By Zephyria 
It wasn’t that he had asked because he was hoping for a specific answer. He was simply curious, and he felt that if he didn’t get an answer now, he might start harboring other expectations on his own.
The considerate actions, the kind words, and the touch of hands that felt as if he were wanted—all of it kept prompting him to ask questions that felt beyond his station. Could he possibly… like me?
“I-if it’s an uncomfortable question, you don’t have to answer.”
When an answer didn’t come immediately, Haon grew timid again and averted his gaze. He still lacked courage.
“…….”
As I thought, he kisses often. Haon took In-ho’s silence as an affirmation.
In truth, he had expected this to some extent. After they had shared a kiss while drunk, he was the only one who had felt awkward. In-ho had treated Haon with complete composure, as if he were well-accustomed to such situations.
He had surely dated many people, and he likely kissed without even being in a relationship. Since he was a man handsome enough to draw attention wherever he went, it was only natural. There was no way people would have left him alone.
While Haon was lost in thought for a moment, In-ho, who had remained silent, was deep in contemplation.
It was a question that could have been answered easily, but the words wouldn’t come. Because it was obvious he would disappoint Haon.
To be honest, In-ho had lived his life taking full advantage of his looks. He had lived a life where he never blocked anyone who came his way. He couldn’t even remember the faces of all the Omegas he had slept with.
Part of it was to resolve his ruts, but he simply enjoyed sex to begin with.
There were times when it was his routine to spend long nights borrowing the body heat of strangers whose names he didn’t even know. Drinking sessions were always accompanied by sex. In-ho liked it that way. For only intense pleasure could fill his empty heart.
“To be honest.”
Starting the conversation, In-ho flopped down beside Haon. It was a question he could have easily deflected, but he told the truth. Haon’s round, gentle eyes made him want to confess.
“I’ve done it all. Even without dating.”
“Ah… I see.”
Perhaps it was the expected answer, as Haon’s reaction was calm. However, seeing him nod and wipe his damp lips with the back of his hand, he seemed disappointed after all.
“But I haven’t done it since I met you, Haon-ssi.”
Lying on his side facing Haon, In-ho spoke abruptly.
“I haven’t even gone to drinking parties.”
He felt as if he were drunk. In-ho answered questions that hadn’t even been asked, observing Haon’s expression.
“I’ve rejected every invitation to meet.”
The moment he said this, he laughed, wondering what on earth he was doing. He found it ridiculous that he was rambling like a child confessing a mistake to his parents.
Haon-ssi’s eyes were the problem. Whenever he looked into those untainted, gentle brown eyes, a sensation he hadn’t even known existed inside him kept churning, trying to make its presence known.
This sensation often brought a smile to his face, but sometimes, like now, it made him feel like hiding.
“Why…?”
Haon, who had been staring blankly at In-ho, asked. His racing heartbeat was transmitted clearly to In-ho. It was beating so fast that even In-ho’s own heart began to react faintly.
“I think I like you, Haon-ssi.”
Moving a span closer to Haon, In-ho spoke.
“I like you, Haon-ssi.”
More clearly, so that Haon wouldn’t forget.
“I think I’ll like you even more from now on.”
Now that he had said it, the emotion became even more certain.
I do like Haon-ssi. That’s why my eyes keep drifting toward him, why I want to be good to him, and why I want to smell him.
“Did you drink…?”
At Haon’s stunned question, In-ho moved even closer and said no.
He hadn’t had a single drop of alcohol. If he had, there would be a scent of alcohol. Because In-ho always drank strong liquor, the smell lingered heavily even after just one glass.
“But why… .”
Haon’s pupils shook violently. He didn’t seem drunk, so he couldn’t understand why he was saying things one would only say when completely intoxicated.
Is he playing a prank? Haon wondered, looking at In-ho’s smiling lips.
However, the moment his gaze shifted to In-ho’s eyes, the doubt regarding his sincerity vanished.
“Do you want to date me?”
His eyes were serious. Though it might have been Haon’s own wish.
* * *
Waking up early in the morning, Haon stared blankly at the ceiling.
“…….”
After staring silently at the plain ceiling for a full thirty minutes, he slowly headed to the bathroom.
While doing his business, brushing his teeth, and washing his face, he had a vacant expression, like someone missing a screw. He was so out of it that he forgot to dry himself.
Unaware that droplets of water were falling from his chin to the floor, he wandered the room and then slumped against the wall. Despite having just woken up, he sank down as if the strength had left his legs.
Only after burying his face in his knees did he realize he hadn’t dried off. As he tried to roughly wipe the moisture with his clothes, a heavy sigh escaped him first.
“Haa—”
The repeated sighs soon turned into deep breaths. His heart wouldn’t settle because the events of last night kept flashing back.
Last night. Around the time exhausted office workers on their way home were eating late dinners or enjoying their leisure time, something incredible had happened to Haon.
‘Do you want to date me?’
