UR Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Things you don’t want to do always seem to come quickly.

I-bom still couldn’t believe he had actually come out to go on a blind date in someone else’s place.

They say people become calm when faced with something unreal. Maybe today was one of those times.

His intention had been to ruin the meeting from the start, but now he was thinking, whatever happens, happens.

“…Cold.”

I-bom pulled the thin coat collar closer around his neck and hurried along with short, quick steps.

The weather was quite chilly. The scenery outside was like a dreamy fairy palace, perfectly matching the soon-to-come Christmas atmosphere.

Normally, he dismissed events like Christmas and Christmas Eve as nothing more than business gimmicks, but looking up at the cloudy, sunless sky today made his stomach feel strangely unsettled.

High above, clouds overlapped like soft cotton candy. It looked like the kind of fairy-tale scene where you could spear a piece with a giant fork, pop it into your mouth, and let its sweet, fluffy taste spread all around.

It really did feel unreal.

I-bom muttered to himself as he gazed at the sky.

A snowstorm was whirling in the hazy air above. Between the snow, the air, and the cold winter wind, there was a damp scent lingering.

When he looked around, the streets were filled with couples enjoying the Christmas season. It felt like he was standing in the middle of another world—one he had never experienced himself.

Everything was still, like being in a vacuum.

—I-bom, are you on your way?

“Ah, yes. I’m almost there.”

I-bom answered Soo-hyun’s call as he kept up his brisk pace. Soo-hyun had told him to arrive fashionably late, but I-bom didn’t want to push it too far.

Late by maybe thirty minutes, at most.

Because they were still people, and it was the Christmas season—making someone wait more than an hour felt too much. He didn’t want to be that openly hostile.

This is ridiculous…

He repeated to himself as he walked faster.

The reason for his tardiness wasn’t entirely Soo-hyun’s fault, but rather a mistake in judgment—one born from inexperience.

“Over an hour late is fine.”

That’s what he thought, but he had only planned to be twenty or thirty minutes late. Unfortunately, the streets were crammed with cars and people. It was the traffic jam of the year-end holiday season.

“Seoul really is crowded.”

He had always worked through Christmas, so he had no idea the roads would be this jammed.

“I’m going in now.”

He panted as he ended the call.

The hotel, their meeting place, was right ahead. Wearing a thin coat and ridiculous clothes, he couldn’t help worrying he might be thrown out at the door.

Without realizing it, he hunched his shoulders and made a dash for the revolving door.

“Welcome! We’re happy to have you.”

It was supposedly the nicest hotel in Seoul. He remembered how surprised he’d been when I-seol had once casually mentioned, “Oppa, they have a strawberry buffet there.”

It was definitely a great place for a blind date. The kind of beautiful place where a princess in a pretty dress and a prince in a suit could hold hands and whisper love to each other.

In that imagined scene, I-bom was the clown—gel-slicked hair making him look hopelessly outdated, colorful mismatched clothes, shrinking back as he watched the prince and princess from afar.

Was it really okay to walk in dressed like this?

With a hesitant expression, I-bom stepped into the hotel lobby.

It was bustling. Well-dressed people, holding gift boxes and shopping bags, all smiling happily.

He instinctively lowered his head. Even if they were smiling, he worried they might glance at his foolish outfit and secretly laugh.

“Are you here to meet someone?”

As he approached the hotel café, an employee at the entrance bowed politely and stopped him.

He could feel the employee’s eyes sweep over him from head to toe in an instant.

“Ah…! Just, just a moment.”

The polite yet firm motion of the hand stopping him made I-bom’s cheeks flush bright red. His startled reaction seemed to catch the employee off guard as well.

Don’t be stupid…

But there was no time to stand here biting his lip in self-reproach. The priority was to meet the person Soo-hyun had called “the scary feline beastman.”

Rising on his toes, I-bom panted and bounced lightly to get a look inside the café.

“I have someone I’m meeting.”

