By Zephyria 
Clutching a fluffy pillow instead of a large body, Haon looked around with a half-asleep face. He called out for In-ho in a slurred voice, then widened his eyes as he saw the bright light outside the window.
Just how long had he slept?
When he had been lying on the sofa with In-ho, the sun was nearly setting, but now it was high in the sky. He knew he tended to sleep a lot, but he hadn’t realized he could sleep for this long.
“I’m not a sloth…”
Regretting the time wasted on sleep, he quickly got out of bed. He felt he needed to shower first and headed toward the bathroom, but stopped abruptly.
Wait… were these his pants?
Haon wasn’t wearing the new pants he had bought the other day, but the comfortable training pants he usually wore at home. They were a sturdy pair with great elasticity that he had worn for over three years.
He had no memory of changing clothes before sleeping. With a blank expression, Haon looked back and forth between his pants and the bed.
Come to think of it, how did he even get into the room?
“Did I walk here…?”
No matter how much he thought about it, his last memory was falling asleep on the sofa with In-ho. That meant In-ho had moved him to the bed. And changed his pants, too.
“Oh!”
As Haon slapped a hand over his chest, he realized his top had been changed as well. Both the top and bottom were the clothes Haon always wore to sleep.
“Ah…”
Furthermore, he wasn’t wearing any underwear at all.
“I didn’t touch your underwear.”
In-ho’s voice drifted from behind Haon, who was standing there with a stunned expression.
He was leaning against the wide-open bedroom door, watching Haon. He had clearly knocked, but the sound hadn’t reached Haon, who was lost in thought.
“I didn’t know where they were, and I thought you’d be uncomfortable if I took them out recklessly.”
In-ho wore an innocent smile, explaining that he had only changed the clothes. It was the kind of smile that could earn forgiveness even if he had committed another crime.
“Th-thank you.”
Haon bowed his head deeply, unable to meet his eyes. They had already done everything there was to do, but Haon was so embarrassed that just the thought of In-ho seeing his underwear made his face flush.
“When did you wake up…?”
“This morning. Do you realize we slept quite a lot?”
In-ho spoke with an even brighter smile, crossing his arms. He looked as if he were sharing a funny story.
“I thought it was Tuesday, but it turned out to be Wednesday. I wondered if I had the date wrong.”
Haon simply smiled back, trying to cool his reddened cheeks. He wanted to chime in, but the words wouldn’t come out easily.
“If you’re still tired, do you want to sleep a bit more?”
“No, I’m wide awake.”
In-ho observed Haon, who had become even more taciturn, and prepared to leave the room. He wanted to talk more, but it seemed Haon was uncomfortable right now.
“I’ll be in the living room. Call me if you need anything.”
Just as In-ho was about to close the door, Haon hurried after him and looked up. His lips fluttered as if he had something to say, and he started to scratch his cheek.
“Haon, you need to put a new bandage on.”
In-ho caught Haon’s wrist before he could touch his cheek and lightly tapped the bandage that had lost its adhesive.
“Just use ointment when you’re at home.”
He wanted to peel off the bandage himself, but he resisted. For some reason, he felt he shouldn’t increase the physical contact with Haon right now. He just had that feeling.
“Yesterday…”
After a moment of hesitation, Haon spoke, his cheeks turning pink. Seeing his face flush so prettily, as if he were wearing makeup, In-ho’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
I want to touch it. Suppressing that impulse, In-ho simply replied, “Yes.”
“No, the day before yesterday… I’m sorry.”
Correcting himself, Haon mumbled and looked down. It was too embarrassing a topic to discuss while looking In-ho in the eye.
“For what?”
While Haon hesitated over his next words, In-ho spoke first. He wore an expression of genuine confusion.
“Is there anything for you to apologize for?”
Hearing the murmured voice, Haon’s gaze returned to In-ho. His round eyes were filled with a sense of ‘Could it be?’
“Do you… not remember…?”
Haon was incredibly tense, not knowing what the answer would be. Seeing In-ho acting as usual, it seemed he didn’t remember at all.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
In-ho rubbed the back of his neck and turned his head aside.
He really doesn’t remember. Then again, he was very drunk, so it wasn’t unreasonable for him to forget.
Haon pressed his fingertips together, recalling how quickly In-ho had been emptying his glasses.
“If it’s something that makes you uncomfortable, just forget about it,” In-ho said in a calm voice, looking back down at Haon. “Everyone makes mistakes when they drink.”
In-ho gave a thin smile and took a step back to leave. Haon watched In-ho’s retreating back and suddenly grabbed his arm.
