By Zephyria 
Watching the man walk quickly down the long flight of stairs, Haon felt a sense of relief. Seeing the man dressed perfectly today, Haon thought it had been a good decision to wear the clothes he had received from him.
“Did you wait long?”
“I just came out myself.”
Fastening the buttons on his shirt sleeves, the man looked at Haon and curved his eyes into a smile. He had a habit of smiling with his eyes whenever they met. Haon really liked that.
“Shall we go now?” the man asked, pointing toward the door, but he paused for a moment as he looked at Haon’s outfit.
“Those clothes… did I give those to you?”
He tilted his head and asked. Seeing how he scrutinized the knitwear and trousers, it seemed he didn’t quite remember. Given how much he had provided, it was understandable that he might forget.
“Yes, you did give them to me.”
When Haon added a word of thanks, the man straightened his head and smiled with his eyes again. He stood there for a moment as if he had something to say, but then suggested they head out.
“The timing was a bit awkward, so I booked a movie for three o’clock. Let’s go eat lunch first.”
“You already booked it?”
Haon, who was putting on his shoes, let his eyebrows droop. He had naturally assumed they would buy tickets at the box office. He had intended to pay for them.
“Ah, was there something else you wanted to see?”
The man told Haon the title of the movie he had booked. It was the most popular film these days and was receiving rave reviews.
“No, it’s not that. I just meant that I wanted to buy the tickets.”
“Why would you buy them, Haon?”
With a chuckle, the man slid his phone into his pocket and opened the front door. He held the door open, waiting for Haon to step out first.
“The person who suggests the movie is the one who pays.”
“Then… then I’ll pay for the meal.”
“The person who makes the appointment pays for the meal, too.”
He shook his head firmly and reached out to lead Haon out of the house.
As they stepped out of the pleasant indoor environment, a slightly humid air lingered. Since the temperature and humidity of the entire apartment building were managed, it wasn’t very humid, but it wasn’t as comfortable as inside the home.
“Still, I really want to buy you a meal.”
While waiting for the elevator, Haon insisted that he would definitely pay for lunch. He wanted to do something for the man, to whom he owed so much.
“Then buy it for me next time.”
Ding—. The elevator doors opened, and the man answered while waiting for Haon to enter first. He added that on the day Haon makes the next appointment, he should pay for everything then.
And so, the two naturally made their next plan.
* * *
Patter, patter. Once they were in the car, the sound of rain became more vivid. Leaning back against the warm seat, Haon watched the raindrops intently, as if counting them. Seeing the rain get heavier as time passed, it looked like it would rain all day.
I wonder if it’s raining hard in the countryside, too. Thoughts of home naturally surfaced, and Haon struggled to lift the corners of his heavy mouth while fidgeting with the seatbelt.
Everyone will be struggling if it rains this much. He thought of Seong-gu hyung, who used to go tend to the cows wearing a raincoat in the pouring rain, and felt worried. He vowed to make sure to call him tonight.
“Haon.”
“Yes?”
While Haon was etching the memory into his folded thumb so as not to forget, the man spoke to him. In truth, he had called Haon’s name several times until Haon finally listened, but he didn’t let it show.
“Why do you dislike the rain, Haon?”
Listening to the gentle voice that harmonized with the sound of the rain, Haon hummed, pondering his answer. There were so many reasons he didn’t know where to start.
“In the countryside, there’s more work to do when it rains. Old houses can collapse or the roofs leak, so it’s a headache.”
He let out a small sigh, mentioning that after coming up to Seoul, he had to endure mold and musty smells. Talking about it made him dislike the rain even more.
“It doesn’t smell at my place, does it?”
The man, who had been listening intently to Haon’s story, looked over at him.
“No! Not at all. I meant the house I lived in before.”
“That’s a relief.”
The man curved his eyes as if relieved. Weak to his smile, Haon turned his gaze toward the window and secretly swallowed hard. How could a person be so handsome? It was a problem that he couldn’t get used to the man’s looks even after seeing him every day.
Sometimes he was so cool it was breathtaking, and other days he looked incredibly pretty. The large, deep eyes without double eyelids, the long eyelashes, and the sharp bridge of the nose beneath them formed a perfect harmony. And his lips, too.
“You really seem to like it.”
As Haon stared blankly at the man’s reflection in the window, the man spoke. Haon blinked his large eyes and tilted his head. He was unaware of how obvious his behavior had been.
“Like… what…?”
“My face.”
Turning the steering wheel, the man smiled playfully.
Though it was said as a joke, Haon became greatly flustered, his cheeks flushing red. “Ah, uh, that is…” As the man watched Haon stammer, he naturally continued the conversation.
“It’s raining even harder now.”
