UR Chapter 46

Chapter 46

“Then I should get up—”

“Why are you trying to get up so quickly? Let’s at least finish the strawberries and then keep talking.”

The man speared another strawberry with a tea fork and held it out in front of I-bom’s mouth again. Then, he placed it between I-bom’s slightly parted lips.

“Mm, I’m not hungry—”

I-bom shook his head vigorously and stood up, but at just the right moment, his stomach let out a sound.

Growl.

The man’s smooth brow twisted mercilessly. Under the cream-colored lighting, his expression darkened, turning from warm to icy in an instant.

“Do I look like the kind of shameless man who would suggest splitting the bill with someone almost ten years younger than me?”

He spoke bluntly.

“Ah…?”

“…Don’t tell me you said we should just eat this because of money.”

The man let out a faint sigh and looked down at the crumpled bills. His Adam’s apple moved under his unchanged expression. Seeing the wad of mixed thousand-won and ten-thousand-won notes, he pushed the paper stack on the table with his finger, then lightly raised his hand to call the waiting staff.

“It’s my fault for not understanding you when you said you eat a lot. I’m sorry.”

His apology was quick and to the point.

“Bring all three courses. Two of each.”

That wasn’t exactly what he meant, but—

Before I-bom could even voice his excuse, the man grabbed his wrist. It was faster than I-bom’s reaction, and he stumbled back into his seat.

“I was already wondering if something was wrong, seeing you try to leave in such a hurry.”

“Uh…”

“Splitting the bill, really.”

He brushed his lower lip as if in pain.

“That’s something people would laugh about.”

I-bom looked up at him with a timid face. No, it’s just that I was a substitute… I said that so you’d reject me… But he couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud and swallowed it back.

“You’re here to meet me on a blind date today. You know that, right?”

“I know. I do too.”

“And yet…”

His movements were as soft as a spring breeze, but his cool gaze was steady and unshaken.

“Why do you keep trying to leave, as if you’ll never see me again?”

For a moment, the world went quiet, as if time had stopped. The man seemed to know everything without knowing anything at all. The tense air felt like it might choke him.

“…I have to get home early.”

I-bom spoke slowly, stammering.

A vague truth with a spoonful of lies. Not wrong, but not the whole truth either.

“It’s snowing today. The subway might stop running, you know? You probably wouldn’t know since you don’t take the subway, but I have to take the above-ground line, so, um, that’s why…”

I-bom clenched his fists as he spoke. He knew it was a rambling, ridiculous excuse. Even if this was his first formal blind date, he had never heard of anyone leaving after only thirty minutes over shaved ice. It was definitely the worst way to go about it.

“So…”

Acting shameless was harder than he thought. It was easy to say he’d ruin the date, but actually doing it was difficult. The anxiety twisted at the edges of his heart.

I shouldn’t have come. I-bom repeated it to himself over and over.

“I’ll take you home.”

The prickling pain in his heart was a danger signal. Which meant—fool that he was—Kang I-bom liked this man. Like a child who couldn’t hide his feelings, he feared that if the brakes snapped, he’d roll over, bare his belly, and wag his tail without restraint.

He felt it might be better to leave early—before he completely fell for this man. Before his dog-like instinct to hide his face became obvious.

“It’s only just turned eight o’clock.”

The man slowly lifted his right wrist. The heavy watch hanging there made a clicking sound. The strong line of his wrist bone showed cleanly.

“…The subway hasn’t stopped yet.”

“…”

Had he said something too absurd? Saying the subway would stop at eight o’clock, in the middle of Seoul—it was nonsense. I-bom thought he had pushed it too far. The man seemed to think for a moment, then spoke decisively.

“Subway is out of the question. I’ll take you right to your doorstep. If you want, right to your front door. No—if you’ll allow it, right to your room.”

Honestly, he wanted to leave quickly.

But the man’s earnest eyes, and the burning gentleness in his gaze, were so sincere. I-bom wanted to tell him it was enough.

“If not by car, I’ll arrange a helicopter. I just noticed there’s a helipad on the hotel roof. Have you ever been on one?”

The man gestured with his thumb toward the window.

How did someone like him end up on such an unrealistic, mismatched blind date?

