FHO 58

Why was he suddenly asking for his hand? Though puzzled, Haon obediently reached out his arm.

“I’ll hold it for a second.”

In-ho carefully grasped Haon’s wrist and fumbled through his trouser pocket with his other hand. Haon watched him silently, calming his heart, which had fluttered at the light contact.

“Uh….”

Then, the moment he saw what In-ho pulled from his pocket, Haon’s eyes widened.

“This isn’t a gift,” In-ho said firmly as he fastened a silver watch around Haon’s wrist. “I’m giving it to you because you don’t have a clock at home. I thought it might be inconvenient when you’re working.”

He gave a light laugh, calling it an employee benefit, and quickly stepped back. He had retreated before Haon could refuse.

Though he only saw it for a moment, In-ho felt pleased that it seemed to suit Haon. Considering he had ordered it in a rush this morning, he was satisfied.

“Uh….”

Stunned by the sudden gift, Haon couldn’t even manage a thank you. It was because In-ho had vanished before he had the chance.

In the end, Haon stood there blankly, admiring the wristwatch until In-ho returned from upstairs with an armful of new athletic wear. Contrary to In-ho’s worries, Haon had no intention of refusing the watch.

Unlike the clothes, receiving the watch didn’t make his heart feel heavy. He simply felt grateful and happy. It felt as though In-ho remembered him asking why there were no clocks in his house.

Still, he didn’t think such an expensive thing was necessary.

“I wonder if it’s around 500,000 won….”

Thinking of a sum that was quite large for someone like him, Haon carefully observed the shimmering watch. It was the first time in his life he had worn something so heavy on his wrist.

Perhaps because the world In-ho lived in was so different from his own, Haon found himself doing many things for the ‘first time’ since they started living together. It made him unbearably excited. Just like right now.

His feelings might change if he knew the actual price of the watch—which was far more expensive than the clothes—but for now, his heart just raced with excitement.

* * *

Before getting into the car, In-ho checked Haon’s complexion.

“Are you really okay?”

He had asked Haon if his stomach felt uncomfortable even while they were riding the elevator down. He seemed concerned that Haon had eaten during a time when he was still struggling with food intake.

“I feel fine now. I’ll tell you if my stomach hurts.”

“Make sure you tell me.”

“Yes.”

Haon patted his perfectly fine stomach energetically and got into the car. He placed the eco-bag he had been carrying over one shoulder on his lap, but feeling a chill, he slid it down to the floor.

Inside the eco-bag were the sparkling water In-ho enjoyed and the orange juice Haon liked. Haon had packed them all himself. Just in case, he had also brought cool water in a tumbler and a few snacks.

In-ho watched with amusement as Haon packed things as if preparing for a school field trip. In truth, everything could have been bought at the convenience store in the park, but since Haon looked so excited while packing, In-ho kept his mouth shut. Seeing Haon’s elated expression made him glad he had suggested going out.

“Haon, look at the sky.”

The deep blue sky In-ho pointed to looked as if it had been painted with clear watercolors. It was a waste of a day to stay cooped up inside. Because the sky had been thick with gloomy clouds for days, the blue felt even more welcoming.

Haon gazed at the clear sky, which he hadn’t seen in a long time, as if mesmerized.

When he lived in the countryside, he used to sit on a hill alone and look at the natural scenery for a very long time. Losing himself in beautiful things was a habit he had developed while living in the country.

“Haon.”

A large hand suddenly entered the vision of the dazed Haon.

Startled, Haon blinked rapidly and looked at In-ho. He hadn’t realized that In-ho had called his name several times.

“Look at me for a bit, too.”

In-ho spoke to Haon with a languid smile. Of course, he was joking. Though there was a bit of sincerity in it.

“Ah, yes. I’ll look.”

Haon answered earnestly, fixing his gaze on In-ho with wide eyes. In-ho laughed, saying it was a joke, but Haon didn’t take his eyes off him for a single moment until they arrived at the park parking lot.

His eyes were more delighted than when looking at any beautiful scenery, so he couldn’t pull his gaze away. If possible, he wanted to look at him all day. He felt like he would be happy even if it rained every day, as long as he could keep looking at In-ho.

Unfortunately, thanks to the light traffic, they arrived at Han River Park quickly.

In-ho didn’t even use the navigation, as if he came to the park often. When Haon looked curious, he mentioned that he occasionally came out for early morning runs.

He really loves exercising, Haon marveled, deciding right then and there that he, too, would start loving exercise from today. He wanted to increase any point of connection with In-ho, even by a little.

