UR Chapter 37

Chapter 37

‘Hmm, no unfamiliar scent today either.’

Of course, he didn’t really think the other would turn his eyes to another beast, but you never knew. With a personality that kind, he might just accept the advances of any dog or cat that came up to him.

The pheromones of a pureblood beastman approaching mating season were apparently so potent that, seeing the dog carrying only his own scent, Beom-ho’s lips curled in a satisfied smile.

‘Are you saying you intend to marry a half-beastman?’

He could still see their faces in his mind—drained of color. From the perspective of pureblood beastmen, it was the kind of thing they had never even considered. Their dumbfounded expressions had swept through the atmosphere like a tsunami. Eun Beom-ho had simply nodded without a flicker of hesitation.

‘Yes. That’s what I’ve decided.’

‘But… still. How could you even think… something like that?’

To the pureblood society, half-beastmen were considered even lower than humans. So when talk of marriage came up, humans might be mentioned, but half-beastmen never entered the conversation.

And yet the one who’d brought it up was Eun Beom-ho—a tiger beastman, the highest of the pureblood ranks.

With a calm face, Eun Beom-ho swept his gaze around the room. From Eun Ho-seung, who’d first brought up the marriage talk, to the executives of his grandfather’s generation, every expression was frozen. None of them had seen it coming.

‘I have no intention of withdrawing now.’

The fact that his family’s opinion of half-beastmen was unfavorable didn’t bother him in the least. Eun Beom-ho had never once bowed his head, nor had he ever abandoned his own thoughts simply because others said no. If he wanted something, he would have it. No one would dare stop him.

‘Ah, but I would like some advice on how to make a rather good blind date proposal.’

It was only then that he smiled brightly.

Eun Beom-ho, looking as innocent as if he knew nothing, rubbed himself against the man’s clothes. To others, it would look like affection, but in truth it was relentless marking.

“Are you asking for a snack? My Weoong is so good at showing affection.”

He cooed and wiggled his hand—a signal to follow. The cat swayed its large body and padded after his gentle touch into the convenience store. The bell over the door jingled as it swung open.

“Weeng.”

‘That’s not it.’

Eun Beom-ho let out a short huff of amusement, pretending to sulk as he lifted his nose in a haughty way. When he raised it like that, his fluffy white chin—one of the attractive features of a mighty tiger—came into view.

‘I’m not being affectionate because I want a snack.’

Beom-ho slowly shook his head, sticking out his pink tongue. He leaned in and ran it along the man’s wrist in slow strokes, the rough texture of his tongue brushing against the bone. The man let out a short “Ah,” and gently pulled his hand away, his face tinged with misunderstanding.

“I’ll give it to you. You don’t have to beg and pester me like that. You’re acting just like a baby.”

“Wa-ong!”

‘I’m not a baby.’

Somehow, it felt unfair. This wasn’t childish pestering for a treat, yet he’d been completely misunderstood.

“They say cats really love this snack. You know it too?”

‘Why would I?’

Beom-ho thought to himself as he strolled inside.

“You’re the only cat roaming around this neighborhood, so it’s hard to find cat snacks. I couldn’t see them anywhere, so I just put in a special order myself.”

When he pulled up the blind on the refrigerated section, a wave of cold air spread out. He rummaged inside, then beamed as if he’d found a precious treasure.

“Found it.”

“……”

What he pulled out was a snack that even Eun Beom-ho knew by name.

‘Churu.’

The long tube of cat treats, decorated with a cute cartoon cat and little fish illustrations, looked almost comically dainty.

‘It’s Churu.’

“Say ah.”

He smiled sweetly, holding out the tube.

‘You… want me to eat this?’

Beom-ho froze, staring at the snack in his hand.

“You don’t know? They say cats love this stuff.”

He smiled so brightly. Handsome, with a heart just as kind. Beom-ho’s heart thudded again. Yes, his eye for a mate was flawless. So what if he was a half-beastman? He found himself wanting to shift into his human form right away and sit across from him—no, to wait for the right moment to build up their pheromones through prusten.

“I hope you like it too.”

