By Zephyria 
Haon’s pale thighs convulsed. His toes, lifted high in the air, pointed toward the ceiling.
With his chin tilted up, Haon gasped for breath, his face flushed from the peak of climax. He couldn’t even manage a scream anymore.
In-ho kissed Haon’s glazed eyes, withdrew his penis from the narrow opening, and peeled off the condom. Then, as if there was still more to ejaculate, he shook his vein-bulged member and left his mark upon Haon’s abdomen.
Haon, letting out a broken moan, also released fluid in spurts. It was a thin liquid, almost like water. Looking down at it, Haon let out a bewildered, “Uh…”
Seeing the startled Haon, In-ho asked what was wrong. However, Haon was too busy panting to answer.
Staring intently at Haon, In-ho pulled him closer, rubbing his lower body against the stomach slick with semen. At that, Haon shook his head and tried to pull his hips back.
“Does it hurt?”
In-ho immediately released his grip and checked on Haon. Haon shook his head even more vigorously. Even so, he pushed his pelvis away from In-ho.
He struggled to move his body, which kept losing strength, trying to create distance between himself and In-ho. But In-ho did not let him go so easily.
“Is something uncomfortable? Do you feel bad?”
Trapped within In-ho’s arms, Haon eventually gave up on escaping and bent his knees to cover himself. Then, he leaned toward In-ho’s ear and whispered very softly.
“I…”
Even though there were only the two of them on the bed, he lowered his voice as if sharing a secret. Because it was too… embarrassing to say.
“I think I… came.”
Listening to the thinly trembling voice, In-ho blinked slowly.
“We came together.”
“No, I mean, not that…”
Haon’s face turned beet red as he stammered like a drunk person. Thick teardrops began to well up in his squinted eyes.
“I… peed…”
Haon’s voice trailed off as he struggled to speak. He seemed greatly shocked, thinking he had made a mistake.
In-ho clenched his jaw and quickly comforted Haon. Even after explaining that it wasn’t urine but semen, Haon shook his head, insisting it wasn’t.
“It’s, it’s different from yours, In-ho-ssi.”
“It’s because you released more than I did.”
In-ho explained while hugging Haon even tighter as he kept trying to slip from his embrace. Though In-ho kept telling him it wasn’t, once Haon’s tears burst, they didn’t stop easily.
It seemed he was simply sleepy. His slowly blinking eyes were on the verge of closing.
“It really isn’t. There’s no smell at all.”
“D-don’t smell it…!”
In-ho told him he wouldn’t smell it, so he shouldn’t run away. Sobbing, Haon eventually nodded. He didn’t have the energy to struggle any further.
After soothing Haon, In-ho pulled up the blanket that had slid to the floor and spread it over the wet sheets. He laid the sobbing Haon down properly and acted as the blanket himself.
“Haon-ssi.”
“Yes…”
Haon answered diligently even while crying. In-ho kissed his flushed cheek and called him again. Haon reacted immediately with a “Yes,” and looked up at In-ho.
Tears clung to Haon’s long eyelashes. Wiping them away with the tip of his tongue, In-ho whispered again, “Haon-ssi.” Then he asked.
“Can I really have everything?”
Then I should have you too, Haon-ssi. The added words barely lingered on the tip of his tongue. It was a sound that would never reach Haon.
“Everything, without leaving a single thing.”
When In-ho spoke louder, Haon blinked and nodded his head vigorously. He even wore a bright smile. His expression seemed to answer, Of course! Take as much as you want.
In-ho smiled back at him and closed those eyes that were heavy with sleep.
The sound of Haon’s breathing, which had been resisting sleep, soon slowed down. Patting his gently rising and falling chest, In-ho gazed steadily at his calmed face.
“Shall we keep living together? Just like this, forever.”
In-ho whispered, burying his lips in the neck of the drifting Haon.
Hearing this, Haon’s sleepiness vanished slightly. His lips parted softly. Despite saying he could have everything, he couldn’t answer the question readily.
“…”
It was because the words “keep living together” felt heavy. It didn’t seem to simply mean dating for a long time. It sounded far more serious than that.
In-ho waited quietly for Haon’s answer as usual, then added a question as if urging him.
“Do you hate it?”
“No, I like it.”
This time, the answer came immediately. A look of relief washed over In-ho’s expression.
“But I…”
Haon’s lips twitched as he murmured with his eyes still closed. He looked like someone talking in their sleep, but in truth, he was just keeping his eyes shut because he didn’t have the confidence to face In-ho.
“I can’t have children.”
After a long hesitation, his voice was thick with emotion.
Was that what had been weighing on his mind? In-ho answered immediately without a moment’s gap.
“I only need you, Haon-ssi.”
He was sincere. As long as Haon remained by his side, he needed nothing else.
“As long as you’re okay with it, I’m okay with everything.”
