By Zephyria 
“Did you enjoy the movie?”
In-ho, having seated Haon on the bed, brushed his lips against Haon’s soft, downy cheek. He lightly grazed with his teeth, nipping the cheek that had puffed out as Haon tried to answer.
“It was really good. I watched it until all the songs were finished.”
With one cheek still caught, Haon finished speaking with slightly slurred pronunciation. Haon’s gaze remained fixed on In-ho’s face.
“Is there something on me?”
In-ho chuckled and rubbed his face. Haon slowly shook his head.
“You look tired.”
Touching In-ho’s smooth cheek, Haon revealed his worried heart. To the naked eye, his complexion looked similar to usual. There were no shadows under his eyes, nor were the whites of his eyes bloodshot. The expression he wore while looking at him was consistently bright.
“Do I?”
Yet, for some reason, In-ho looked exhausted in Haon’s eyes.
“You couldn’t sleep, could you?”
In-ho answered Haon’s cautious question with a laugh first.
“I slept earlier. I didn’t even realize you were gone.”
“No, I mean at night. Have you been unable to sleep well at night lately?”
“I sleep fine,” In-ho murmured softly, setting his bag down beside Haon’s feet. When Haon looked at him with a face of disbelief, In-ho widened his smile and added a short explanation.
“I’ve never been the type to sleep for long stretches. I take short naps frequently.”
“Then isn’t that bad for your health?”
“I’m used to it, so it’s fine.”
Telling him there was nothing to worry about, he stroked Haon’s hair. Haon looked up at him intently and asked no more about his condition.
“I’ll go wash up quickly.”
In-ho turned on the TV and placed the remote near Haon. Despite saying he was going to wash up, he didn’t head straight for the bathroom, continuing to lock eyes with Haon.
“Take your time. I’ll be watching TV.”
Haon said with a smile, holding In-ho’s hand and giving it a light shake. Only then did In-ho step away.
Picking up the remote, Haon stared at the closed bathroom door for a moment. Just as when he had watched a sleeping In-ho, his face looked lost in thought.
Then, he set the remote down and took out colored paper from his bag. The piece Haon picked was a bright yellow.
Sitting facing the bathroom door, he folded the paper without hesitation. He made it into the shape of a sea otter again, but unlike before, he tucked a white flower instead of a shell between the tiny paws. He also added round eyes with a pen.
A sea otter holding a cosmos flower. He packed more luck into this talisman. With a praying heart, hoping it would truly become a lucky charm.
As he held the paper with both hands, breathing a wish into it, the bathroom door opened.
“You’re finished already?”
Haon’s eyes widened as he saw In-ho coming out, drying his wet hair with a towel. It hadn’t even been ten minutes since he went in. Usually, he showered for over thirty minutes.
“A sea otter again.”
In-ho, sitting on the edge of the bed, smiled as he looked at the yellow paper Haon was holding. He recognized it at a glance without any explanation.
“Is it for me?”
“Yes. It’s yours, Mr. In-ho.
“I love it. Because it looks like you, Haon.
He seemed genuinely pleased. In-ho smiled and said, ‘I’ll keep this in my wallet.’ Since his hands were still damp, Haon placed it on the nightstand for him. Since he had given it to In-ho, there was no way he would forget it.
“You should dry your hair.”
Haon lightly touched In-ho’s hair, which he was only shaking dry with a towel. In-ho smiled and said, “Later.”
“Shall we watch one more movie? You said the one we saw earlier was fun.”
Nodding, Haon leaned his body against In-ho’s cooled upper body. Perhaps he had showered with cold water; his body felt colder than usual.
“You should have washed with warm water…”
He murmured discontentedly while stroking In-ho’s arm. In-ho, placing his hand on Haon’s back, replied lightly that he had felt a bit hot.
Just then, the sharp barking of a dog came from the TV. Woof! Woof! A snowy-white Maltese, barking in a high pitch, was picking a fight with a large Golden Retriever. It was an observational variety show featuring celebrities.
Both of them burst into laughter at the sight of the cute Maltese and fixed their gaze on the TV together. Because sound effects like ‘plop, plop’ were added every time the Maltese walked, it looked even more like a doll. It was a naturally amusing sight.
“Wow, so cute. It really looks like a doll.”
“It does.”
The fiercely barking baby Maltese was hit by the Golden Retriever’s tail and flopped over. Seeing this, Haon’s laughter grew louder.
Haon, do you like dogs?”