There—he found them. At the far end of the glittering, couple-filled café, there was only one person sitting alone. That must be him… right?

His finger pointed toward a man sitting with his head slightly bowed, as if reading a book.

“I found them.”

“Please enjoy your time.”

Following the polished marble path, I-bom began walking toward him cautiously. His heart started pounding like a drum.

…What is this.

It felt like his heart might leap out of his chest. He could barely breathe, but bit down hard on the tip of his tongue to keep himself steady.

What if it’s not him?

The back of his neck prickled. Being thrown into an unfamiliar environment alone was more nerve-wracking than he’d imagined. His head buzzed with worries.

He needed to speak up and ask, but what if the man wasn’t the blind date? What if he looked up and said “No” with a disgusted expression?

That was possible. He was over an hour late… The man could have already gotten angry and left.

“Apparently, even the flower delivery guy was too scared to look him in the eye.”

Soo-hyun’s voice echoed in his ears. I-bom clenched his fists and then spread his fingers wide to shake off the tension. His fingertips were icy cold.

Step, step—he matched the sound of his shoes striking the floor, letting it mask the thud of his heartbeat, and soon he was almost there.

It’s nothing. He just had to get through today.

I-bom had told himself countless times—if he just kept his eyes shut and pretended to be Kang Soo-hyun for one day, he’d be fine.

‘I’m nervous…’

But the tension and fear wrapping around his whole body wouldn’t ease. The other person was a pureblood beastman, after all.

And not just any beastman—one from a prestigious family who hadn’t even bothered to properly introduce themselves. Someone so rare that for people like I-bom or Soo-hyun, meeting one even once in their lives was unlikely.

Like the opening of some old fairy tale: “A long, long time ago, beastmen lived…” Meeting someone who felt like they didn’t even belong to the same era.

Suddenly, the breaking news he’d seen not long ago flashed through his mind—the incident where a cheetah beastman went berserk and bit into the back of a person’s neck. His head spun. I-bom prayed he wouldn’t end up like the victim in that news story.

“Uh…”

The words slipped out before he could stop himself.

“Sir” felt too distant, “Excuse me” sounded too rude, and “Mister” felt a little too much. But… was he older?

From the way the man sat neatly dressed, reading a book, I-bom sensed someone with a fair amount of life experience.

“Hello.”

The man slowly closed the book he’d been reading. The graceful melody drifting through the room seemed to follow the motion of his hands. He lowered his eyes slightly, then slowly raised them to meet I-bom’s.

“You’re here for the blind date, right?”

At the sound of I-bom’s voice, the man’s profile slowly emerged from the shadows. His pale face caught the light clearly, reflecting it so brightly it felt as though it washed away all danger and fear. Broad shoulders, a clean neckline, and an elegant, beautiful profile that matched them perfectly.

I-bom froze, stunned. If the feeling of enchantment could be put into words, it would be to describe this man before him.

…A predator?

Scary? How?

Entranced by the man’s face, I-bom didn’t even blink. Or at least, it felt that way. His eyes moved slowly, deliberately tracing the man’s movements—an openly bold gaze.

‘Oh my god.’

He exhaled lightly through his nose, as if loosening a stiff body, then tried hard to hide the tremor in his voice. Speaking as calmly as he could manage, he said,

“Hello. I’m the one here for the blind date. The snow… delayed me. I’m sorry.”

Nervous, he clasped his hands together and fidgeted. The man smiled, his low voice ringing in I-bom’s ears like sweet cotton candy melting in his chest.

“Kang Soo-hyun? I was starting to worry since you were late.”

I-bom rubbed his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he looked at the man.

“I’m Eun Beom-ho. Nice to meet you.”

Thankfully, the man stayed seated, looking at I-bom with a warm expression. But despite wanting to appear composed, I-bom lowered his gaze and murmured quietly.

Oh my god.

So this person…

This man who was Soo-hyun’s blind date…

Was exactly his type.

“H-hello…”

His breath came too fast, like a hunter’s arrow had struck straight through his heart.