UR Chapter 78

Chapter 78

Blind date. Kiss.

Hearing keywords straight out of a trashy drama, Jin-sang listened to the whole story from I-bom and let out a deep sigh. In the quiet room, where only the ticking of the clock could be heard, his sigh echoed loud and heavy. A vein pulsed on his straight forehead.

“Are you out of your mind?”

That was the first thing out of Kang Jin-sang’s mouth. His jaw hung open like he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard, then he grabbed his beer and gulped it down in big swallows. The way it slid endlessly down his throat was like a reflection of his own mounting frustration.

Crunch. In one go, Jin-sang crushed the empty can in his hand like paper. Wiping the trace of beer from his lips, he narrowed his eyes. Then he set the can down and abruptly stood up. He hooked the back collar of a padded jacket that had been carelessly hung on the coat rack and shrugged it on. A short-sleeved T-shirt and sweat shorts under a winter jacket—it was enough to make anyone feel cold just looking at him.

I-bom blinked at the sight.

“Jin-sang, where are you going?”

Hoo… Jin-sang’s flushed face rose and fell with his breathing. He bit his lower lip hard, drawing in hot breaths like the alcohol was kicking in. Smoothing down his hair, sticking out in messy spikes, he zipped the jacket all the way to his chin, his expression set in grim determination.

“I’m gonna go hit that bastard Kang Soo-hyun.”

“Hey, hey!”

Sitting primly with his legs together, I-bom shot to his feet like a bullet. He grabbed the back of Jin-sang’s jacket to stop him. The collar bunched, dragging his T-shirt up with it, but Jin-sang didn’t care.

I-bom knew that half of what Jin-sang said, he meant. With shepherd blood in him, Jin-sang was quick to get fired up, and his build was solid—broad chest, wide shoulders. If he decided to, sending a poodle-blooded Kang Soo-hyun flying would be no trouble.

With a bad feeling, I-bom barked out,

“Calm down, Jin-sang!”

“Let me go! I should’ve beaten the crap out of him a long time ago!”

Jin-sang shoved I-bom aside in his agitation. I-bom stumbled and hit his head against the front door with a thud, but quickly moved to block him again.

“No! Think about your situation!”

I-bom spread his arms and planted himself in front of the door. If he didn’t, Jin-sang would have no trouble charging straight into Kang Soo-hyun.

There were plenty of dogs who got more aggressive after a drink. But he’d also seen plenty of cases where acting on impulse put a permanent mark on someone’s record. I-bom had no intention of letting Jin-sang’s life get derailed for a fleeting moment of satisfaction.

“You’re aiming to be a cop!”

He shook his damp forehead with a resolute expression. Then, without letting it show, he quickly shoved Jin-sang’s slippers, lying around the floor, into the corner of the shoe rack.

“I don’t care about that right now! That bastard got a blind date with a feline predator and was too scared to go, so he dumped it on you? What kind of psycho does that?”

“Hey! Just calm down—!”

“I never liked that guy. Even back in Aji Village, he strutted around like he owned the place just ‘cause he had money. And now he scams someone as innocent as you? Damn, the more I talk about it, the angrier I get! And your brother, Kang I-jun—what the hell! He borrows money, skips out, then dumps the debt on his little brother?”

“Where do you think you’re going? You’re not going.”

“Let me go! I’m gonna go right now and—wait, where are my slippers?”

The anger was spreading like wildfire. The two most disliked guys in Aji Village: Kang Soo-hyun and Kang I-jun. Scenes of their smug antics flickered through Jin-sang’s mind—throwing their weight around with the younger ones, picking fights, stirring up trouble between close friends.

All the resentment he’d been bottling up since childhood suddenly burst.

“Shit… time to teach them a lesson—”

Jin-sang’s eyes flared as he looked at I-bom.

“Cut it out.”

I-bom’s determined gaze met his own, and Jin-sang’s fury eased slightly.

“……”

He bit down on his lip hard. If there was one flaw to the sweet, kind I-bom, it was having someone like Kang I-jun as a brother. If those two ever teamed up, they could strip I-bom bare without breaking a sweat.