The man’s gaze pressed down on his ankles like a swamp, holding him in place. He should get up, but he didn’t want to.

If this feeling had a name, what would it be?

“N-no.”

I-bom shook his head stiffly, wary.

He gripped his mental reins tightly, holding on and letting go in seconds, afraid he might forget why he had come here.

“Then it’ll be fun. Not as quiet as an airplane, but some people say it’s thrilling and exciting, like a ride at an amusement park.”

Was he like this with other people, too—so gentle? If so, he was guilty.

I-bom imagined the man smiling warmly at someone else. Speaking softly and coaxing them like a child—he had never seen anyone in his life do that before.

Listening to the man’s gentle voice, I-bom’s uneasy heart began to settle.

“Do you like amusement rides?”

I-bom blankly nodded. He had only been to an amusement park once, on a school trip. Because he didn’t have money, he made excuses about feeling dizzy and only looked around at the scenery. Still, it remained a happy memory—looking at the colorful balloons and glittering lights, breathing in the sweet smell of cotton candy.

“Want to try?”

The man leaned forward slightly to match I-bom’s eye level. Was it okay to show such endless warmth to someone who was doing everything they could to avoid gaining his favor? It felt like being the lead in a one-man show made just for him—a black comedy. Of course, it was also the first time in his life he had ever been the protagonist.

The man took out his phone and made a call. The screen lit up with the word “Secretary.” Before the ringing could even finish, a quick voice answered.

—Yes, sir.

“Sung-jun, how long would it take to prepare the helicopter?”

—…If you’re still at the hotel, about an hour…

Startled, I-bom grabbed the man’s wrist.

“Wh-what, now? You’re going to take me now?”

“Not right now.”

The man shook his head. Offering to take someone on a helicopter ride on a first blind date—at such absurd words, a shiver ran up the back of I-bom’s neck.

“Oh… right? Of course not?”

“They said it might take a little time. I was thinking, once it’s ready, we could wait and go on a night view date.”

“…N-no way!”

I-bom shot to his feet. Without even realizing he was still holding the man’s wrist, his pale face stiffened as he raised his voice.

Screech. The sound of the chair dragging drew the stares of people nearby.

“…I get motion sickness, so I don’t think I can.”

I-bom clenched his fists. Somehow, the more excuses he gave, the more pitiful they sounded. They were so flimsy, they needed to be cut off before he embarrassed himself further.

“Would a car be better?”

The man smiled. Between his smoothly curving red lips, bright teeth glimmered. I-bom cautiously nodded.

“…Yes.”

“Alright then. Let’s go by car.”

There was an ease in his neat smile. Were all handsome grown-ups this relaxed? I-bom blinked at the man, not realizing he was staring blankly at him.

“…”

Holding his breath so the pounding in his chest wouldn’t escape through it, he rolled his eyes around until they met the man’s gaze. The brightest star in the black night sky seemed to be lodged inside the man’s eyes. As his long, cool gaze dipped downward, the corners of his mouth rose gently.

What’s the problem?

Following the man’s gaze for the reason, I-bom’s eyes trailed downward.

“That’s… Ah! S-sorry.”

I-bom’s hand was still wrapped around the man’s wrist. It was firm and well-shaped, clearly belonging to someone who exercised. A vein at his fingertip pulsed softly under the skin. At the feel of that gentle thump, his fingertips tingled as if jolted by electricity.

Startled, I-bom jerked back and let go of the man’s wrist.

“Why? I don’t mind.”

“N-no. It’s… static electricity!”

I-bom waved his hands quickly in flustered protest.

“Why… are you smiling like that…”

When he’d shown up with his messy two-to-eight parted hair, when he’d talked about his beloved coat—the man had smiled at every word I-bom said. Was he really that funny?

I-bom’s clear cheeks puffed slightly in dissatisfaction.

“Because you’re cute.”

The man’s large hand stopped I-bom’s flailing hands, as if to calm him. His lost, wandering hands slowly lowered under the man’s touch.

Unaware that the man’s gaze had settled on his frostbitten white hands, I-bom spoke carefully.

“M-me? I’m… cute?”

“Yes. Don’t you hear that often? To me, you seem like the cutest person in this entire hotel right now.”

“Not… at all…”

I-bom tightly shut his eyes.