Recalling that voice, which he wouldn’t forget even after death, he clamped his hand over his mouth. He couldn’t believe it even though he had heard it with his own ears.
‘I’ll be good to you.’
He also clearly remembered In-ho holding his hand with a subtle grip while saying that. His body heat and the feel of the sheets against his back were still vivid.
Haon had answered only with a vague nod. That was his limit. His tongue, frozen with tension, could not form a single word.
However, as if that small nod were answer enough, In-ho had smiled brightly and kissed Haon’s forehead. Not his lips, but his rounded forehead.
After that, he left the room after wishing him a good night’s sleep. Then, before closing the door, he left a comment telling him to wash up before sleeping even if he was tired, so Haon had jumped up and gone into the bathroom. Almost as if he were escaping.
“Is it a dream? Yeah… right. It could still be a dream.”
He didn’t know where the dream had started, but it was a possibility. The idea that he was having a long dream seemed more plausible than the fact that he had been confessed to by In-ho.
‘I like you, Haon-ssi.’
Thump! Confused between dream and reality, he bumped his head against the wall, startled by the memory of In-ho’s confession brushing past his ears. Since it hurt, it didn’t seem to be a dream. That meant In-ho really had said those words.
“Was he feeling unwell…?”
He clutched his head, trying to recall In-ho’s complexion from last night in detail. In-ho, who ate well and rode his bicycle skillfully, had looked healthier than anyone. His condition seemed even better than usual.
Then why did he do that?
His head, heavy with a giant question mark, gradually tilted toward the floor.
Eventually, Haon lay down with his cheek against the floor and remained in that position, sinking deeper into thought. His mind, filled entirely with In-ho, felt infinitely heavy.
Buzz.
How much time had passed? Haon, who had been lying there like a fallen petal, picked himself up at the sound of his phone vibrating.
Wondering if it was a text from In-ho, he rushed to the nightstand and grabbed the phone. As expected, the familiar name appeared on the lit screen: ‘Seo In-ho-ssi’.
[Are you still sleeping?]
Just as he was checking the stiffly saved name and the content of the message to send a reply—Buzz. Another message arrived with a vibration in his hand.
[If you’re awake, come out to eat]
“Is he in the living room…?”
Because the door was closed, he couldn’t hear the sounds outside. The place was so well soundproofed that he could hardly hear anything from the exterior unless he listened intently.
[Yes, I’ll come out now]
Haon couldn’t bring himself to press the send button, repeatedly deleting and rewriting the sentence. No matter how he wrote it, it felt too stiff, so in the end, he couldn’t send any reply.
Usually, he would reply immediately upon receiving a text. But now, for some reason, it felt difficult. Now that he thought of them as a couple, he became conscious of even the smallest nuances in his tone.
“First, let’s go out.”
He put down the heavy phone and took another deep breath. He wanted to face In-ho as naturally as possible. Just as In-ho always treated him—naturally and composedly.
When he opened the door and stepped out, a savory smell wafted toward him. Drawn by it, he looked toward the kitchen and saw In-ho taking a blue bottle out of the refrigerator.
“Did you sleep well?”
As expected, his expression was relaxed. Holding a bottle of sparkling water, which he drank more often than plain water, he approached Haon.
Haon also walked toward him and replied, “Yes.” He thought he wouldn’t be able to sleep, but surprisingly, he had fallen fast asleep as soon as he washed up and lay down. It seemed to be the effect of exercising during the day. His startled heart had also been exhausted.
“Haon-ssi.”
Standing before Haon, In-ho smiled lightly. Again, Haon was spacing out, lost in thought for a moment.
Unaware of this, Haon widened his eyes. He felt that if he relaxed, his trembling heart would be revealed.
“Yes, please speak.”
For some reason, his own voice sounded awkward, which bothered him. Making eye contact with In-ho was also strangely difficult. Because he kept thinking of the confession from last night.
‘Do you want to date me?’
“Did you shower?”
For a moment, In-ho’s voice seemed to overlap in two. Flustered, Haon’s lips parted, but he regained his composure and firmly stated that he had only washed his face.
“I-I brushed my teeth too.”
He didn’t need to mention that. Haon tightened his lips, which were moving on their own, and swallowed his words. He had to be careful not to ramble nonsense like he did yesterday.
“I see,” In-ho murmured, touching the top of Haon’s head. A bit of moisture lingered in the thin strands of hair.
“Since it was wet.”
Omitting the explanation that was why he asked, he took a step closer. Startled by the sudden narrowing of the distance, Haon’s shoulders flinched. Belatedly, Haon pulled up the corners of his mouth to hide his tension.
“Something’s on your lip.”
In-ho gently stroked Haon’s lower lip and then returned to the kitchen, telling him to eat.
Following In-ho, Haon touched the lip where his hand had lingered. What had been on there?
He looked down at In-ho’s hand, but the hand that had wiped it away was perfectly clean. Seeing this, Haon’s cheeks gradually turned a soft shade of red.