UR Chapter 45

Chapter 45

The man’s fingers brushed against I-bom’s hair. The long, smooth yet firm and cool fingertips slipped between the stiff strands.

“Because you already seem like a puppy. Mmm, like a soft Maltese or Yorkshire Terrier.”

As he moved, the man’s soft necktie, which had been hanging slightly behind, rolled forward toward the front. As they drew closer, the fabric of the man’s tie brushed lightly against I-bom’s skin. The soft yet cool texture somehow made him want to hold onto it.

“It feels like your ears would perk up on top of your head.”

At some point, as if the transformation had worn off, I-bom’s hair, which had been stiff and unmoving, returned to its neat and silky form. The gel-hardened bangs clumped together in chunks, covering his eyebrows. In I-bom’s sparkling eyes, the man’s face was reflected vividly.

“Uh…”

Perhaps it was the cool silk against his cheek, but his large brown eyes trembled like waves.

“I… this is the first time I’ve heard something like that. Everyone else… says half-beastmen are gross.”

Along with the strong scent of hair gel, thin strands slid forward, brushing the edge of his ear. The chilled strands, cooled by snow, tapped against the heat-warmed earlobe, sending a shiver down his body. Then, as if nothing had happened, the man’s fingers lightly withdrew.

“They’re not gross at all. You’re only pretty. I wonder who would say such a mean thing.”

I-bom’s chest pricked at the man’s relaxed smile.

“Your bingsu is here.”

The hundred-thousand-won seasonal bingsu turned out to be a strawberry bingsu. Roughly shaved milk ice was piled high like a mountain, glistening under a glossy drizzle of milk syrup. On top, a tangy-sweet berry syrup with tiny yellow seeds soaked the milk ice into a soft pink, and around the edges neatly arranged slices of strawberry stood in rows.

On the black-and-gray marbled table, a small bowl was set neatly.

They had proudly said they would share just one, but the tiny bowl placed between the large-framed man and I-bom looked as if it had been dragged into a child’s play tea party.

‘…This is a hundred thousand won?’

The staff placed a small, thin golden spoon and a tea fork on each side, then set down teacups with saucers. They poured warm green tea into elegant cream-colored cups.

Beside the green tea sat a very small, bean-sized dish, holding a single delicate string-shaped traditional cookie. Though it was an old-fashioned treat that was difficult to make, it still felt far too little for something called a hundred-thousand-won set.

“Uh? This… this is the full order?”

The server, finishing the setup, nodded.

“Yes, sir. This set includes the seasonal fruit strawberry bingsu, green tea brewed from tea leaves roasted by a master, and an authentic tarægwa made by palace chef Kang Hye-won.”

At a neighborhood dessert shop, this amount wouldn’t even cost ten thousand won. Honestly, the portion was so small that if you ate it with a regular spoon instead of the dainty one, it would be gone in less than five bites. His stomach ached just looking at it.

He should have ordered the twenty-thousand-won espresso. At least with espresso, you could add water and make it an Americano.

“Ah.”

He had been wearing a dazed, disappointed expression like a raccoon whose cotton candy had dissolved in water, but the moment the bingsu touched his tongue, his eyes lit up. The rich, full flavor of milk cream—neither too sweet nor too bland—melted across his mouth, gliding over the rough roof of his mouth and spreading softly in an instant. The deep sweetness that seemed to melt all the way to the tip of his tongue made him unconsciously take another spoonful.

‘It’s delicious.’

“Is it good?”

The man whispered quietly to him.

Though the hot gaze, framed by a sharp nose and straight eyes, flickered as it watched him intently, I-bom kept his eyes only on the bingsu, shining brightly.

“…Yes, absolutely.”

He kept his spoon busy. The rough milk ice crunched crisply, then softened and moistened his mouth. The tangy-sweet berry syrup carried a scent and flavor he had never experienced before.

Without realizing it, his hands sped up, and like an excited puppy, his tongue peeked out slightly.

“Your tongue’s out. Eat slowly. If you eat too fast, you’ll get an upset stomach.”

The man smiled lazily, his voice laced with playful laughter. The small bingsu bowl had already been eaten down by half in the pattern of I-bom’s spooning.

“Ah, um… sorry. I… I said we’d share.”

Clink. He stammered as he set the teaspoon down.

Startled, he looked at the table and saw that the teaspoon and fork in front of the man hadn’t even been touched.

‘Why order two when we can share one?’

