UR Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Creak—

I-bom pushed the door open slightly with his hand.

He had been worried that the room might be empty, but through the gap in the door he spotted Soo-hyun’s round head.

Letting out a sigh of relief, I-bom cleared his throat with a small cough.

Soo-hyun flinched, then turned around.

Upon seeing I-bom, he lifted his hand in a small wave.

“Hi, hyung.”

I-bom bowed politely in greeting.

“Yeah, you’re here, I-bom. But why… oh?”

Soo-hyun was sitting on the floor, leaning against the base of the sofa, watching TV with a serious expression.

“Isn’t that my bag? I was just wondering where I left it.”

He reached out, pointing at the yellow bag I-bom was holding.

I-bom quickly slipped it off his shoulder and set it down on the floor.

Not wanting to disturb him while he was so focused on the TV, I-bom spoke quietly.

“You only took the jerky and left your bag behind.”

“Oh, did I?”

Soo-hyun chuckled as if only just remembering.

His face showed that he recalled rushing out of the store during a busy time, jerky in hand, and forgetting the rest.

“Alright, then I’ll get going—”

There was a clear voice from the TV.

―There is some verified data on the aggressiveness of feline beastmen.

At the word ‘beastmen,’ I-bom stopped in his tracks without thinking.

“Wow, those lunatics. Geez…”

Soo-hyun muttered like a spectator sighing at the scene.

I-bom realized the program was the “I Want to Know” episode Soo-hyun had mentioned earlier.

Could it be something serious?

Seeing Soo-hyun watching with such a grave face and muttering curses under his breath gave I-bom a creeping sense of unease.

He remembered that, back at the store, Soo-hyun had said a cheetah beastman had bitten a human and reacted with fear and disgust.

“Come watch with me. Sit here.”

There were still about thirty minutes before I-bom’s next shift.

I hope it’s nothing too bad.

At Soo-hyun’s invitation, he leaned against the sofa beside him.

―Feline predators have claws capable of instantly crushing a person’s windpipe.

“See, I-bom? Did you hear that? Feline beastmen really are dangerous.”

Though it was billed as a special report, the content wasn’t much different from the footage shown in the breaking news earlier that morning.

I-bom had expected more in-depth information, but it seemed the segment hadn’t been given enough airtime to deliver anything new.

“Wow… it says he bit the back of the neck.”

Soo-hyun muttered as if he were the victim himself.

“Don’t just stand there. Sit down.”

His eyes still fixed on the screen, Soo-hyun gave I-bom’s sleeve a light tug.

Awkwardly leaning in place, I-bom stumbled slightly before giving in to the pull and sitting down.

“I guess because I’m scared of feline types, I get it. People live like they’re oblivious to the fact that those guys have sharp teeth and claws. Cute? Canines are way cuter, don’t you think? Dogs have been the longest-standing pets in Korea, you know.”

Soo-hyun shrugged and chewed on a piece of jerky.

“They say big feline species like cheetahs, tigers, and leopards still live in Korea. And there’s a decent number of pureblood beastmen among them, too. I don’t know the details, but apparently there are more around us than we realize. Even as a half-beastman, just thinking about it makes me shiver. If I were human, I’d be too scared to live alongside them.”

On-screen, the program explained how sharp claws, deadly teeth, and the speed to crush a windpipe in an instant could pose a threat to people.

But those were simply genetic traits of carnivorous animals.

In reality, beastmen lived among humans and received separate socialization training.

After over a hundred years of coexisting with humans, there had been almost no incidents.

“I could never live with a big feline predator. I mean, even if someone told me to date one, I couldn’t…”

Soo-hyun’s muttering barely registered as I-bom watched the program with a steadily darkening expression.

It was a cycle of false claims and prejudice.

To someone unfamiliar, it could easily fuel resentment and aversion toward carnivorous beastmen—especially feline types.

“…That’s too much.”

