By Zephyria 
The ice cream shop was crowded. Haon stood in line, pretending to read the English name on the colorful sign while keeping an eye on the man. He stood about a step away from a group of people whose chatter never ceased.
I wanted to wait with him.
After scanning the interior of the shop, which was more bustling than others, the man had told Haon to go ahead and find a seat. He offered to wait in line instead, but Haon had firmly declined.
The ice cream shop, decorated with cute trinkets, was filled with the endless laughter of children. Perhaps there had been a gathering nearby, as about ten young children and their elegantly dressed guardians were waiting their turn to order.
Once the man joined the queue, the gaze of the young mothers shifted from their children to him. Given his model-like height and looks that would put an actor to shame, it was only natural.
The glances, which were mere peeks at first, grew more blatant. Some even openly marveled at him. Just like someone Haon knew.
Haon, glancing at the man who drew attention wherever he went, pulled a napkin from the dispenser on the table. Since he could feel the heat of the stares even from a distance, the man must be aware of the attentive eyes focused on him.
However, the man remained utterly composed. He seemed very accustomed to the attention. With a relaxed expression, he read the menu posted on the wall, occasionally glancing at Haon with a soft smile.
Smiling back, Haon scratched his left chest and averted his gaze toward the window. For some reason, his heart was thumping loudly today. Earlier, when he had spoken with the man in the elevator, the beat had grown so strong it vibrated in his throat, making him wonder if something was wrong with his heart.
Hoping it wasn’t a serious problem, he fiddled with the napkin. After a moment of staring blankly at it, Haon’s lips parted. He had simply been touching it out of boredom, but he had accidentally folded the napkin into a heart shape.
As a child, he had become obsessed with origami after learning from Seong-gu’s cousin during a visit to the countryside. Even now, he could make almost any shape as long as he had a piece of paper. Hearts were basic; he could also fold birds, frogs, and flowers.
Of all the shapes, why on earth did he make a heart? To soothe his sudden embarrassment, Haon unfolded the neatly creased heart.
“Oh! I’m so sorry.”
Just then, a loud noise erupted from the line. Looking over from a distance, it seemed a child had crashed face-first into the man’s knees.
“I told you not to run.”
The mother of the child, who had been standing right in front of the man, turned around with a bright expression. She looked pleased to have found an opportunity to speak to him.
“I’m sorry. My child is just too energetic.”
“It’s alright.”
While cautioning her young son not to run, the woman continued to steal glances at the man. The child, wearing a pouty expression, whined that he wanted to eat ice cream quickly.
“You have to apologize first. Apologize to the handsome older brother, quickly.”
The woman, who added a subtle compliment to the man’s looks while scolding her son, flushed. The child gave a cursory nod, then paused as he looked up at the man. It seemed his looks were extraordinary even to a young child.
“You shouldn’t run in crowded places,” the man said softly, leaning down to meet the child’s eye level.
As his deep eyes curved along the line of his thin, long lips, the mothers collectively held their breath.
To be that handsome and kind as well. What kind of luck did his partner have?
The mothers’ gazes shifted toward Haon, who was sitting by the window. The looks of envy turned into looks of understanding the moment they saw Haon’s face. The man himself was completely unaware of this.
Clutching the napkin, Haon stared intently at the man talking to the child. When the child gave a short “Yes,” the man wrinkled his nose and smiled, looking genuinely happy.
He likes children. Haon had learned one more new fact about the man.
Haon suddenly looked around at the other children. Their flushed, round faces, excited for ice cream, were all cute and lovely. Even the voices whining “Mommy, Mommy” sounded sweet.
“…”
After looking at the children, who were like chattering sparrows, he touched the napkin again. He repeated the process of flattening the crumpled napkin and folding it neatly, then shifted his gaze back to the window.
Outside, the rain was still falling steadily. With no sign of stopping.
“You’ve been waiting a long time.”
While Haon was blankly watching the rain, the man sat opposite him holding a pink tray. He handed Haon a spoon and picked up a coffee cup for himself.
“Aren’t you having ice cream?” Haon asked as he took the spoon.
The man placed a large bowl of ice cream with various flavors directly in front of Haon. He had brought only one spoon.
“Coffee is enough for me.”
