By Zephyria 
Is it always like this when you start liking someone?
Haon thought to himself, puffing out his cheeks to hide the corners of his mouth, which refused to drop. He felt that hiding one’s heart in front of the person they liked was no easy task.
“Would you like some chocolate?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Having arrived at the department store parking lot and unbuckled his seatbelt, In-ho took out a small piece of chocolate from the console box. The square chocolate wrapped in gold foil was just the right size for a single bite.
However, Haon nibbled on the tiny piece of chocolate bit by bit with his front teeth. Whenever he had particularly little appetite, he had a habit of eating things in small bites like this.
“…Why are you laughing?”
As the chocolate melted in his mouth, Haon tilted his head, looking at In-ho, who was covering his mouth.
Haon had simply sat there eating a snack, yet In-ho was watching him with an intrigued gaze, as if Haon had played some amusing prank.
“I just wondered if there was something to bite into.”
In-ho raised a hand in an apologetic gesture, a joyful expression on his face.
Forgetting his embarrassment, Haon cleared his throat, immersed in the joy of having made him laugh. Today, In-ho’s looks put an even greater strain on Haon’s fragile heart. He thought it might be because of the slight change in his hairstyle.
“Do you not like it?”
“Pardon?”
“My hair. You keep looking at it.”
In-ho grinned, pointing to his bangs with his long fingertips. Haon thought he had been glancing stealthily to avoid being noticed, but that had only made him more conscious of his gaze.
“Ah, that… it’s because it looks cool.”
Haon mumbled, popping the remaining chocolate into his mouth.
The sweet scent filling his mouth leaked out with his breath. It was the most luxurious scent of chocolate he had ever tasted. Perhaps because he had received it from In-ho, even a tiny piece of chocolate felt special.
Bowing his head low, Haon stole a glance at In-ho, rolling his eyes. Since he had asked and received no reaction, he felt anxious.
“Shall we head in?”
As their eyes met, In-ho naturally turned his head and opened the car door. As he turned away, the smile on his lips grew deeper.
* * *
“Oh, it’s Haon.”
In-ho, holding a white paper shopping bag, suddenly pointed toward a large billboard. The two were walking for a moment after picking up the phone Haon had pre-ordered.
Among the phone models In-ho had picked out, Haon had only decided on the color. He had wanted to ask about the price, but the staff member had packaged it immediately, and he missed his timing.
“Me?”
Haon looked around for a while, not knowing where In-ho was pointing. All he could see nearby was an animal video playing on a large billboard. A video related to performance announcements was playing on a loop, suggesting there was an aquarium inside the department store.
“The one on right now.”
“Where…?”
In-ho stopped completely and pointed to the billboard. A light playfulness flickered across his pale face. He wrapped an arm around Haon’s shoulder to make him face the billboard directly.
“That sea otter. The cutest one.”
In-ho specifically pointed out a sea otter floating alone in the water. Judging by the fact that it was the smallest of the group, it seemed to be a young otter.
“That… is me?”
A stunned Haon stared intently at the billboard.
Soon, the screen transitioned to a video of a beautiful Little Mermaid. In-ho, who had no interest in the mermaid, looked at Haon and waited for the sea otter video to reappear.
“It’s cute, right?”
“I mean, well… it is cute.”
“It reminds me of you, Haon. Not the looks, but the vibe.”
Haon wanted to ask, Exactly where? but he held his tongue because In-ho looked so happy. When the sea otter video appeared again shortly after, In-ho stepped closer to the billboard and rummaged through his pocket. It seemed he intended to take a photo with his phone.
“Did you leave your phone behind?”
Haon asked, watching In-ho pull an empty hand from his pocket. Come to think of it, he didn’t remember seeing him touch his phone today.
“Could you take it with your phone for me?”
“Ah, yes. I’ll text it to you.”
“Thank you.”
Haon turned on the camera and took photos of the sea otter from various angles. He found it slightly cute that In-ho wanted the photo so badly that he would borrow a phone.
What was so pretty about a blank-looking sea otter that he wanted to save it as a photo? In Haon’s eyes, In-ho looked a hundred—no, ten million times prettier.
After taking the photos, the two boarded the escalator to buy clothes for Haon.
Haon intended to buy a high-quality knit similar to the one he had received from In-ho. Since he couldn’t predict the price, he didn’t dare buy two.
“Do you not like animals, Haon?”
In-ho, who was one step above Haon, turned around and asked. Haon had to tilt his head further back to look at In-ho, who now seemed much taller.
“I do like them.”
“What animal do you like the most?”
“Um….”
It was hard to pick just one because there were so many animals he liked.
