UR Chapter 89

Chapter 89

“Uh… excuse me.”

I-bom bowed politely, shuffling a little as he spoke. When the tightly closed door opened, a vast entryway spread out before him. The spacious foyer, finished in gleaming marble, looked bigger than his own bedroom. It was spotless—so pristine that even stepping on it with the scuffed soles of his sneakers felt almost disrespectful.

“Come in.”

The man took the lead, opening the inner door set deeper inside the foyer. With a sliding sound, the lights in the darkened living room came on.

“Wow, this is…”

I-bom murmured with his mouth half-open. It was an incredible sight. The moment the lights flicked on, the view that unfolded looked almost otherworldly, as if he were gazing at Earth from space. All around, it glittered like a starry sky scattered with the Milky Way.

“Wow…”

He’d wanted to say something fancy, but only an exclamation came out. Standing frozen at the entrance, I-bom stared at the dazzling wall of floor-to-ceiling glass. Then, his eyes lit up as he pointed outside.

“Stars. There are stars… stars everywhere.”

“Do you like it?”

Watching I-bom’s flushed cheeks and the way he gazed out the window, the man’s lips curved into a slow smile.

“Ah…! They’re lights?”

“Well, this is the city—bright lights are unavoidable. Being right in the middle of Seoul, you can’t really see the stars here. Guhochae is another matter… but here? No chance.”

So all those twinkles in the night sky until now hadn’t been stars? I-bom tilted his head.

“If all the nearby buildings turned off their lights, you might see real stars—but they’d be faint. With a proper telescope, you could see them a bit more clearly.”

“Ah, a proper telescope…”

The smog, dulled and discolored by air pollution, hid the deep navy sky and its stars. In their place, the city lights sparkled in every color, mimicking the Milky Way.

“Do you like looking at stars, I-bom?”

“Hmm… I think I do.”

I-bom nodded cautiously, and the man smiled gently at his honest gaze.

“I thought so. Are you disappointed they’re fake?”

“No, they’re still beautiful. I was surprised they weren’t stars… but even so, it’s amazing.”

I-bom stayed by the window, completely absorbed in the starry illusion of Seoul’s night skyline.

“Want to come over here? I’ll show you why I chose this place, even without the stars.”

The man, standing on the opposite side of the window from where I-bom was, crooked his finger in invitation.

“Wow…”

Where he pointed stood Namsan Tower, with the dense mountains of Seoul stretching behind it. Even in the dark, the sharp, majestic ridgelines were clear.

“The night view is beautiful… and you can see the mountains so well.”

How many buildings in central Seoul could offer such an unobstructed view of the sky? It felt almost divine. In that straight line of sight, a high mountain peak faced them. I-bom, eyes full of curiosity, pointed at it.

“What mountain is that?”

“Hmm, let’s see.”

Suddenly, a warm breath drifted close. The heat tickled his ear, making I-bom’s shoulders flinch involuntarily. As if to ease the tension from his hunched posture, the man placed his palm lightly on his shoulder.

“That’s Bukhansan. Tiger beastmen are said to be born from a mountain’s spirit womb, and most tiger beastman children borrow their spirit womb from Bukhansan. It’s a symbolic mountain, so if you’re living in Seoul, having a view of it is best for keeping your energy balanced. Have you ever been?”

Perhaps unintentionally, his low voice at I-bom’s ear sent a shiver deep into his chest. It was almost as if the sound brushed all the way down to his stomach. Blinking, I-bom murmured softly.

“N-no. This is my first time even seeing it up close. I’ve only been to Manwol Mountain…”

Feeling the warmth of his body so near his shoulder made I-bom’s fingertips twitch. The man lifted his arm slightly, as though to wrap it around him.

“Manwol Mountain is a good place too. The terrain is rugged, and the natural energy there is strong.”

“Manwol Mountain too?”

I-bom thought about the slopes of Manwol Mountain where he lived—a steep, rocky mountain that could rival Bukhansan in difficulty. He hadn’t realized it before, having run around there since childhood.

“I didn’t know. But… Bukhansan looks nice too.”

“Shall I take you there next time? We could go in my true form, or… take another way up.”

“True form?”

“Have you ever ridden a tiger?”

Of course not. He’d never even seen one in real life. I-bom shook his head.

“In any case, I’m glad you like this place. I was worried you’d find it too lifeless, too cold.”

I-bom glanced around. There were hardly any signs of it being lived in. The white sofa’s cushions were perfectly neat without a wrinkle, the marble floor spotless. It suited the man’s own immaculate appearance.

“Cold? No way… I’ve never seen a place like this. It’s so clean, it’s amazing.”

“Probably because no one really comes here. I sometimes work overnight here… but not often.”

“No one? But the place is so big.”

I-bom looked around the wide space again. Why wouldn’t someone use it more often? If it were his, he’d hang pretty curtains, put up his favorite frames, decorate it to his heart’s content. But the man’s answer was unexpected.

“Ah, this is my mother’s place.”

“What? Your mother’s place? Does she live here…?”

I-bom’s slightly parted round lips drooped in dismay.

“Oh, what do I do! I—I’m so sorry. I should’ve gone out to buy some fruit at least! But you say this is your mother’s place, and Beom-ho, you… how could you not tell me something like that!”

He fidgeted in place, clearly flustered. To come to someone’s home without even bringing fruit or snacks—it felt far too discourteous.

“Uh, where is your mother? I should greet her first…”

At his restless words, Beom-ho tilted his head, looking a little troubled, before answering carefully.

“Calm down, I-bom.”

“Still, I should at least bring fruit—”

“…When I said it’s my mother’s house, I meant she owns it, not that she lives here.”

“What… what do you mean by that?”

“My mother is very busy. Besides, this is just one of the homes she owns. I’m borrowing it. That’s all I meant by ‘my mother’s house.’”

“I… I see…?”

I-bom asked again with a puzzled look. He’d always thought it natural that if he visited a friend’s home and an elder was present, he should greet them politely and bring a small gift. But when he thought about it, the man standing in front of him wasn’t around his own age—he was an adult who would naturally be living alone, not with his parents.

“What I’m saying is, it’s just the two of us in this place.”

The man lowered his gaze languidly. His voice, murmured at I-bom’s ear in a near whisper, sounded casual, but each deliberate word brushed against something inside I-bom that he couldn’t quite name. How could someone sound so smooth? While I-bom was stiff with awkwardness, the man moved naturally, unbothered.

Srrt—

The moment those words about being alone ended, the man slipped off his jumper.

He set it aside, then began unbuttoning his shirt one button at a time.

“…I-bom.”

In that instant, it was as if the sounds around him vanished, leaving a muffled hum in his ears. The charged atmosphere made I-bom’s heart beat in tight, uneasy throbs.

Alone, with this man. As the realization hit, the warmth radiating from him seemed to slide right past I-bom’s side. A rich, heady scent—yes, he was standing in the same home as a full-blooded beastman, brimming with vigor.

He hadn’t done or said anything overt, but I-bom’s senses were on edge around him. Beom-ho, still in his damp clothes, showed no hint of caution in his demeanor. I-bom’s earlobes burned hot. His lips felt dry and stiff, and he kept swallowing.

“You should take off your clothes too, I-bom.”

When the man rolled up his sleeves, the taut muscles in his forearms flexed. Lines that had been completely hidden beneath his clothes now stood out, thicker and more defined than I-bom had imagined on someone he thought was lean.

Hic— I-bom squeezed his eyes shut, tense and bracing himself.