By Zephyria 
Haon called his boss immediately over the weekend. He felt it was better to tell him as soon as possible to minimize any inconvenience.
He had been prepared to accept any amount of verbal abuse. Unexpectedly, however, the boss didn’t get angry at all when Haon said he would have to quit. Instead, he worriedly asked if Haon was feeling alright.
His tone suggested he had somewhat expected that Haon would quit. He even left a piece of concerned advice, telling him not to work in bars if possible in the future. Along with the suggestion that he stay glued to his partner’s side.
And so, it was decided that he would work at the pub only until this weekend. He had originally intended to find more short-term weekend work, but he changed his mind.
Because right now, what mattered to Haon wasn’t money, but In-ho.
Buzz— Buzz—
Haon opened his eyes to the vibration of the phone tucked under his pillow. With a disheveled face from waking up, he pulled out the phone and hurriedly pressed the screen. In his haste, he pressed the end-call button without even checking who it was, fearing he might wake In-ho.
Holding the phone, Haon quietly pushed himself up. He was bare-skinned, not wearing so much as a pajama shirt. In-ho, who was fast asleep, also had his firm, bare skin exposed outside the blanket.
Since it was dawn, the air felt a bit chilly. Haon covered In-ho with the blanket first, then checked his phone while only covering his lower body.
“Ah…”
It was a call from Seong-gu hyung. Since he had hung up without answering, his brother was bound to be worried. Sure enough, messages were piling up in the chat window with Seong-gu hyung.
[Call me as soon as you see this]
Reading the last text, Haon swallowed hard. Seeing the messages that looked angry at a glance made him suddenly nervous. He wondered if something had happened at home.
With a worried heart, he looked back and forth between the phone and In-ho. He thought about going downstairs for a moment just to take the call, but he couldn’t bring himself to move. He didn’t want to leave the deeply sleeping In-ho alone. Not even for a second.
Buzz—
While Haon was hesitating, the phone rang again. Flustered, Haon accidentally pressed the call button.
“H-hello?”
He answered the phone in a tiny voice. Fortunately, In-ho showed no signs of waking up. Just as he felt relieved that he could talk like this, a lion-like roar poured through the phone, piercing his ears.
Hey, Jeong Haon!!
“H-hyung…?”
Haon’s eyes widened, his sleepiness vanishing instantly.
You brat, are you dead or alive! Why aren’t you answering your phone?! Are you kidding me? Huh?! Do you know or not that your brother is worried!
Haon didn’t know what to do at the sound of Seong-gu hyung’s thoroughly enraged voice. He hurriedly crawled to the edge of the bed and curled his body up as much as possible. He didn’t forget to lower the phone’s volume.
If you read the text, you should reply. You didn’t even contact me first! Then you should at least reply properly! Am I wrong?!
“Y-you’re right. You’re completely right, hyung…”
What’s with your voice?!
When Haon whispered, an agitated Seong-gu shouted, asking if he was sick. Shaking his head, Haon hesitated before saying he had a cold in his throat. He thought that might make his brother less angry.
What about the hospital?
Once he heard he was sick, Seong-gu stopped raising his voice. Haon rubbed his stinging ears in relief.
“I went. I’m okay.”
Why are you catching a cold when you can’t even take medicine? Are you overworking yourself again?
“I’m not overworking. I’ve been taking it easy lately.”
He continued the call while glancing at the sleeping In-ho. Lying on his side toward Haon, In-ho didn’t even twitch an eyebrow, looking like a sculpture. While stealing glances at In-ho’s smooth cheek and jawline, Haon ended up missing what Seong-gu hyung said.
Are you listening to me?
“Uh, huh?”
A loud sigh followed over the phone.
This is really too much, Jeong Haon. You can’t do this.
“I’m sorry. I’ll listen carefully. Please say it again.”
No matter how busy you are, you should at least text once a week. Do you find your brother annoying?
Haon vehemently denied it, wondering how he could possibly find him annoying. He had simply been too distracted to reach out. In his heart, he was always thinking of Seong-gu hyung.
“I’m really doing well. But… I didn’t have the leeway to contact you…”
He mumbled, his voice trailing off into a whisper. It was clearly his fault, so there was nothing else to say. He was just sorry.
Is it true that nothing is really wrong? Are you sure?
“Yeah, hyung, I’m okay. I’m happy.”
Haon himself was startled by the last words that suddenly popped out. To say he was happy after making Seong-gu hyung upset.
Happy?
As expected, his brother’s voice dropped an octave, sounding offended. However, Haon answered truthfully. That he was very happy.
Are you dating? That Alpha?
Amazed that Seong-gu hyung had seen right through him instantly, he affirmed that it was true.
What. Really?
Surprised, Seong-gu pressed him, asking what on earth had happened in the meantime.
