UC Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It was curious about him.

Was it because of his beastman blood? I-bom could instinctively tell.

This cat liked him.

The graceful steps, the way it kept its claws hidden, and its subtly swaying tail—all of it was a sign.

For a brief moment, the thought crossed his mind—Is this actually a beastman?

But he quickly shook his head.

That was impossible.

The mountains connected to Aji Village were hyena beastmen territory.

There was no way a cat beastman would wander here alone. The outcome of a fight between a hyena and a cat was obvious. If this cat were a beastman, it would never risk itself so recklessly.

“What’s your name, pretty one?”

I-bom whispered gently, curling his fingers and motioning playfully, clicking his tongue in a soft coaxing sound.

His pink lips parted slightly as his tongue brushed against the roof of his mouth.

Would it like a gentle voice like this?

According to a book on animals he had read as a child, dogs responded best when people clapped their hands or called their name in a high-pitched tone, making them perk up and run excitedly.

But cats?

Cats were much more sensitive.

If he treated it like a dog, it might get startled and run away.

I-bom lowered his gaze to match the cat’s and blinked slowly, his lashes brushing lightly together.

The difference between curiosity and wariness was as thin as a sheet of paper.

For both animals and beastmen, eye contact was the foundation of trust.

“Hello.”

A peaceful gesture, a way to prove he was not a predator, that he was not here to harm.

Blink.

He carefully knocked on the door of the cat’s heart.

“Hello, beautiful one.”

I-bom’s warm brown eyes closed briefly, then slowly reopened, his movements calm and patient. His long lashes trembled lightly, brushing together like rippling water.

Through his slightly blurred vision, the shadow of the hesitant cat flickered.

Its wavering tail, once uncertain, began curling slowly, teasingly.

“Weoong?”

The cat responded.

Oh.

It worked.

The cat was now studying him closely, its golden gaze sharp and deliberate—assessing him.

The white fur around its mouth twitched slightly, its head tilting left and right, the motion surprisingly expressive.

Then, step by step, it followed I-bom’s hand gestures, cautiously but surely closing the distance.

“Your name… So you’re Weoong, huh?”

The cat circled him, its spine bending elegantly, moving in fluid motions.

Its steps were slow and measured, revealing an underlying wariness, but with each graceful step, it inched closer.

Its sharp, yellow eyes were filled with doubt, but—

Its tail was wagging.

Not like a stiff, cautious cat’s tail—but like a happy, excited puppy’s.

Then, suddenly, it lowered its head and leaned in close—

Its face pressing against I-bom’s lower back.

No—

Specifically, the space between his spine and his tailbone.

Sniff. Sniff.

I-bom felt a warm nose nudging against him.

The cat’s sharp, regal nose twitched, its long, delicate whiskers trembling slightly as it sniffed deeply.

“Huh? Huh—uh…? What… what are you doing?”

I-bom jolted in surprise, his back snapping straight.

Do I smell?

He had washed his clothes with fabric softener and made sure they were clean, but now that he thought about it, he had been sweating while working at his part-time job. Maybe his clothes had absorbed a bit of a sour scent from the sweat. His eyes widened in alarm.

“Ugh, hey—ah!”

His cheeks flushed red as the cat blatantly buried its nose into him.

His back stiffened, and he quickly covered his backside with his hands.

Even on a normally slim body, I-bom had always been self-conscious about his rounder hips.

Whenever he wore jeans, they fit perfectly around his waist, but his hips always felt snug, making him self-aware.

And now, here was this cat—shoving its nose right into the curve beneath his tailbone, sniffing him like it was trying to solve a mystery.

Why the hell is it pressing its nose there?!

However, no matter how much I-bom tried to wiggle away, stretching out his slender fingers to push the cat back, all he was doing was giving it more access to sniff and nuzzle wherever it pleased.

The cat, agile and persistent, effortlessly burrowed its head deeper, slipping its face between I-bom’s lower back and hips, pressing in like it was trying to squeeze into a tight space.

“Ugh…!”

A startled gasp escaped him just as he felt it—

The cat’s rough tongue dragging up the top of his jeans.

“Wh-what—?!”

It was beyond baffling.

Like it was grooming itself, the cat bobbed its head up and down, its tongue firmly pressing and sliding along the dip between his hips.

“S-stop that—ah!”

Even through the fabric of his clothes, the sensation was way too vivid—as if it was directly touching his skin.

The coarse, sandpaper-like texture of the cat’s tongue pressed down, rubbing insistently against the curve of his tailbone, making him feel…

Strange.

A flushed breath escaped him, his body tingling with an unfamiliar heat. He knew it was just grooming, a natural act of affection among animals, but the cat’s tongue was so thick and firm, its strokes so deliberate and strong, that he couldn’t stop the shaky gasp that spilled from his lips.

No, rather than a gasp—

“Ah…! Stop, stop—hey!”

I-bom twisted his waist, his spine trembling involuntarily. The sensation was so foreign, so intense, that he snapped, shouting without meaning to.

For a brief moment, his vision blurred, the world spinning for a second.

Isn’t this a bit too much for a friendly gesture?

Letting out a sharp cry, I-bom frantically reached out and shoved the cat’s face away.

The cat stumbled slightly, pulling back from where it had been practically pressed against him.

“Hhck… Hahh…”

Even though he understood it was just an affectionate gesture, his heart pounded violently, like he had been hit by an unexpected oncoming car.

His cheeks were flushed, his eyes wet with unshed tears, and his legs gave out beneath him, making him drop to the ground.

