By Zephyria 
The musical was more enjoyable than expected. He had been a bit nervous that it would be crowded, but the overall atmosphere was calm, which naturally put his mind at ease.
Above all, it was even more comfortable because only the seats where Haon and In-ho sat had two empty spaces on either side. Thanks to that, he felt as if he were watching the performance alone with In-ho. Haon thought they were lucky.
“Is it over?”
As the house lights came up, Haon’s eyes widened and he whispered to In-ho. He was surprised that the actors had exited when it felt like there was more to the story. Completely immersed in the performance, Haon looked around, bewildered.
“It’s intermission. The show is long, so it’s okay to step away for about twenty minutes.”
In-ho asked Haon if he needed to use the restroom. Haon shook his head, saying he was fine.
Don’t you need to go, In-ho?”
When Haon asked tentatively, In-ho glanced around for a moment. He seemed to be checking the people sitting beyond the two empty seats.
Next to Haon sat a young couple, and next to In-ho, a middle-aged woman who had come alone was using her phone. She gave off the aura of an ordinary Beta. There was no one who posed a threat to Haon.
“I’ll be right back. Will you be okay alone?”
“Yes, of course. Take your time.”
Haon smiled, waving the performance pamphlet. Even after hearing Haon’s answer, In-ho didn’t leave immediately but scanned the surroundings a bit longer.
“I’ll be back soon.”
Haon nodded and smiled.
Since he was left alone for a while, he read the pamphlet in detail. Although he had already seen the story as a movie, he read the summarized plot again. It felt completely different from the movie, which made it feel fresh.
He was happy to have another new experience. A gentle smile floated like a cloud across Haon’s face as he read the pamphlet.
“Is your stomach okay?”
Just then, the low conversation of the young couple reached him. The husband was worried, taking a bottle of water out of his bag because the wife seemed to be feeling unwell. Haon pretended to focus on the pamphlet while stealing a glance at the woman.
The woman, wearing a form-fitting knit dress, had a slight bulge in her stomach. Since her arms and legs were thin but only her stomach was protruding, she seemed to be pregnant.
“Yeah, I’m feeling better.”
“If it’s too hard, you don’t have to watch the whole thing.”
“No. I’m going to watch until the end.”
The woman’s tone was slightly irritable. She even rejected the water her husband offered. Then, letting out a deep sigh, she leaned against her husband’s shoulder. The man rubbed the shoulder of the struggling woman, indulging all her complaints.
“Kko-kko, help Mommy watch the show comfortably. Daddy’s asking you.”
The man whispered, gently stroking the woman’s stomach. Only then did the woman let out a small laugh, her face relaxing.
It seemed the fetal nickname was Kko-kko. It was a cute name.
Dazed, Haon realized he was unconsciously touching his own stomach. Even after eating a full meal, Haon’s stomach remained flat. He had a body that hardly ever gained weight.
As he rubbed his thin stomach, he slowly pulled his hand away.
His expression was tinged with bitterness, but he did not lose his smile. While waiting for In-ho, Haon imagined a situation that would never happen in reality. After all, imagination is free.
The image of himself having a child and In-ho becoming a father.
He naturally pictured himself walking with difficulty while cradling a swollen belly, and the sight of In-ho’s back as he supported him. In-ho would surely be a good father. He had said so himself.
The smile on Haon’s face, soaked in imagination, eventually faded.
“Is there a part you don’t understand?”
In-ho, returning to his seat, asked Haon, who had his nose practically buried in the pamphlet. He seemed to think Haon had been reading the plot repeatedly for a long time.
“I’ll explain it to you. Ask me anything.”
Sitting close to Haon, In-ho wrapped his hand around Haon’s hand, which was holding the pamphlet. Only then did Haon lift his head and meet In-ho’s gaze.
“I understood everything. I’m okay.”
With a gentle smile, Haon leaned his cheek against In-ho’s shoulder. The moment he preciously clasped In-ho’s large hand that was enveloping his own, the lights went black again and the play resumed.
Haon did not let go of In-ho’s hand until the performance ended.
* * *
After leaving the theater building, In-ho’s car glided smoothly along the road. Holding the steering wheel with one hand, In-ho listened intently to Haon’s voice while stroking their joined hands.
“I’m so glad they succeeded in both their dreams and love. I feel like if they had lost even one of the two, it would have ended unhappily.”
Haon swallowed hard and continued speaking without pause. He was sharing his impressions of the musical. Thanks to In-ho adding questions here and there, he was able to express his thoughts freely.