The raindrops falling on the glass showed no sign of slowing down. Despite that, the man, who had said he disliked the rain, watched it with a pleasant expression.
“I guess so. I think it’ll rain all night.”
After cooling his cheeks, Haon agreed with the man’s words. Then, following his gaze, he stared out the window, his lips parting. It looked as if he had something he wanted to say.
In-ho simply watched Haon in silence. He was curious about what would come out this time. His gaze lingered long on those hesitating, plump lips.
“Why do you dislike the rain?”
When Haon finally asked after much deliberation, the corners of In-ho’s mouth rose higher. It didn’t seem like he had hesitated just to ask that. He had probably been worrying about how to address him.
And In-ho’s prediction was correct. Haon had been practicing the title in his head—In-ho ssi, does In-ho ssi also?—and had simply omitted the name when asking the question. It was still very awkward for him to utter the man’s name.
“I think it’s for a similar reason as yours, Haon.”
In-ho answered vaguely, adding a smile.
A similar reason? Puzzlement clouded Haon’s round eyes. There was no way mold would grow or the ceiling would leak in his house. He wanted to ask for more details out of curiosity, but he couldn’t.
“But now that I have you, Haon, I dislike it less.”
Following a short silence, the man’s words caused Haon’s heart to react first. As the smile was added, his heartbeat began to accelerate even more.
Why is this happening?
Haon didn’t know why his heart was racing so violently. Because the beat was so strong, as if he had taken the wrong medication, he simply felt anxious.
Seeing Haon’s complexion darken, In-ho increased the speed of the car. Seeing Haon touch his chest, he assumed he was feeling motion sickness.
“We’ll arrive in ten minutes.”
As he announced the estimated arrival time and met his eyes, the serious face fled toward the window. He must have really felt sick to his stomach.
* * *
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Having arrived at the department store parking lot and turned off the engine, In-ho asked worriedly. Although Haon had already said he was fine, In-ho remained concerned.
“We don’t have to see the movie today, so if you’re not feeling well, let’s go home.”
“No. I want to see the movie.”
Haon answered while keeping his gaze on the door rather than on In-ho. Since he seemed eager to get out of the car, In-ho had no choice but to unbuckle his seatbelt.
“Tell me immediately if you feel unwell.”
The round back of Haon’s head nodded vigorously up and down. In-ho felt a bit disappointed that he answered without looking at him, but he stepped out of the car first.
“You’re not hungry yet, right?”
In-ho asked as he walked side-by-side, matching Haon’s pace. He had reserved a restaurant, but since Haon seemed to have an upset stomach, it seemed better to skip lunch.
“No, not yet.”
As expected. In-ho immediately took out his phone and considered other options. While thinking about something light that Haon could eat, a light dessert suddenly came to mind.
From what he had observed so far, Haon ate almost all food as if it were an obligation, but he tended to savor sweet snacks. He seemed to like sweets.
“How about ice cream instead of a meal?”
When he asked just in case, he got the reaction he hoped for. Haon, who had been walking while looking only at the ground, snapped his head up and answered, “I’d love that.”
It wasn’t as if he had said he liked it. The reaction was so cute that In-ho laughed.
“I like it too.”
He truly did. He liked Haon, who made him smile on a day of cold, pouring rain. He hoped that Haon’s presence would always be this welcome.
And he hoped that Haon enjoyed the time spent with him. In-ho wanted to see only Haon’s smiling face. Not the sight of him crying piteously.
‘I’m hungry…’
In-ho’s joyful smile suddenly faded. He had suddenly recalled the image of Haon gasping for breath and crying, saying he was hungry.
In-ho often thought back to the sight of Haon terrified at the club. Had he said similar things happened often?
A young Omega who didn’t even wonder where he was or who he was. That attitude had weighed on In-ho’s mind the whole time. Just how often had he experienced such things to exhibit that kind of behavior?
‘Let’s rest a bit before we do it.’
Furthermore, Haon had even apologized, saying that penetration might be difficult. It was by no means a typical reaction.
“The elevator is here.”
While In-ho had fallen silent, Haon looked up at him and pointed to the elevator doors that were just beginning to open.
Returning to a smile, In-ho entered the elevator with Haon. At the same time, he tilted his head slightly toward the small face.
“Haon.”
In-ho’s lowered voice resonated softly. Even though there weren’t many people in the elevator, In-ho deliberately leaned close to Haon and whispered.
“Let’s get closer. Much closer than we are now.”
He had intended to approach slowly, matching Haon’s pace, but now he wanted to get closer more quickly. Even though they had lived together for over a week, there wasn’t much he knew about Haon. Haon, likewise, had not tried to know about him.
“I’m actually a pretty good person.”
As for the remaining words—telling him to approach without worry—he replaced them with a smile.