Thinking about how confidently he’d said that, only to end up burying his face in the bowl and eating messily with disheveled hair, made him feel dizzy.

“Uh, um… please, have some.”

“I’m fine.”

The man waved elegantly toward the discarded teaspoon on the table, indicating that I-bom should finish it.

“…Really? You won’t regret it?”

The polite refusal didn’t last long.

Hesitating, I-bom picked up the teaspoon again. As if he’d been waiting for it, he brought the spoon to his lips and bit down on the metal edge with a faint crunch.

The man picked up the tea fork set in front of him. He speared the plumpest, juiciest strawberry.

“Try this too. The strawberry looks perfect.”

The bright red strawberry was brought close to I-bom’s lips. He wanted to ask what exactly the man meant by such an easy, confident tone, but the moist, tangy scent of the strawberry brushing against his dry lips made him dizzy.

Oh, whatever.

I-bom shamelessly took the strawberry in one bite. It felt completely natural.

“Mmm…”

The sweet yet tart juice burst between his molars, sending a tingle all the way to the back of his tongue. Swallowing the hum that escaped his throat, he chewed the strawberry thoroughly. Expensive things tasted as good as they cost.

“Now, since we’ve finished, let’s pick a course.”

The man casually set the menu down on the table.

“Cough, cough! I said I didn’t have an appetite, remember?”

At some point, the bingsu bowl had been scraped clean, so spotless that it reflected the light above. I-bom hastily set the teaspoon back down.

“That was just the appetizer, wasn’t it?”

“No? It wasn’t. And I… I only ate one strawberry. I’m full.”

I-bom cleared his throat, feigning nonchalance.

“You said you eat a lot.”

“T-today I ate a whole bowl of rice at home. And I’m full, so… check, please.”

If you were going to split the bill, the portions had to be fairly even. Since he knew he’d eaten all the milk ice himself, he decided to leave the fresh strawberries for the man.

…That way, he could justify only paying fifty thousand won.

“What did you just say?”

The man, who had been leaning back leisurely, straightened up sharply.

“Yes, the check… It’s a hundred thousand won, so I’ll give you fifty. …Is cash okay?”

I-bom pulled a crumpled handful of bills from his pocket and set them gently on the table. A mix of thousand-won and ten-thousand-won notes, folded small.

“…Hold on. Kang Soo-hyun, I don’t think I understand what I just heard.”

“The bingsu bill.”

“Why would you… what on earth…”

The man’s brow furrowed slightly. It was the first time his expression had truly changed. Even after being kept waiting for an hour and twenty minutes, watching I-bom eat with his head down, seeing his ridiculous outfit and silly smile—he had never once dropped his polite demeanor.

“T-to split the bill!”

At those words, the calm, composed face visibly twisted. His fist clenched tightly, the veins on the smooth back of his hand standing out blue and thick. He seemed to hesitate over something before muttering low.

“Hold on… No, do you realize how absurd that sounds?”

“Why…?”

I-bom blinked at him with an innocent expression.

“If you didn’t know—”

“Aren’t you going to explain why you’re saying that?”

The man’s voice grew impatient. I-bom stared right back at him. Seeing the man’s face pale, he figured the “best way to get dumped on a blind date” post he’d read was working.

‘Yeah, asking to split the bill really does turn people off.’

It stung his conscience less than mooching three hundred thousand won’s worth of food.

“Paying for what you ate is fair, right? Well, sure, I probably ate more than fifty thousand won’s worth out of the hundred thousand… but my mouth is smaller, so if you count it as me eating fifty thousand won’s worth, it works out. And… since you’ll eat the leftover strawberries, you won’t feel cheated, right?”

Even to himself, it sounded pathetically petty. Eating all the ice and then claiming he’d only pay half because he left the strawberries. According to the Naver forum post, “eating more and then asking to split the bill” was the ultimate turn-off.

‘Come on, say you’re done. Say you’re turned off. Say I’m a jerk.’

I-bom urged silently.

Soo-hyun had called him a dangerous predator, but this man—handsome enough to be mistaken for a celebrity—wasn’t just refraining from getting angry; his manners were impeccable. He was the first person I-bom had met who smiled even when someone was more than an hour late.

It made him think he’d have to resort to something really petty to get a reaction. And it seemed like it might actually be working.

Still, if the man asked him to pay seventy or eighty thousand won instead… then he’d just have to ask for his bank account number.