When he looked up, the cat was staring at him, its golden eyes flickering with what looked like confusion.

As if it, too, didn’t expect things to go this far.

“Weong….”

The cat was probably just as startled.

It hadn’t meant anything by it, but its innocent blinking made it clear that it didn’t understand why I-bom had reacted that way.

Trying to gather himself, I-bom stammered, his voice still shaky.

“I-it’s not that I hate you! No, that’s not it!”

Admitting that he had been completely caught off guard by an animal’s sudden grooming felt too embarrassing.

There was no way he could say that out loud.

Instead, he simply flapped his hands around, his face burning red.

“Uwoong, Weoong.”

“It just—it just felt weird, that’s all!”

“…….”

The cat simply tilted its head.

“I mean—you suddenly licked me. W-we just met! That’s… that’s something you only do to your partner!”

“…….”

Tilt?

The cat lifted a paw, rubbing absently under its chin, as if it still didn’t get it.

“Partner! A mate! Uh—your spouse! Your lover! You know what that is?!”

The cat didn’t seem to understand a single word, its sharp golden eyes blinking lazily as if this conversation was going in one ear and out the other.

“Haah… What the hell am I even saying right now.”

As the cat blinked innocently, I-bom suddenly felt ridiculous for taking this whole thing so seriously.

What was he even doing?

It wasn’t like a random animal would understand what a partner was.

With a short sigh, he crouched down and gently scratched under the cat’s chin.

At least no one else had seen this moment.

Just him and this overly affectionate giant cat.

The thought alone was a relief.

The cat’s ears twitched slightly under I-bom’s soft touch, following the movements of his fingers.

“Haa… I don’t know if you understand, but that’s something you do with your mate. Sniffing someone’s butt on the first meeting isn’t exactly polite, you know?”

His head felt like a tangled mess.

What was he doing, lecturing a cat?

“If you really want to court someone properly… hmm, well, I like roses. So at the very least, bring me a bouquet of roses first. And then you can think about sticking your tongue anywhere!”

“Weoook.”

Did it actually understand him?

The cat suddenly pressed its face against his fingers, its sharp golden eyes narrowing slightly as it tilted its head.

Wait—

Was that a nod?

The soft, flickering whiskers trembled between the careful nuzzles, its fur brushing warmly against his fingertips.

The thick, fluffy white fur around its chin and cheeks pressed into his palm, slipping between his fingers, ticklish and pleasantly warm.

“So you got that, huh? If you’re going to sniff butts, you need to make me your mate first and get my permission, right?”

Purr—rrr.

A gentle rumbling sound vibrated from the cat’s throat, as if it were answering him directly.

“Oh, you’re purring. Yeah, good kitty….”

Smart cat.

I-bom gently pulled the nuzzling cat into his arms.

Holding it close, he immediately noticed how different it felt from a dog.

Unlike dogs, who tended to feel firm and sturdy, the cat’s body was… strange.

It was soft and squishy, yet underneath, he could feel solid, lean muscles shifting.

Its thick, silky fur was dense yet smooth, sliding between his fingers like fine strands of human hair, tickling his skin.

It almost felt like…

Pressing into soft slime?

“Squishy… but firm?”

As I-bom muttered to himself, the cat pressed even closer, shifting its weight against him.

“Uh—”

With a small, surprised sound, I-bom instinctively wrapped one arm around the cat, steadying himself with his other hand on the ground.

His posture ended up a little weird, and before he could adjust, the cat’s thick front paw slid right into the center of his chest—right over his rapidly beating heart.

“You really like physical affection, huh?”

With one arm still wrapped around the cat, I-bom gently stroked its front paws.

He watched it curl into his touch, listened closely to the faint vibrations of its purring.

Then, finally relaxing, he let out a sweet, easy smile, eyes curving like melted candy.

God, it’s cute.

The soft fur brushed against his cheek, tickling him lightly.

He took a deep breath, inhaling the comforting warm scent of the cat’s body.

And then—

“Huh…?”

Beneath the thick, fluffy fur, his fingers brushed against something solid.

His hand moved instinctively, feeling around for the object.

Something cold and metallic grazed his fingertips.

“What is this…?”

Wrapped snugly around the cat’s neck, almost completely hidden beneath its fur, was what looked like a collar—a small choker with a triangular metal pendant attached to it.

Had the dense fur hidden it this whole time?

Wait… so this wasn’t a stray?

It has an owner?

Before he could think further, another realization hit him like a brick.

“Oh, crap—what time is it?!”

Caught up in playing with the cat, he had completely forgotten about his second part-time job.

His body snapped upright, nearly falling backward as he scrambled to pull his phone from his pocket.

7:00 PM.

If he sprinted, he might just barely make it on time.

“Oh, crap. I’m screwed.”

Jumping to his feet, he dusted off his hands and shook off any lingering fur.

The cat, still lazily rolling around in his arms, blinked up at him, as if wondering why he had suddenly gotten up.

But I-bom quickly scratched under its chin, giving it one last playful rub before waving.

“See you next time, Weoong!”

The triangular pendant flashed briefly in the light as the cat shifted.

I-bom paused mid-step, staring at it.

“…I feel like I’ve seen that somewhere before….”

Muttering under his breath, he turned away and rushed down the street, disappearing into the night.

TL/N: Guys! Do you want me to tl 19+ Or continue with 15+ one. I was testing this series to see if I like it or not and it’s better than what I expected so before I purchase additional chaps and put them in advance lmk what you guys would like me to buy.