After watching for a while, I-bom frowned and murmured.

The story of a beastman transforming into his true form and attacking a person in the middle of Seoul was tragic and unfortunate, but after seeing the full segment of “I Want to Know,” his feelings were tangled.

The attacker was at fault, but broadcasting something that generalized the entire species like this would only deepen prejudice against them.

“What?”

“There’s more than just one or two feline species on the peninsula, and not all of them are as aggressive as that cheetah beastman. I don’t get why they had to portray it like this. This isn’t information—it’s just fearmongering.”

Soo-hyun stared blankly, as if he had never thought of it that way before.

He seemed about to say something when the buzz of a phone vibrated through the room.

Answering with a “Hello,” he stood up from his seat.

* * *

“Table 15, one steak set! Get the setting ready!”

Evening at Happy Bunny was, as always, packed to the brim.

The narrow kitchen, where half a dozen staff were already bustling around carrying food, was filled with a bright, clear voice.

“I-bom! Table 15, I said!”

One of the kitchen staff, watching I-bom not walking over as quickly as usual, waved at him impatiently.

“Huh?”

I-bom, rag in hand, was wiping here and there absentmindedly when he looked up in confusion.

“Table 15! Take it out, quick!”

“Ah, yes, yes!”

The kitchen staff gave him an irritated look, while I-bom slowly picked up the plates and napkins, still looking spaced out.

“…What’s with him today?”

Most of the staff were already on edge from how busy it was. The kitchen worker grumbled and tapped Somi on the shoulder.

Somi, who had been running around herself, stopped and glanced toward I-bom, then slowly followed the staffer’s pointing finger.

“Yeah, he does seem out of it today. Didn’t sleep well?”

Somi narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

“Does he act like that when he hasn’t slept? He’s slow to react and spacey today. At this rate, he’s going to cause trouble.”

Even Somi, who was usually oblivious to other people’s moods, could tell that I-bom was acting strange. When one of the most capable and reliable members of the team was off their game, the delays piled up fast.

“I-bom! Careful, it’s hot!”

The kitchen worker called to him again.

The steak, served on a sizzling iron plate, looked hot enough to burn.

I-bom rolled over the trolley and stood in front of the kitchen table.

“…Okay.”

He replied halfheartedly, moving slowly as he picked up the rag.

The steak plate was dangerously hot, so staff always took extra care to avoid burns.

But without his usual oven mitts on, I-bom reached out barehanded.

Seeing this, Somi cried out in alarm.

“Oppa, you need gloves for that!”

“Huh…?”

I-bom stared at her blankly, then seemed to realize that he was holding a thin rag instead of oven mitts.

He let out a short, surprised sound, placed the rag back on the table, and sighed.

“Uh… thanks, Somi.”

He bowed slightly in thanks and slowly put on the oven mitts.

Normally, he would have said something like, “Oh! What was I thinking?” with an awkward laugh, but this time, he simply thanked her and stayed silent.

Somi tilted her head, puzzled.

“Oppa, is something wrong?”

Unable to hold back, she pulled I-bom aside into a corner.

He blinked at her, standing there like a student being called in for questioning.

He’d already spilled water three times and broken two glasses, and the stares from the staff had been getting sharper by the minute.

“…It’s just—”

In the dim hallway, they’d only been passing by each other, but now, under the bright glow of the streetlamp outside the window, Somi could clearly see the redness around I-bom’s eyes.

“You’ve been crying? Oppa? Don’t tell me…!”

Somi’s voice rose, her lips twisting as if ready to demand who had made him cry so she could go scold them.

“Shh.”

I-bom put a finger to his lips, glancing around before leaning closer to whisper.

He let out a long sigh and clenched his fist tightly.

“…Somi, I’m really sorry to say this, but… do you have any money on you?”

“Money? All of a sudden? What happened?”

“…I need to pay someone back.”

The shadow over I-bom’s face made his words feel even heavier.