By Zephyria 
Haon had a pleasant dream. It was a dream about the first time he went to the Han River Park with In-ho.
In the dream, Haon, his face blooming with a bright smile, sat side by side with In-ho on a bench eating ice cream. Even though it was a dream, he could taste the sweetness.
In-ho! Let’s ride bicycles.
Unlike that day, in the dream, Haon was the one taking In-ho’s hand and leading the way. With a confident stride, Haon found the bicycle rental shop and paid with his own card. When the owner asked how many hours they would ride, he answered in a loud voice. Unlimited, he said.
Haon was far brighter and more cheerful than he was in reality. His gestures were bold and his strides wide; his every movement was refreshing and spirited.
Look at those flowers over there. Aren’t they pretty?
The Haon in the dream asked In-ho with a smile. White petals were fluttering in the cool breeze. In-ho playfully replied that Haon was prettier.
Hearing this, Haon laughed loudly, only to accidentally swallow a petal. Seeing this, In-ho burst into laughter as well. It was a loud laugh, the kind rarely heard in reality.
The two of them looked at each other with beaming faces, pedaling their bicycles without pause. They looked like children, completely caught up in the excitement.
After racing ahead for a while, Haon suddenly thrust his hand up into the air. It was to catch a white cosmos petal falling from the sky.
Oh…
The moment the petal touched Haon’s palm, the white leaf suddenly withered away. Only then did Haon realize what kind of flower it was.
It was that dried petal he had thrown into the trash can.
“My flower…”
Muttering in his sleep, Haon opened his eyes and reached toward the ceiling. He clenched and unclenched his hand in the air, blinking a few times before realizing he had woken up from the dream.
It was a shame. It had been such a happy dream.
He let out a shallow sigh and turned his head to the side, and the sigh vanished instantly. Haon was lying with his head pillowed on In-ho’s arm.
In-ho was still asleep. His steady breath brushed against Haon’s cheek.
Haon lightly scratched his tingling cheek and turned completely toward In-ho. He moved very slowly and carefully so as not to wake him. If In-ho had seen him, he probably would have joked and asked if he were a sloth rather than an otter.
Ah, the flower.
To make sure he didn’t forget the thought that suddenly occurred to him, he folded one thumb. Thanks to seeing the cosmos in his dream, he finally remembered that he had kept the flower in his coat pocket.
With his thumb pressed down, he leaned closer to In-ho and lightly tapped his lips against the tip of In-ho’s chin. He gently rubbed his lips against the soft line of In-ho’s neck. Even then, In-ho did not wake. Thank goodness.
He wore a soft smile as he gazed at the soundly sleeping In-ho. It was a smile infused with a single drop of shyness.
‘Is it really okay for me to have everything?’
Recalling the conversation he had with In-ho last night, Haon continued to kiss In-ho’s chin and neck. His lips, touching and parting silently, were full of happiness.
He loved that he could kiss In-ho to his heart’s content because In-ho was asleep. No, he simply loved the very existence of In-ho.
Haon felt certain that as long as he was with In-ho, he would be happy for the rest of his life. If a miracle were permitted, he wanted to remain by his side just like this forever.
‘Shall we keep living together?’
And In-ho had granted that miracle.
‘Just like this, forever.’
Savoring the conversation, Haon took a deep, overwhelmed breath. He pressed down on the corners of his mouth, which were twitching incessantly. He was incomparably happier than when he first heard In-ho ask him to date.
He had been happy then, of course, but he hadn’t felt a sense of fulfillment like this.
“I love it, In-ho.”
Covering his smiling mouth with his hand, he whispered in a very small voice. He made a sound nearly silent, so as not to disturb In-ho’s sleep.
“I like you a lot, really, really a lot.”
Repeating the tiny whisper, he gave In-ho’s nose one last kiss. He wanted to kiss his lips too, but he held back. For some reason, that felt too embarrassing.
Haon snuggled deep into In-ho’s embrace before slowly pushing himself up.
He had to find the flower quickly before he forgot. He hadn’t emptied the trash can yet, so it should still be there. He sincerely hoped so.
Though it would be very withered, it was a flower that held a precious memory shared with In-ho. That was why he had intentionally put it in his pocket, knowing it would wither—to cherish that day for a long time.
As Haon descended the stairs one by one, he suddenly tilted his head. His body felt a bit different than usual. In a good way.
“Why doesn’t it hurt…?”
Standing by the stair railing, he touched his forehead for a moment. His fever had dropped significantly since yesterday. The throbbing headache was gone, and his lower body felt fine.
That’s strange. Usually, I suffer for a week after a heat ends.
