By Zephyria 
And so, the two walked along, enjoying the cherry blossoms in a rare, gentle atmosphere. It wasn’t a very big island, so after walking for about ten minutes, they were at the other end.
“He said there’d be a path to an empty lot if you walked along,”
Moon Kyeon-woo muttered, then stopped. Perhaps because it was an island, a seagull suddenly appeared on the path. Was it like a pigeon of the sea? It didn’t seem to fear people and flashed its menacing yellow eyes. Yeon-rok said without much thought.
“Too bad. I don’t have any shrimp crackers right now.”
“Don’t you dare give it any.”
Confused, Yeon-rok turned to see Moon Kyeon-woo glaring at the seagull, sweating. Could it be…? Yeon-rok turned completely around and asked.
“Are you afraid of seagulls?”
“…I’m afraid of birds.”
“That’s the same thing.”
Yeon-rok scratched his cheek, wondering if he should tease him, then shrugged.
“Then let’s go back the way we came. It’ll probably fly away in the meantime.”
Moon Kyeon-woo looked at Yeon-rok as if surprised, but then his face turned pale. The seagull opened its beak and screeched, flapping its wings and lunging at the two of them. Moon Kyeon-woo let out a silent scream and grabbed Yeon-rok’s sleeve.
“Ack! No, wait, this is… I can’t breathe…!”
Yeon-rok shouted, choked because the terrified man had grabbed his collar and was using him as a shield. Moon Kyeon-woo, terrified, gripped him fiercely. Then, somewhere, there was an ominous sound, rip.
Suddenly, a rush of cold air hit Yeon-rok’s chest. The seagull, which had been trying to snatch a snack, paused. Moon Kyeon-woo also stopped. Yeon-rok silently looked down at his top, which had its shirt buttons torn off, exposing his chest completely.
As if he had seen it all, the seagull let out a mocking cry and flew away. Moon Kyeon-woo let go of him with an expression that was hard to tell whether it was disgust or contempt.
“Talk about bad luck.”
“That’s what I should be saying?!”
Feeling a sense of déjà vu, Yeon-rok covered his bare chest. It was because Moon Kyeon-woo was staring intently at his chest, even though he looked disgusted.
“Why does this kind of thing always happen…”
“I should be saying that! Why do you keep ruining my clothes!”
Unlike before, Moon Kyeon-woo took off his cardigan, perhaps to take responsibility. Yeon-rok, who was only wearing a light shirt because it was warm in Namhae, accepted it without refusing and quickly put it on.
Yeon-rok himself tried to ignore it, but objectively, he was the smallest of the Name partners. It wasn’t that Yeon-rok was petite, but Yeom Cheon-ho, as well as Choi Hwan and Moon Kyeon-woo, were all bigger than him. Only after Yeon-rok had neatly put on the ‘slightly’ loose cardigan and buttoned it all the way up did Moon Kyeon-woo’s gaze leave his chest.
After many twists and turns, the two found a path in the middle of the mountain. Sure enough, at the end of the path was a fairly secluded open space. There was even a pavilion, adding to the charm. He took a picture of the scenery and sent it to Yeom Cheon-ho, who couldn’t come. Perhaps because he was busy, he didn’t get a reply right away. He sent it to Choi Hwan to annoy him, and he sent back a crying reply, “ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ,” which was out of character for him.
“Let’s eat lunch.”
Yeon-rok, moving quickly, spread out the mat he had brought and took out the three-tiered lunch box. When he opened the lid, it was filled with various foods. Yeon-rok ate Choi Hwan’s share with gusto and, hoping for a friendly atmosphere, asked.
“I’m curious, do you really always like the person you date? How can you fall in love so quickly?”
He thought he might be ignored because it was a personal question, but Moon Kyeon-woo answered quite generously.
“I ask them out because I have a good feeling about them. Even if I don’t have a good feeling, I accept if they ask me out. If we date like that, I can come to like them to some extent. I can always find their good points.”
To Yeon-rok, it sounded like he had never really liked anyone passionately. Come to think of it, there are people like that sometimes. People who are so lonely that they can’t stand being without a Darling. In Yeon-rok’s eyes, Moon Kyeon-woo seemed to be that kind of person.
“Can I ask how many people you’ve dated so far?”
Moon Kyeon-woo, looking as annoyed as if he were just watching a clingy nephew, answered insincerely.
“What are you going to do with that information?”
“Ten people? Twenty people? …Could it be more than twenty?”
Moon Kyeon-woo didn’t say anything, but Yeon-rok could sense an affirmative answer. Surprised, he put down his fork without finishing his meal. More than twenty people! Had his relationships been incredibly short? Or had he been precocious since he was young?
“If you end up dating CEO Yeom Cheon-ho, how many boyfriends will he be?”