In-ho, who had been laughing along while watching the TV, asked casually. Haon nodded vigorously, saying he did. His round eyes wouldn’t leave the waddling Maltese.
“Shall we get one?”
“What?”
“A dog. If you’d like one, Haon.
In-ho pointed to the TV screen with his fingertip and asked if a white Maltese like that would be good. Or a large breed would be fine too.
In-ho’s gaze while asking the question was not directed at Haon. Instead, Haon stared intently at him.
Mr. In-ho.
After pulling down the hand that was pointing at the TV, Haon spoke.
“You have a fur allergy.”
The voice speaking clearly sounded unusually loud. In-ho gave a thin smile and admitted it was true. Haon didn’t ask why he had brought it up. He simply maintained his gaze toward him.
“I’ll go get something to drink.”
In-ho kissed Haon’s forehead and briefly left the bedroom. His footsteps descending the stairs were quick. The moment he stepped onto the lower floor, he rubbed his face hard.
“Haa…”
He regretted the question as soon as it left his mouth. He had been testing Haon. To see if he remembered the conversation they had shared. Or, if he had forgotten again.
Letting out a suppressed sigh, he headed to the kitchen. Feeling like he needed to cool his insides further, he took out a cold can of beer. He emptied the can quickly, stood with both hands leaning on the table, and took a slow, deep breath.
Even though there was absolutely nothing to be anxious about right now, his frayed nerves kept making him sensitive. He felt anxious when Haon wasn’t by his side, and his heart sank when he wasn’t where he was supposed to be.
Mr. In-ho.
Haon approached from behind In-ho, who was standing with a stiff expression. In-ho hadn’t even heard the sound of him coming down the stairs, so lost was he in thought.
“Is there something you need?”
In-ho’s expression softened the moment he saw Haon. He opened the refrigerator, asking Haon what he wanted to drink. Haon said anything would be fine.
“Do you happen to know where my phone is?”
Haon asked after receiving juice from In-ho. A smile as serene as In-ho’s hovered on his lips after taking a sip of the sweet juice.
“I can’t find my phone.”
I think I used it on the bed last… He trailed off, waiting for In-ho’s answer. In-ho had a look as if he knew the answer.
“Do you need it right now?”
In-ho suddenly asked, but immediately shook his head. Before Haon could answer, he realized his own question was excessive.
“I put it in the nightstand drawer. I’ll go get it quickly.”
After leading Haon to the sofa to watch TV, he went upstairs for a moment. In the meantime, Haon was fiddling with the remote. Without actually turning the TV on.
“Shall I make you something? Aren’t you hungry?”
In-ho, handing over the phone he brought from upstairs, sat beside Haon. Haon said he was fine.
“I had a soy milk earlier.”
“Good boy.”
He curved his eyes, stroking Haon’s moistened lower lip with his thumb. Haon, setting down the juice, smiled back.
“I’m going to text Tae-hwi hyung and Ho-yeong. I didn’t get to thank them properly.”
Haon brought up something In-ho hadn’t asked about first and leaned into his embrace. Then, he held up the phone so In-ho could see and opened the messaging window.
Just as he said, he left only a message thanking Tae-hwi and Ho-yeong for their help and then closed the phone. In-ho remained silent for a moment, just watching Haon.
“…….”
In the short silence, Haon called out to him with his eyes, Mr. In-ho.
“You’d prefer it if I didn’t work on weekends, right?”
It was a sudden question. In-ho couldn’t answer.
“Should I quit?”
In-ho, his lips parting soundlessly, rubbed his chin with his fingertip. His calm eyes slowly dropped to the floor.
In-ho answered instead with a nod.
“Then I’ll only work until next week. I’ll contact them in advance to say I’m quitting.”
Haon, holding In-ho’s hand, interlaced their fingers. He said that if a replacement was found first, he wouldn’t go in even next week.
“Then… you’ll be less anxious, right?”
Haon playfully shook their tightly clasped hands. To lighten the weight of the heavy question.
In-ho’s lips twitched, and he eventually nodded again. Then, leaning his head on Haon’s shoulder, he let out a low laugh. It was a laugh filled with a sense of embarrassment.
Haon hugged In-ho tightly and whispered.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Sincerity overflowed in every slowly spoken word.
“I hope you… don’t feel too anxious because of me, In-ho.
In-ho swallowed a breath mixed with Haon’s scent, wrapped his arms around the lean body, and answered once more only with a nod. The heartbeat of In-ho, transmitted through their touching chests, resembled Haon’s own.