Lifting the hot coffee cup lightly, the man told him to let him know if he needed anything else to drink.
Does he not like sweets? Then why did we come for ice cream? Puzzled, Haon took a small scoop of the colorful ice cream.
“Uh, this is a bit…”
I think it’s spoiled.
Unable to finish the sentence, he looked at the man with a bewildered expression. It had felt a bit strange from the start, but the sticky texture lingering in his mouth made it seem like a product that had been left out too long.
“Does it taste strange?”
“No, the taste is fine, but…”
Strangely, the taste was actually okay. If he ignored the slimy texture that felt like it was spoiled, it was quite delicious. Still… it was a completely different taste from the ice cream he knew, making him uneasy about eating it.
The man took the spoon from Haon and put the remaining ice cream in his mouth. Watching the man unhesitatingly swallow from the spoon his own lips had touched, Haon’s heart threatened to go wild again.
“It tastes fine to me. Do you want something else?”
“Ah, no. It’s just so sticky… I thought it might be spoiled.”
The man tilted his head slightly, chewing the chocolate cookie remaining in his mouth. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the ice cream.
“Is this your first time having gelato?”
Haon’s eyes narrowed at the word he had never heard before. Seeing the innocent face asking “What is that?” the man lifted his coffee cup to cover his mouth.
“It’s a bit different from regular ice cream. You don’t have to eat it if it’s not to your taste.”
“Ah, so it’s supposed to be this chewy?”
If it wasn’t spoiled, he could enjoy it. Haon felt deeply relieved and swallowed the sweetness remaining in his mouth. Knowing that this was the intended texture made it taste even better than before.
“It’s delicious. It’s almost like undercooked rice cake.”
Wanting to take another bite, he glanced at the spoon in the man’s hand. Because there was only one spoon, he couldn’t eat more.
“Haon… do you happen to hate being called cute?”
Just as he was about to get another spoon, the man asked an unexpected question. Only then did Haon look at the man instead of the spoon, becoming conscious of his heartbeat once again.
“If you hate it, I won’t say it.”
Unable to suppress a smile, the man said as he pressed the spoon into Haon’s hand. He smiled so brightly that Haon would have smiled back if it weren’t for the sensation in his left chest, which felt as if he were ill. However, the thumping was so loud that he had no room to smile while trying to suppress it.
“Excuse me…”
While Haon was pondering a response, a strange woman’s voice interrupted. It was the mother of the child who had bumped into the man’s knees earlier.
“Sorry to interrupt your conversation. Please have some of this.”
Before leaving the shop, she had come with her child to give them some snacks.
“My child said he wanted to give this to you.”
The child, with a face that clearly showed his mother had forced him, bowed his head and held out a box of snacks. It was dried fruit sold at the shop.
“Enjoy it.”
The man chuckled at the child’s clumsy speech and took the small box, thanking them. He waved until the child, who was clinging to his mother’s leg, left the shop.
Walking backward, the child locked eyes with the man, gave a timid wave, and then buried his face in his mother’s leg. He was a very cute child.
Even after the children disappeared, the man continued to look toward the exit with a gentle smile. Though Haon, sitting with his back to the door, couldn’t see it, it seemed the children were still in the man’s sight.
Even without words, Haon could feel that he adored children.
“I think you’d be a great father.”
Watching the scene, Haon spoke the thought that suddenly occurred to him. He sincerely felt that would be the case. If he could be this kind to someone he had no relationship with, he could easily imagine how well he would treat his own child.
“You’re right.”
The man smiled playfully and touched his coffee cup. Then, looking down at the slightly cooled coffee, he answered in a low voice.
“I’ll be a good husband, too.”
Though he answered lightly, In-ho was sincere. Since he hadn’t been a good human, a good son, or a good brother, he wanted to be at least a good husband and father. It was the only role he hadn’t ruined yet.
“Do you want to eat this now?”
When he shook the box of gifted snacks, Haon shook his head and ate the ice cream.
Thinking of the laughter of the children who were no longer there, his heartbeat suddenly calmed down for some reason.
Fortunately, I guess I’m not sick.
Relieved, he took a bite of the sweet ice cream, but strangely, it tasted less delicious than before. Despite eating the exact same flavor, it felt like a completely different taste.