UR Chapter 85

Chapter 85

“A tiger is a mountain lord — in simple terms, the king of the mountain.”

“……”

“Since we live in a country surrounded by mountain ranges, even if you get lost, I can find you anywhere.”

There was a trustworthiness in the deep, resonant voice — a feeling that went beyond just the pitch of it. His firm expression carried a strong, unshakable will.

“So don’t worry.”

“……”

“You can eat it all by yourself. They say it’s a new type of cotton candy — according to the production team, they mix fruit juice and natural coloring into the sugar. They swore it would taste even better than the regular kind.”

He pressed the cotton candy firmly into I-bom’s hands so he wouldn’t drop it. I-bom looked at the large puff in front of him — bigger than his own head.

“All of it is yours.”

“……”

I-bom looked up at him silently, then slowly brought the cotton candy to his lips. Each breath made the light sugar fibers flutter against his skin, tickling him. It was an unexpected sensation. The first whole cotton candy he’d ever had since turning twenty was incredibly light for its size, but the feeling passed from the giver’s hands was heavier than anything else.

“…Ah.”

A sweet tang spread sharply across his tongue. The fragrant fruit aroma and sugary sweetness mingled, and saliva gathered on his once-dry tongue.

“…It’s delicious.”

“Is it? I’m glad.”

He probably meant he was glad to see I-bom enjoying the cotton candy — but I-bom couldn’t help wanting to take those words in a different way.

* * *

After I-bom had eaten every last bit of sugar clinging to the cotton candy stick, the man spoke as if he’d been waiting for that moment.

“By the way, is that friend you just spoke to a close one?”

“Oh, you mean Jin-sang?”

At the mention of Jin-sang, I-bom’s face relaxed.

“Yes, we’re close. We’ve been best friends since we were kids. I’m a Maltese, so there’s not much I can do, but he’s got Shepherd blood. He’s got great physical strength, and I hear his bite is really strong. Oh, and he’s good at studying too — he got into the Department of Police Science.”

I-bom bit down on the cotton candy stick in his hands. It was an unconscious habit, like teeth-grinding, and he didn’t even realize he was doing it. The man, smiling faintly, watched him closely, but I-bom didn’t notice.

“You see… most of us Kang dogs don’t really make it to university. We’re not great at studying and our memory’s not that good either.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. But Jin-sang is great at running and studying, so he got into college as an athletic scholarship student. Isn’t that really amazing?”

He still vividly remembered all their friends from Aji Village crowding around Jin-sang, tossing him in the air and shouting “Congratulations!” when he got in. Even though Jin-sang had moved away to live on his own after getting accepted, he would always be an Aji Village friend. The man’s eyes lingered quietly on I-bom’s cheeks, puffed out with excitement.

“Unlike me, he went to university—”

The man’s expression grew serious, his gaze fixed on I-bom’s lips as if studying something. Then, without a word, he pulled a handkerchief from his jacket pocket — a neat, plain beige cotton one. Slipping his fingers into it, he brought it toward I-bom’s mouth.

“…Uh.”

“You’ve got sugar on you.”

Oh. Reaching up reflexively, I-bom touched his lips and felt the sticky sugar. The man dabbed at the plump curve of his lower lip with the cloth. It wasn’t the first time someone had wiped his mouth, but feeling the man’s fingers through the thin fabric made his eyes shimmer faintly.

“Because you’re different from me, is that why?”

“I mean… unlike me, he’s really impressive…”

“Is that so? Why ‘unlike’ you? I think you’re impressive too, I-bom.”

At the softness of his voice, I-bom dropped his gaze and fidgeted with his fingers. The man’s words were sweeter than the cotton candy he’d just shoved into his mouth moments ago. The tingly feeling on his tongue made him swallow repeatedly, unable to stop himself. His throat felt dry.

“…Me? I always make mistakes and get scolded a lot at my part-time jobs. And all I do is work part-time… what’s so impressive about that? I’m not impressive at all…”

It hurt — like a dull ache in his side, but with heat mixed in. Sometimes the pain of the heart and the pain of the body seemed to overlap. Inside, his feelings were a mix of envy for others and disappointment in himself.

“I wasn’t good at studying either. Jin-sang was much better at it than me.”

He often felt like he was the only one still stuck in place while everyone else moved on to where they belonged.

Out of everyone, maybe he envied Jin-sang the most — because he never hid what he felt. If he were Jin-sang, he thought, he’d put himself first and do as he pleased, even if everyone pointed fingers and called him a bad younger brother. That thought would sometimes wash over him like a wave.

“Ah, this is a little embarrassing, but… I didn’t get into any colleges. That’s why I’m just working part-time now. If I’d been a student, maybe I’d even be better at my jobs…”

“Part-time work has nothing to do with being a student.”

The money he’d saved for college had been taken by his brother. When Jin-sang had said, “Why’d you give it to him? That was your tuition,” the regret had hit him hard. He’d known, but it had been his choice, so there was no excuse.

“And who says you’re bad at your jobs? You work hard and do well at Happy Bunny. A part-time job is still a job. There are plenty of people who went to college and still can’t work properly.”

The man smiled lightly, as if recalling something from experience. I-bom murmured darkly.

“…The convenience store manager yells at me every day for messing up. Sometimes he nitpicks over nonsense, but… most of the time, what he says makes sense to me.”

“If you were really bad at the job, they would’ve fired you already. You’re only twenty-one. You’re still young. Accept the flaws you should fix, and ignore the nitpicking. And you’ve been working at that store for months, haven’t you? Even when no one’s watching, you do your best to finish the work you’re given. I can see that. And you’re so pretty and cute — if I’d been the one interviewing you, I would’ve hired you on the spot just for your face.”

I-bom listened with his mouth slightly open. The man had so effortlessly cut through the self-loathing spiral he’d been slipping into.

“All done.”

He pulled the handkerchief away from I-bom’s lips, folded it in half, and tucked it back into his jacket pocket.

It had his saliva on it, surely dirty now. Rubbing his lips with his tongue, I-bom held out his hand.

“Give that to me.”

“Why?”

The man looked him straight in the eye. I-bom frowned slightly and said firmly,

“It’s got my saliva on it. It’s dirty.”

“It’s not dirty. It’s nothing to wash it — not a bother at all.”

“…Still.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

He calmed the restless I-bom by stroking his hair. His palm brushed the back of the little dog-ear headband, and the soft hair beneath curled warmly into his touch. The gentle petting felt almost like he could lull him to sleep right there.

“……”

I-bom’s eyelids grew heavy and began to flutter shut — until a loud chime rang out, as if to keep him from dozing off in the middle of the street.

Ding-dong-dang—

—The parade will now begin!

The parade was one of Neverland’s most famous events. Even though I-bom had never been to Neverland before, he knew what it was. His eyes lit up.

“Oh, the parade? It’s starting soon! Let’s go watch!”

He grabbed the man’s arm and took off toward the sound of drums.

“Careful, you’ll trip.”

The man smiled gently and placed a steadying hand on I-bom’s waist. With every bounce of his steps, his hair swayed, matching the yellow dog-ear headband perfectly. If he’d had a tail, you could have mistaken him for a full beastman. The man leaned slightly into I-bom’s hold as they went.