Haon always chose his answers carefully, even for trivial questions, and In-ho, having grown accustomed to this, did not rush him and instead admired his small face.
“I like cows.”
“What?”
“Cows. Cows.”
Thinking In-ho hadn’t heard because his voice was too quiet, Haon spoke a bit louder. When he even mimicked a cow’s “moo,” In-ho blinked and nodded as if he understood.
“Cows have really big eyes, and they sparkle like stars. Plus, they have very gentle personalities and listen well.”
After saying it, he thought of the herd of cows that Seong-gu hyung raised like his own children and missed them.
Now that he thought about it, he had intended to call his brother but had completely forgotten. He decided he would call his brother as soon as he got home.
“In-ho… what animals do you like?”
Focusing back on the conversation, Haon gathered the courage to call him by name, which still felt awkward.
In-ho, who had stepped off the escalator first, burst into a loud laugh, then suppressed it and turned around. Haon’s comment about liking cows lingered, making it a bit hard to hold back the laughter.
“I like all small animals. Like puppies or cats.”
And sea otters too.
At the words added with a calm smile, Haon’s heart—which wasn’t an animal—thumped for no reason. To hide this, Haon raised his voice and asked,
“Then why don’t you have any?”
“I have a severe fur allergy. And I’m not confident I could take care of one for a long time.”
Ah, he has a fur allergy. Haon carefully imprinted this important information into his mind. This was something he absolutely had to remember.
“I heard that if the owner dies first, the animal gets depression too.”
Listening intently, Haon suddenly looked up at In-ho. It was a bit surprising that he didn’t worry about the pet leaving first, but instead thought of the opposite.
“Shall we rest a bit before walking?”
Instead of going straight to the floor above, In-ho looked around and pointed to a nearby cafe. It was an open-concept cafe, so while not cozy, it had plenty of seating.
“I’ll pay.”
Haon rushed to the cafe first and took out his check card from his wallet. Since he had received a phone that was clearly expensive, he absolutely had to at least buy the coffee.
He usually used cash, but he did have a check card. He had intentionally brought the card he had stored in his bag before leaving home. He had come out determined to buy clothes and to definitely buy In-ho coffee or a meal.
“Please charge it to this.”
“Ah, yes. What would you like to order?”
The employee gave a kind smile to Haon, who had abruptly presented his card in his haste. She blinked in slight surprise as she saw In-ho following behind, but quickly regained her composure.
“I’ll have an Americano, please. With an extra shot.”
“Would you like that hot?”
“Yes. How about you, Haon?”
“Uh… I’ll have…”
Haon’s eyes moved busily as he belatedly scanned the menu. Thanks to In-ho telling him to take his time, he was able to choose his menu with a bit more ease.
“A warm milk tea, please.”
“Yes, two drinks, that will be 11,000 won.”
Haon had a proud look on his face as he got his card back from the employee. It was just a cup of coffee, but he was happy to finally buy something for someone after always being the one receiving.
“I’ll enjoy it.”
In-ho gave Haon an incredibly bright smile. His dark eyes, which spent so much time observing Haon, seemed to grow brighter by the day.
“Shall we sit over there?”
In-ho pointed to a distant sofa instead of the wooden chairs right in front of them. Haon, who had found the hard chairs uncomfortable, felt inwardly relieved and headed toward the sofa.
While waiting for the drinks, Haon looked around for a moment. Perhaps because the space was much wider and less crowded than the department store he had visited last week, he felt at peace.
That place had a movie theater, but this place seemed to have an aquarium. As expected, Seoul had everything.
“How fascinating….”
“What is?”
In-ho asked with interest when Haon suddenly spoke to himself. He wondered what was occupying that small head of his again.
“No, it’s nothing… I just think it’s fascinating that there’s an aquarium inside a department store.”
After answering, he felt a bit embarrassed, as if he had revealed he was a country bumpkin. Feeling awkward looking at In-ho, he glanced at the counter, remarking that the drinks were taking a while.
Just then, the employee brought the drinks on a tray.
“Let’s go together sometime.”
In-ho, waiting for the employee to leave, leaned his arm on the table and spoke.
“Come when it’s easier for you to eat, and let’s have something delicious. And see the sea otters too.”
Haon’s grip tightened on the mug. As he took a deep breath to hide his racing heart, a sweet scent rose from the warm milk tea. Even the air he breathed in was sweet; it was a problem.
“I’ll… definitely go.”
Haon replied with a shy smile. His toes, hidden inside his worn-out sneakers, wiggled frantically. Haon’s feelings for In-ho continued to grow. Helplessly.