“They are characters who have big goals and value love deeply.”
“That’s true.”
“I’m just so glad that those protagonists all succeeded as actors and even formed a harmonious family.”
Haon established his own preference, saying that he liked happy endings regardless of the story. His expression still looked as if the lingering emotions of the performance hadn’t faded.
During the curtain call, Haon had clapped until his palms turned red. His eyes had even welled up with tears. In-ho thought he should take Haon to see musicals more often. He was happy that Haon enjoyed it.
“I want to watch it as a movie again later. Since you didn’t see it then, In-ho, let’s watch it together.”
“I’d love to. Let’s watch it whenever you want to, Mr./Ms. Haon.
In-ho asked Haon which he preferred, the movie or the musical. He intentionally brought up a topic that would allow Haon to talk for a long time. Because he wanted to hear more of Haon’s soft, quiet voice.
Just as Haon was immersed in the musical, In-ho, intoxicated by the small and delicate voice, listened with a pleased expression. In his heart, he felt like he wanted to record it.
Do you think you’d feel the same, Haon?”
“About what?”
In-ho, who had been listening for a while, asked abruptly. He was heading toward Han River Park instead of home. Since it had been a while since they went out, he wanted to let Haon get plenty of fresh air.
“Between dreams and love, if only one of them came true.”
In-ho stepped on the brake at a red light and looked at Haon. His low voice followed, asking if he thought he would be unhappy then.
Haon couldn’t answer immediately. It was a question he had never considered.
“It would be a shame, but…”
His voice grew even slower as he carefully pondered the answer. Slowly rolling his eyes, Haon met In-ho’s gaze again.
“I think I’d be happy if even one of them came true.”
In truth, Haon didn’t really have a dream.
When he was young, his only wish was to live happily with his grandmother, Seong-gu hyung, and the villagers. However, after his grandmother passed away, that wish wavered, and in the process of reorganizing his goals in life, he met In-ho.
“I definitely want to protect love.”
He had no dream he wanted to achieve, but he had found love. For Haon, maintaining his relationship with In-ho had become his goal in life.
What about you, In-ho?”
The light changed the moment Haon asked. He must have spent too long pondering the answer.
Looking forward, In-ho gently started the car. They were almost at their destination.
“I only need one to come true, too.”
In-ho answered without hesitation, applying a subtle pressure to the hand he held with Haon.
“But because my dream is to love.”
Because of that, he said that if he achieved one, both his dream and love would be fulfilled. A faint hint of a smile permeated his voice as he spoke of his dream. However, it did not sound light in the slightest.
“Living a whole life without getting sick with the person I love.”
That would be enough, and so he vowed that he would definitely achieve it; his wish was directed toward Haon. Haon read In-ho’s sincerity.
The quickening beat of his heart was transmitted through their hands.
Before they knew it, the car reached the vicinity of Han River Park. In the meantime, Haon kept his mouth shut and only touched In-ho’s hand. In-ho also didn’t say anything.
A strange current mixed into the silence lingering between them. Haon, leaning the tip of his nose against In-ho’s forearm, let out a long breath. His round eyes, fixed on In-ho, were moist. His pale cheeks also began to turn red.
Parting his lips slightly, In-ho turned the steering wheel, waiting for Haon to speak first. Instead of the parking lot he had originally intended, he chose a more secluded spot.
It was a place where no one was passing by.
In-ho…
“Yes.”
Stopping the car, In-ho leaned his body toward Haon. Haon reached out both arms toward In-ho. The seatbelt crossing his chest became an obstacle. In-ho pulled Haon toward him and unbuckled the seatbelt.
Click, the sound echoed twice in succession.
Freed from the seatbelt, Haon sought In-ho’s lips. In truth, he had wanted to kiss him since the intermission. If only the people around them hadn’t been there, he would have explored In-ho’s lips to his heart’s content. Haon needed In-ho’s warmth.
“Please… hold me.”
Wrapping his arms around In-ho’s shoulders, Haon whispered as if sobbing. His heart was filled with overwhelming emotion, yet strangely, tears threatened to form. Even though there was clearly nothing left to cry about.
Formless emotions gathered in his gaunt stomach. A faint sorrow tried to seep through the overflowing happiness. Haon knew. This was greed.
“Come here.”
Wrapping his arm around Haon’s waist, In-ho supported the thin body with his large hand. As if he had been waiting, Haon crossed over into In-ho’s seat and sat on his lap.
The sound of their wet breaths, their bodies overlapping, filled the car.