“I don’t know. Just shut your mouth and eat.”
It seemed that Moon Kyeon-woo’s short patience had run out after just one question. Yeon-rok shrugged and finished Choi Hwan’s share before starting on his own lunch box.
After eating his fill of fruit for dessert, he felt drowsy. While Moon Kyeon-woo was cleaning up the lunch box, he took out the blanket he had brought, covered himself snugly, and lay down. As he watched the fluttering petals, his eyes slowly closed. But it wasn’t long before he was wide awake.
“Pfft…”
It wasn’t snoring. It was because the petals kept falling on his face, even though he was lying inside the pavilion, perhaps because of the direction of the wind. When Yeon-rok kept making a “pfft” sound, Moon Kyeon-woo glared at him irritably.
“You really are a lot of work.”
Then he got up and sat facing him in the direction the wind was blowing. Yeon-rok stared at him with wide eyes, and he said coldly.
“Now, please be quiet.”
What? He’s actually being this kind? Yeon-rok shifted awkwardly.
Moon Kyeon-woo didn’t seem interested in looking at the cherry blossoms at all and kept his eyes glued to his tablet. His usually pale face looked even paler today. His downcast gaze was filled with fatigue, and he seemed to have lost some weight. His pretty face looked gaunt, giving him the air of a man with a deep story, even though he was actually just a hopeless romantic who was quick to fall in love… Yeon-rok stared at him for a while and asked.
“You’re really not dating CEO Yeom Cheon-ho, are you?”
Moon Kyeon-woo glared at him with a terrifying look, perhaps because he kept being interrupted while he was working. Yeon-rok didn’t care and asked.
“Then should I hold your hand? You don’t have a Darling right now.”
Moon Kyeon-woo blinked as if it was an unexpected suggestion. A look of contemplation briefly crossed his face. His eyes alternated between the research records on the tablet, which had a long way to go, and the innocent face of his young partner. He was definitely in bad shape right now and needed to be taken care of.
“…Okay.”
The hand that Moon Kyeon-woo held out was as cold as ice. It slowly warmed up as Yeon-rok held it still. Soon, Moon Kyeon-woo let out a sigh-like exclamation. Color returned to his pale, white face, as if he were watching winter pass and spring arrive. Yeon-rok was watching him quietly when he suddenly muttered.
“Name manifestation has too many disadvantages. But… this isn’t bad.”
Agreeing with the other person’s words, Yeon-rok nodded. Holding hands like this made him feel less lonely, even with someone he didn’t particularly like. Was Moon Kyeon-woo feeling something similar? Wondering, Yeon-rok continued to enjoy the cherry blossoms, immersed in the peaceful and warm atmosphere.
As he gazed at the endlessly falling cherry blossom petals, his eyelids slowly, heavily, drooped. His body relaxed, and his consciousness gradually faded. Before falling into a gentle nap, Yeon-rok felt a warm, petal-like touch fall between the open flaps of his cardigan, over his Name, and then drift away, but he quickly forgot about it.
At the weekly dinner that everyone attended, the atmosphere was unusually chilly. Moon Kyeon-woo, without a Darling, seemed quite heartbroken and depressed, as if he were suffering from Darling withdrawal. It seemed that he had finally decided not to date Yeom Cheon-ho after a long period of flirting. At least Choi Hwan, like someone who didn’t know any better, started talking to Yeon-rok and chattering away.
“Hey, want to come see the broadcasting station? I’ll buy you something delicious.”
“No way. What kind of trouble would I get into if I went?”
“Ah, I really won’t do that this time…”
For the most part, what Choi Hwan said to Yeon-rok was just whining and begging him to play with him. Having been through it before, Yeon-rok listened with one ear and let it go out the other, but Yeom Cheon-ho opened his mouth gently.
“Did you both enjoy the cherry blossom viewing?”
“Well… it was better and nicer than I thought. It was well-maintained. I want to go again next time.”
Yeon-rok answered sincerely. The cherry blossom viewing he had gone to with Moon Kyeon-woo was more enjoyable than he had expected. He was also relieved that his relationship with the Name partners had been gradually improving recently. Aside from the relief that he wouldn’t die alone, he felt less alienated.
But strangely, after Yeon-rok said that he had enjoyed the cherry blossom viewing, Choi Hwan suddenly looked dejected and just kept stirring his chicken breast salad for a long time.
“I’m glad you had fun. And…”
As if the cherry blossom viewing was just an introduction before mentioning an important matter, Yeom Cheon-ho got to the main point.
“About Yeon-rok’s knitting group.”
“You knit?”
Choi Hwan reacted as if it was the first time he had heard about it, even though Yeon-rok had been going to the knitting group for almost two months now. Moon Kyeon-woo showed almost no reaction, and it was impossible to tell whether he knew or was just indifferent to everything right now.