Only after hearing In-ho’s answer did Haon slowly open his eyes. As if verifying In-ho’s sincerity, he stared intently at his expression.
Fortunately, In-ho’s sincerity seemed to have been conveyed. He could see the corners of Haon’s mouth slowly curling upward.
“Me too.”
With a low whisper, Haon was the first to press their lips together. Lacking the energy to move his tongue, he simply rested his lips against In-ho’s. Instead, he sucked on In-ho’s tongue, which pushed into his mouth, like an ice cream.
Then, he suddenly remembered the melon-flavored ice cream he had eaten with In-ho at the park. An ice cream that tasted cool and happy.
Haon’s consciousness, floating as if flying through the sky, drifted randomly. Fortunately, it all flowed in a positive direction. Thanks to a heart that had become overwhelmingly peaceful.
Eventually, while sucking on In-ho’s tongue, Haon fell fast asleep as if fainting. On the quiet bed, only the sound of steady, rhythmic breathing echoed.
In-ho watched the sleeping Haon for a long time before getting out of bed alone. He brought warm water and towels from the bathroom, washed Haon thoroughly, and dressed him in new pajamas.
Deep in sleep, Haon didn’t budge regardless of what In-ho did. Smiling at the peacefully sleeping face, In-ho briefly laid Haon on the window-side sofa to tidy the bed. As expected, Haon slept as if he were dead.
After stripping the wet blanket and sheet cover, In-ho kissed Haon’s forehead and left the bedroom. The new bedding was downstairs.
As In-ho descended the stairs one by one, his body suddenly plummeted to the floor. His foot had slipped.
A loud thud echoed. After telling Haon to be careful, he was the one who ended up falling.
Letting out a hollow laugh, In-ho sat right there on the stairs and rubbed his aching eyes. Since it didn’t seem like Haon would wake up for a while, he didn’t move in haste. In any case, the night was long for In-ho. He had long been accustomed to the dawn that stretched on agonizingly.
After a small sigh, In-ho made a phone call.
Ring… Ring…
While the signal went through, his eyes gazed at the living room window in the distance.
Thick raindrops clung to the glass window shrouded in deep darkness. It was still raining, and it didn’t seem like it would stop for a while.
Perhaps the sky had many sorrows too. Seeing how much it cried.
Hey, Seo In-ho.
The other party picked up just before the ringing stopped. Hyo-jung, letting out a deep sigh, sounded as if she had just woken up.
Do you know what time it is to be calling me?
Even though Hyo-jung had answered, In-ho remained blank for a moment without continuing the conversation. Like a person who had fallen asleep with their eyes open.
Are you listening?
Over the phone, the sound of a click—turning on an indirect light—could be heard. Hyo-jung’s following voice was much calmer.
What’s wrong. Are you unwell? Are you alone?
As In-ho’s silence lingered, Hyo-jung’s questions increased one by one. Her doctor’s intuition kicking in, she tried to slowly gauge In-ho’s state.
You’re at home right now, right?
“Noona.”
Yeah, speak.
“I’ll come tomorrow. Around the afternoon.”
Leaning his forehead against the cool railing, In-ho rolled his eyes and corrected himself, saying he would come the day after tomorrow. Since Haon would still lack energy, it seemed better for him to rest at home for another day.
To get your partner checked?
When In-ho confirmed it, Hyo-jung, who sounded as if she had gotten out of bed, let out a sigh of relief. The sound of liquid being poured into a glass followed.
Sorry, but if it’s not urgent, come next time. I’m in Busan right now for a conference.
She explained that it would take about a week and gave the available dates. In-ho chose the earliest one among them. It was next Friday.
I’ll keep three in the afternoon free, so you can come without contacting me. It would be good if you text me before you leave.
“Got it.”
Even after finishing the business, In-ho didn’t hang up. Normally, he would have pressed the end button immediately after saying what he needed to say.
Is it raining a lot there too?
Noticing that In-ho needed someone to talk to, Hyo-jung continued with questions. As expected, no answer came.
“Noona.”
In-ho, who had been staring blankly at the raindrops accumulating on the window, slowly opened his lips.
“I’m decent enough, right?”
He asked Hyo-jung an abrupt question. It wasn’t the kind of question one usually asks after waking someone up in the dead of night.
Nevertheless, Hyo-jung didn’t ask what he meant or react lightly by asking if he had been drinking. She simply listened in silence. She seemed accustomed to In-ho blurting out incomprehensible things in the deep dawn when everyone else was asleep.
“I’m not the worst.”
In-ho murmured as if talking to himself, staring vacantly out the window. Then, he ended the call before an answer could return.
The image of a rain-soaked Haon was flickering before In-ho’s eyes. It was a sight that would not be easily forgotten. It appeared vividly even when he closed his eyes.
Rubbing his eyes again, In-ho stood up. To bring the new blankets before Haon woke up.