“I… I kissed you…”
To In-ho. I was too drunk, so I just… He added the words haltingly in a trembling voice. He had brought up something that could have simply been buried and forgotten.
He didn’t know why. He just felt an impulse to say it.
“That’s not right.”
In-ho turned back toward Haon and lowered his head. A smile returned to his lips as he whispered calmly.
“You only touched my lips; I was the one who kissed you.”
Haon gasped, freezing at the voice whispering in his ear. He… he did remember.
“It was a mistake, so don’t regret it.”
In-ho took in the dazed Haon and left for the living room with a gentle smile. He left one final reminder to make sure to apply the ointment, fearing Ha own might forget.
“…Yes.”
Haon stared blankly at In-ho’s back as he sat on the sofa, then slowly moved his feet.
Following In-ho’s advice, he peeled off the bandage and applied the ointment first. Then, glancing tentatively at the closed door, he went into the bathroom and took off his clothes. As he removed the clothes In-ho had personally dressed him in, a small spark inside him suddenly grew in presence.
Haon hurriedly stepped into the shower booth and turned on the cold water. He felt he needed to cool down his body, which kept getting hotter. However, because the water was too cold, he flailed like a fish while adjusting the temperature, eventually washing himself with lukewarm water.
His movements were frantic, but his expression looked relatively peaceful. Haon felt a deep sense of relief. He was reassured that In-ho, who remembered everything, didn’t seem displeased.
“Thank goodness…”
A red flower bloomed again on the face of the softly whispering man.
In-ho, who had been watching TV, turned around at the sound of Haon’s footsteps.
Having finished his shower, Haon’s thin hair was only slightly damp at the ends, as if he had dried it with a hairdryer. Moreover, his left cheek, where the bandage had been removed, was glossy with a generous amount of ointment. He had carried out everything In-ho told him without forgetting.
After locking eyes with In-ho, who was wearing a pleased smile, Haon gave a slight bow and walked briskly toward the entrance hallway. Seeing this, In-ho put down the remote and stood up.
“Where are you going?”
“Oh, I’m going to clean.”
Haon opened the cleaning supply closet to catch up on the overdue housework. Just how many days had he been idling? It was almost embarrassing to receive a salary from In-ho.
“The cleaner came by this morning.”
“What?”
Haon’s eyes widened as he pulled out the vacuum cleaner. Why, when there was someone specifically in charge of cleaning this house?
“I thought you might still be struggling. How are you going to work when you can’t even eat properly?”
“No, but still… I can do the cleaning…”
“Do it starting next week. Rest until tomorrow.”
In-ho took the vacuum cleaner away and put it back in its place. Fearing that Haon would look for more work if left alone, he grabbed his shoulder and led him to the sofa.
“If you’re not sleepy, do you want to watch a movie? I’ve picked out a few interesting ones.”
Of course, he loved the idea of watching a movie with him, but he couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Having lived every day working since coming to Seoul, Haon found it hard to adapt to such a leisurely daily life. He felt he needed to do something to be at peace.
“In-ho.”
Before sitting on the sofa, Haon turned back toward In-ho and grabbed his arm.
“Have you eaten?”
There was no smell of food in the house. Recalling the few pieces of fruit and chicken breast In-ho had eaten the day before yesterday, Haon asked seriously.
“What did you eat today?”
Surely he didn’t fill his stomach with things like that again.
It wasn’t Haon’s place to say, but fruit wasn’t a hearty meal for a healthy adult male. In-ho, who was taller and broader than Seong-gu, needed to eat much more than he did. Since his body was large, his energy consumption would be faster.
“I just ate whatever was at home…”
Perhaps slightly surprised by the sudden question, In-ho’s voice trailed off ambiguously.
In truth, the only thing he had put in his mouth was sparkling water. After having dinner with Haon, he couldn’t think of anything suitable to eat alone, so he just drank water.
“What exactly was at home?”
Unlike usual, Haon pressed him persistently. In-ho’s eyes softened at this fresh side of him.
“I ate this and that. Are you hungry, Haon? Should I make you something?”
In-ho looked at Haon with eyes full of laughter and pointed toward the kitchen. He had intentionally not asked because he thought Haon still couldn’t eat solid food.
“Rice porridge is okay, right? Do you want to try some sweet potato porridge?”
“No, I’ll make something for you today.”
Shaking his head, Haon gently pushed In-ho toward the sofa and ran to the kitchen alone. When In-ho tried to follow, Haon waved him off.
“Don’t come; just stay and rest.”
Taken aback by Haon’s uncharacteristically firm attitude, In-ho stood before the sofa, unable to move. Then, as Haon told him to sit, he sank onto the sofa as if possessed.