It wasn’t a problem now because it wasn’t a dangerous predator—but what if I-bom had been hurt going on a blind date with the wrong kind of guy?

“…Damn it.”

Jin-sang cursed under his breath, scowling.

He looked away from I-bom, who was blocking him. The little alcohol he’d had was already stirring up his emotions, making them twitch and writhe restlessly. And as if he could see right through him, I-bom pointed a firm finger at his nose.

“No! Don’t you dare!”

It was the commanding voice of a trainer disciplining a dog. Surprisingly, it worked—the firmness made Jin-sang’s shoulders twitch. I-bom used that moment to press on.

“Do you think I’m stopping you because I care about Soo-hyun? I don’t trust him either. But that’s not the point. I’m telling you not to do it because you would get in trouble.”

“……”

“And it’s my brother who caused this mess. Why are you trying to clean it up? Even if someone does, it should be Kang I-jun.”

“…Tch.”

Jin-sang’s brow twitched. The sour feeling between them slowly ebbed, and he relaxed his clenched fists. A strange silence settled between them.

“Jin-sang.”

“……”

“You understand, right?”

I-bom called his name seriously, and Jin-sang turned away with a long sigh. At this point, he had no choice but to back down.

“Ha… Your family, seriously. How do you not have a single person on your side? Hey, report Kang I-jun. And don’t get caught up between them, got it?”

“…Got it.”

It was all that bastard Kang I-jun’s fault. Like hell he’d stand up for I-bom—Jin-sang thought even that was too generous. He’d made his younger brother cook, clean, and support him all through his last year of high school into college, and as soon as he got into a good school, he pretended I-bom’s help never happened. He’d even taken the money I-bom had saved to go to college himself, claiming he’d “use it for something good.”

He didn’t have an ounce of shame—an attitude so rotten it could make the devil cry. And now he’d run up a debt and left I-bom to meet a stranger in a forced blind date. No wonder Jin-sang was furious.

“…Let’s just eat some chips.”

I-bom patted Jin-sang’s still-heaving shoulder, then tore open a bag of snacks lying on the floor—something he’d bought for them to have as a late-night snack.

“God… you make me mad, but then you bring only my favorites.”

Grumbling, Jin-sang grabbed a fistful of chips and shoved them into his mouth. Crunch, crunch. In the quiet apartment, the sound of his chewing carried the last of his anger.

* * *

The alcohol-fueled anger was intense but short-lived. Before long, Jin-sang seemed to have cooled down a little, and he broke the silence.

“…Hey. But… was it good, the kiss?”

He grumbled as his eyes swept up and down over I-bom.

“W-what…!”

At his words, I-bom’s earlobes flushed red as if set off by a spark. He quickly covered his face with both hands, letting out a groan.

“Ugh… Honestly, I don’t remember. They say I kissed him, but I had an allergic reaction and collapsed at the time. My head just hurt, like when you’ve had too much to drink and pass out.”

“You don’t have early-onset dementia, right? If you’re getting fuzzy like that, you’d better head to the public health center fast.”

“No, it’s not like that…”

I-bom shook his head with a deep sigh. Then, after a brief pause, he raised his voice.

“…It’s just unfair, and I feel like I missed out.”

“Well, well.”

Tsk. Jin-sang clicked his tongue and let out a small laugh at him.

“It’s not like I don’t have desires or get excited. Forget ‘predator’—he was so gentlemanly and handsome. Practically like that sunglasses guy from the convenience store! His looks and aura were just like his! I almost drooled into my food just looking at his face… I didn’t say much ‘cause I didn’t want to act all pathetic, but ugh… I went and did all sorts of embarrassing things like an idiot…”

With his hands covering his face, I-bom’s brows drooped low as he groaned. His voice carried genuine regret, and Jin-sang crossed his arms, watching him.

“Sunglasses guy from the convenience store? Oh, I remember. You mean that energy drink customer, right? The handsome guy you regretted not talking to?”

“Yeah…”

Pulling his hands down from his face, I-bom rubbed at his eyelids before collapsing flat onto the floor with a loud thud. Somehow, the sound carried a lingering sense of wistfulness.