare hot, as though burned.

His own defenses warned him not to get swept up, but he couldn’t help assigning meaning to everything the man did for him. No one had ever treated him like this before. And it was the first time a whole cotton candy had been given just to him.

“…This is my first time eating a whole one. I always had to split it three ways. And I hardly ever ate cotton candy…”

“Really? Is it because you have a lot of siblings?”

At his question, I-bom lowered his eyes. The tips of his lashes trembled faintly, his expression careful.

“Not exactly… It’s because when I was little, I almost got lost following someone else for cotton candy.”

He gripped the stick tighter, speaking slowly.

“…When I was born, I wasn’t human — I was a puppy.”

“A puppy?”

“I barely remember it… but they said I was the first real puppy ever born in a half-beastman village. So people treated me like a mutation, and my mom had a hard time raising me…”

“……”

“Then, when I grew a bit older, my body started changing to a human form. Around that time, the neighborhood kids and some adults went to an amusement park. I followed some guy I didn’t know who was holding cotton candy… and got lost. People in town already saw me as an eyesore, so my mom thought maybe they’d dumped me far away on purpose. She got angry and cried… people denied it. I heard things were tense between her and the villagers for a while after that.”

Seeing the cotton candy now brought up that bittersweet memory, a lump rising in his throat. But he couldn’t cry here — grown-ups didn’t cry just because they remembered something from childhood.

“I finally made it back home and the misunderstanding was cleared, but… ever since then, I was banned from eating cotton candy alone.”

“……”

“Funny, right?”

The man just looked at him, saying nothing. Whether he found it unpleasant, amusing, or pitiful, I-bom couldn’t tell from that unreadable face. He narrowed his eyes in a small smile.

“…Getting lost because of your appetite.”

The man shook his head.

“It’s not funny.”

Then, with a calm expression, he spoke.

“That wasn’t your fault.”

“……”

“It was something the adults should have been more careful about. There’s no reason to blame you for it or forbid you from eating cotton candy. And—”

His lips curved gently.

“If you ever get lost again, I’ll find you.”

The words he offered in rebuttal to I-bom’s story were of an entirely different kind.