Before getting out of the car, he took a sip of the water he brought and tilted his neck from side to side. He was doing warm-up exercises.

Seeing this, In-ho wondered if his neck hurt and almost asked if he was okay, but swallowed the words. Seeing his waist wriggling along with his neck, it seemed he was stretching. He wanted to ask why he was doing it while sitting, but he just watched silently, assuming there was a reason.

“Are you done?”

When In-ho asked, the wriggling Haon nodded boldly. His face was as serious as someone entering a marathon.

“We’re just going for a light walk today.”

In-ho, who had waited for Haon to finish his makeshift stretching, spoke in a gentle tone.

Although they were dressed in athletic wear, he intended to only take a stroll, considering Haon’s stamina. He didn’t want to put Haon through strenuous exercise after he hadn’t been able to eat properly for several days.

“Why?”

However, Haon actually seemed to want to exercise. He felt it would be a waste of the athletic wear he had put on if they only walked lightly.

“I’m a bit tired today.”

In-ho used his own condition as an excuse and suggested they come back for real exercise next time.

“Or, Haon, is there any specific exercise you want to do today?”

When In-ho asked because Haon seemed disappointed, the answer came back without a moment’s hesitation.

“Walking is great, too.”

Haon hid the fact that walking was actually his favorite and stepped out with his eco-bag. He wanted to feel the warm sunlight on his skin immediately.

“Sss, haaa—.”

After arriving at the park, Haon’s breathing grew louder.

After seeing nothing but tall, jagged buildings, seeing the lush green grass and the open vista of the river made him feel as if his chest were opening up.

“It’s not bad, right?”

In-ho asked Haon, who was constantly looking around. Seeing his bright smile, it seemed there was no need to even hear the answer.

Maybe I should have brought him to the park instead of the department store. Seeing Haon so visibly happy, In-ho slightly regretted that they had only come now. Though it couldn’t be helped since the weather had been gloomy.

“In-ho.”

Since his name was called at an unexpected moment, In-ho paused and answered a beat late.

“Yes.”

“Look at this.”

Haon, who had crouched down on the ground, stood up after picking something up. He seemed to have called In-ho to show it to him. In-ho had a pleased expression on his face even before seeing what it was.

“It’s pretty, isn’t it?”

What Haon had picked up was a white cosmos. Perhaps it had flown from a nearby flowerbed; it lay there alone with its stem cleanly snapped.

Someone must have plucked it because it was pretty, taken plenty of photos, and then thrown it away. It was the peak of autumn cosmos season, so there were quite a few people taking photos with the flowers in the background.

“The petals are so big.”

Haon examined even a single ordinary flower for a very long time, showering it with generous praise. He held the fallen flower preciously in his hand and took it in slowly with his eyes.

“It is.”

In-ho smiled calmly and looked at the lifeless flower following Haon’s lead. With their backs to the sprawling flowerbeds, the two of them admired the single flower that had fallen to the ground.

“It really is pretty.”

As In-ho added those final words, his eyes were filled not with the flower, but with Haon.

Haon simply smiled brightly and carefully tucked the pretty flower into his coat pocket. He even switched the side his eco-bag was on so the flower wouldn’t be crushed.

Grandmother would really like this. Smiling at the thought, he fell back into the embrace of the natural scenery. Being surrounded by familiar nature after spending time in the city gave him an indescribable sense of relief.

“Um….”

After looking around for a while, Haon stopped walking as if he had remembered something.

When In-ho asked with his eyes what was wrong, the pale face, wearing a shy smile, brightened even further.

It was the first time In-ho had seen him smile so brightly. What was he about to say that made him smile so beautifully?

“I’m good at riding bicycles.”

Haon spoke with a shy but confident face. It was almost the only thing he could say he was good at.

“I’ve never fallen off once.”

So, he made sure to emphasize it. In the countryside, bicycles were an essential means of transport, so he had ridden them often since he was young.

“I can even carry someone on the back.”

Now that he had bragged, he felt bashful, and his smile grew wider. Because In-ho listened intently with an “Oh,” he smiled even more radiantly.

“Then shall we go ride bicycles?”

“Yes! I’d love to.”

Haon’s clear smile seeped into In-ho as well.

“I’d love to, too.”

Looking at Haon’s face, which had brightened as if absorbing the sunlight, In-ho naturally took his hand.

Using the excuse that the bicycle rental shop was on the opposite side, he held Haon’s hand firmly and walked forward at a slow pace.