“I’ll tell you in detail later. Once my throat is all better.”
Since In-ho was sleeping, it was difficult to talk for long. Haon continued with a slightly more practiced lie and apologized to his brother once more.
Then don’t talk much and just listen for a bit.
“Okay.”
You appeared in my dream today.
Unable to keep up with the sudden change in topic, Haon asked, “Huh?”
I said you appeared in my dream. You just showed up out of nowhere and cried your eyes out without saying a word. Ha, I seriously thought my heart was ripping apart, you brat.
Seong-gu sighed, saying that was why he had called so early in the morning. He said he had tried to stick to texting as much as possible, but he couldn’t stand the worry.
You haven’t checked my texts for days, and then you suddenly appear in a dream crying sorrowfully like you’d lost your country. How could your brother just stay still?
He said that if Haon hadn’t answered the phone today, he would have come up to Seoul immediately. Haon listened intently to his brother’s story, then tilted his head.
“Hyung, did you text…?”
You didn’t know? Do you live your life without ever looking at your phone?
While that was somewhat true, he always checked when a text notification arrived.
“Hold on.”
Haon moved the phone away from his ear for a moment and opened the text screen. Other than the one that just arrived, there were no new messages from Seong-gu hyung.
The text didn’t go through? Change your phone. It’s reached the end of its life. You’re using a really old one, aren’t you?
“…Yeah. I should change it.”
Trailing off, Haon looked at In-ho with a calm gaze. He carefully reached out and brushed a stray hair off In-ho’s cheek.
Still, I’m glad you say you’re happy.
“Yeah, I’m happy. Truly.”
He spoke with sincerity while looking at In-ho. As if there were no problems at all. Even if there were, he believed they couldn’t interfere with his current happiness. Haon was certain of this in his heart.
If things get hard, come back anytime. Our parents and the village elders are all waiting for you.
“Really?”
Of course. Whenever I see them, they ask when you’re coming back. I’m sick and tired of it.
With a small chuckle, Haon moved closer to In-ho. Even though he was talking on the phone next to him, it didn’t seem like In-ho would wake up. He was truly in a deep sleep.
Haon lightly placed a finger under In-ho’s nose. He found it slightly funny that he felt relieved when he felt the faint breath.
Just then, In-ho turned his head slightly and kicked off the blanket Haon had covered him with in his sleep. Even though the bedroom temperature was appropriate, he let out a stifled breath as if he were hot. Haon fanned him with his hand and whispered softly.
“Hyung.”
Yeah.
“It would be hard for a Seoul person to live in the countryside, right?”
The question had suddenly occurred to him. Haon continued to whisper while stroking the ends of In-ho’s brown hair.
“There’s nothing fun in the countryside… and there’s nothing to do at night.”
It was starkly different from Seoul, which glittered with city night views. The neighborhood where Haon lived didn’t even have a common convenience store. Visiting for a short while was one thing, but for In-ho to live there was unthinkable.
Of course it would be hard! Don’t bring him here!
Seong-gu, who had been listening quietly, suddenly shouted. Haon didn’t know, but Seong-gu was currently clutching the back of his own neck. To Seong-gu, who still viewed Haon as a newborn calf, it was a conversation that made his blood pressure spike.
How can you even think about living together when you haven’t even been dating that long! Don’t even dream about it, brat!
“N-no… I mean, uh… I get it. I won’t.”
With his earlobes turning red, Haon scratched his chin without making excuses. He could imagine how much he would be scolded if it were discovered that he was currently lying in bed with In-ho, half-naked.
He decided he must never mention that they were already living together. Haon vowed firmly.
Only after listening to Seong-gu hyung’s lecture, which lasted over ten minutes, was he able to put the phone down. It was a bit exhausting, but he was glad to hear his brother’s voice after a long time.
He put the phone back under the pillow and crawled under the blanket. He thought about checking the text screen again but decided against it.
“Mr. In-ho.”
Since there was no answer, he continued the conversation alone, lightly biting the tip of In-ho’s nose. Leaning on In-ho’s body temperature, which seemed to have risen slightly, he covered himself with the blanket only up to his chest. He felt that In-ho’s temperature felt high because his own fever had dropped.
“What should we do today?”
Naturally, there was no response from In-ho. Haon watched the deeply sleeping In-ho with a satisfied smile.
“Let’s… go outside today.”
Even after the aftereffects of the heat had faded, he hadn’t stepped foot outside the house once, on the grounds that Haon still had a slight fever. In-ho hadn’t even considered going out. He spent most of his time in bed with Haon, or cooking in the kitchen.
“Let’s go on a date for the first time in a while.”
Pressing his lips against In-ho’s, Haon whispered, their skin brushing. He wanted to eat lots of delicious food and soak up plenty of sunlight.