He smiled and beeped the barcode. Then, taking three crumpled thousand-won bills from the front pocket of his vest, he put them into the register. With the chime of “Payment complete,” he tore open the packaging.

“Want to try it?”

“……”

Eun Beom-ho blinked his yellow eyes.

Though he’d lived pretending to be a cat, he had never actually eaten cat treats before.

When was it…? He remembered Eun Sung-jun once saying that young MZ-generation tigers had gotten into trouble with their elders for doing a challenge on SpiritTalk where they ate a treat called “Churu.”

‘Guess all felines have the same taste! This is so good!’

He pictured the young tiger beastmen wagging their tails in short videos, licking up Churu in front of screens covered with sparkling emojis.

“Oh? Are you not eating because you don’t know what it is? Hmm… then how should I give it to you?”

The man in front of him seemed to think Beom-ho wasn’t eating because he didn’t know how.

‘If I spoke human words in this cat body, he’d probably faint.’

As Beom-ho hesitated, the man, who had been about to feed him directly from the tube, suddenly squeezed a little onto his finger.

“Here… like this. You should be able to eat it now.”

He spoke in a gentle voice and held out his hand. Even though he had seen Beom-ho’s large frame and sharp teeth, he still offered his finger without hesitation. Surprised, but with no reason to refuse, Beom-ho leaned forward.

Before he knew it, a sweet and salty scent wafted to his nose. It was nothing like the dangerous scent when he’d licked the man in other, more private spots. His eyes, which had been fixed intently, grew hazy as if in a daze. The soft blend of orange, gold, and black in his brows trembled slightly. Forgetting his dignity, Beom-ho began licking the man’s finger with abandon.

“You’re eating well, my Weoong.”

The man gathered Beom-ho into his arms and stroked his head. His slender fingers moved busily through the thick orange fur.

For a feline, that wasn’t the way to be petted; his ears instinctively flicked up and down. More than once he almost batted the man away with a paw, but Beom-ho endured, holding back his instincts with surprising patience.

“Guess it was tasty?”

‘Not bad at all.’

Beom-ho nodded. The truth—that until the man spoke to him, he had been too absorbed in licking to think straight—was his secret. He had been on the fence about eating it at all, but once the man fed it to him directly, he couldn’t stop.

The fact that it was for cats, not tigers, nagged at him slightly, but the flavor was excellent. Perhaps it contained an herb beloved by felines; even his heartbeat quickened.

He remembered the scene of young tiger beastmen getting scolded by pureblood elders for shamelessly eating cat treats… but even so, he thought it was worth sneaking a bite now and then.

Before long, the tube was nearly flat as he sucked the contents out. The taste was good enough that if the man bought it again, he’d gladly eat it just for the sake of the gesture.

“Should I buy more for you?”

Nod.

Without thinking, Beom-ho nodded quickly.

“I splurged and bought it in place of lunch… I’d have been upset if you didn’t eat it, so I’m glad you did.”

What?

Beom-ho’s eyes widened. His pupils, which had been relaxed, narrowed sharply as he processed what the young student had just said.

Unbelievable. It was expensive enough to make a much younger man skip lunch? Beom-ho felt like a swindler. Shaking his head quickly, he grabbed the young student’s wrist.

‘You don’t have to buy it for me anymore.’

“Neuyaong.”

But the young student didn’t seem to care. He just smiled, squeezing Beom-ho’s haunches. Heat crept into Beom-ho’s cheeks, and his heart skipped.

“It’s fine. Skipping a meal or two… I don’t have much of an appetite anyway.”

He murmured slowly. From the small TV, a mournful piece of classical music filled the air, lowering the mood. His long lashes drooped heavily, clumped together.

To comfort him, Beom-ho stuck out his tongue and gently licked the back of his hand. He moved it slowly, hoping the roughness of his tongue wouldn’t hurt him.

“…Thanks for comforting me. Ha… what am I doing, talking to a cat?”

The man sighed and muttered.

Nestled in his arms, Eun Beom-ho read the name on the young student’s vest.

[Kang Soo-hyun]

According to Sung-jun, this was a village where dog beastmen of the Kang family lived.

Dog. Kang Soo-hyun.

Soo-hyun.

A pretty name.