He lightly pressed his lower abdomen and felt down to his inner thighs. Miraculously, there was no pain. Haon poked himself even between his buttocks, then glanced at the bedroom door and continued down the stairs.
Seeing his legs walking perfectly, he suddenly remembered how his heat symptoms had been different this time.
The hunger had come late. While his lower body was just as wet and he had lost his reason, he hadn’t felt hungry until he got into the taxi.
It was definitely different from the heat symptoms he had experienced until now. His body’s recovery was faster, too.
Is it because of In-ho?
It felt that way. It seemed his wonderful pheromones had a positive effect on him. Or perhaps the heat symptoms were alleviated because his mind had stabilized while spending time with In-ho.
Whatever the reason, it was a very positive change. Haon’s steps toward the living room were light. His heart, having shaken off its wounds, was as well.
“Oh, it’s here…!”
Soon, Haon opened the lid of the living room trash can and beamed. Squatting on the floor, Haon rummaged through the trash and pulled out the withered petals. Fortunately, they were still there, though they hardly looked like a flower anymore.
He gathered the shriveled petals one by one and spread them on his palm. Still, when gathered together, they looked like a flower.
“What are you doing?”
Haon, who had been staring closely at the flower, jumped at the sudden voice. He almost dropped the flower he had worked so hard to collect.
“Why are you sitting on the floor?”
In-ho, who had approached from behind, slid his hands under Haon’s arms and lifted him up. He carried Haon as he was and moved to the sofa.
“When did you wake up?”
“A little while ago.”
In-ho answered, planting a quick kiss on Haon’s cheek. He also showed interest in the palm Haon was carefully curling.
“What is that?”
“Guess what.”
With a shy smile, Haon showed the flower to In-ho a bit more closely. Since he had asked as a joke, he didn’t actually expect In-ho to guess it. Since it was a flower he had kept by assigning meaning to it alone, he naturally thought In-ho wouldn’t remember.
“Hmm, this is Haon’s hand.”
In-ho poked Haon’s pale palm with his fingertip. Haon chuckled and said he was right.
“And this thing that looks like a tea leaf…”
Next, In-ho carefully lifted one of the withered petals and met Haon’s eyes. Looking at Haon, he murmured, “It’s a flower.”
“That’s right. It’s a flower.”
Haon nodded excitedly and tried to explain what kind of flower it was. But In-ho spoke first.
“It’s the flower you picked up when we went to the park, right?”
He got the answer right instantly.
“Was it a cosmos? The one you put in your pocket.”
“H-how…?”
Haon’s eyes widened, and he looked stunned, asking how In-ho knew. It was surprising that he remembered the flower, but it was even more amazing that In-ho knew he had put it in his pocket.
“I saw it with you, after all.”
In-ho spoke as if it were obvious. He laughed lightly, as if it were nothing to be surprised about.
“I… forgot about it…”
Haon murmured softly, looking down at the petals.
If it hadn’t appeared in his dream, it was a flower he would have forgotten forever. Even though it was a flower containing a precious memory with In-ho, he hadn’t remembered it at all.
“I forgot, and I almost threw it away.”
In-ho observed Haon’s expression and stared at the open trash can. He could guess the situation.
“But you remembered it eventually.”
In-ho whispered softly and wrapped his hand around the back of Haon’s.
“And you found it again.”
He straightened the shape of the petals Haon had gathered and gently pressed their foreheads together. Then, he naturally kissed him.
Haon’s face, which had been momentarily gloomy, brightened the moment his lips touched In-ho’s. He was like a flower that had absorbed water and sunlight. To Haon, In-ho was that kind of existence.
He expected it to lead to a full kiss. Contrary to Haon’s expectation, In-ho’s lips pulled away quickly.
“How is your body?”
In-ho asked, rubbing Haon’s slightly parted lips.
“I’m okay.”
“Anywhere that hurts?”
Haon shook his head, saying there was none. His gaze was strangely more confident than usual. He looked like a child who had something to brag about.
“It doesn’t hurt at all. I’m perfectly fine.”
“That’s a relief.”
With a gentle smile, In-ho caressed Haon’s forehead and neck. His fever had indeed dropped significantly in just one day. Perhaps it was because he had sweated so much.
“It hurt yesterday, didn’t it?”
He was asking if Haon had been in pain because of him. He felt uneasy about having pushed in too forcefully during the first penetration.
Understanding the meaning of the question, Haon hesitated to answer. He must have looked like he had been in pain.
“Only at first, it hurt a little.”
Haon answered honestly, curling his hand so the petals wouldn’t fly away. After hesitating a bit more, he leaned his lips against In-ho’s ear and whispered in a voice that was barely audible.
“If we do it often… I think I’ll get used to it.”