By Zephyria 
After picking up the gifts they had left in the trunk, the two headed toward the common entrance alone, without any attendants. People spending a leisurely afternoon at the bistro’s outdoor seating glanced at the two men holding hands. Their polished attire and groomed hair made them look far from ordinary, and the combination of a tall man with a heavy presence and a youth who still carried a hint of freshness drew even more attention.
Choi Hong-seo was so tense that he was completely oblivious to the curious gazes. Observing his pale complexion, Lee Hae-sung used the intercom to call the penthouse on the 5th floor.
[I’ve been waiting. Please come up.]
The owner of the cheerful voice coming from the intercom was Yi-han. Without asking who it was, he immediately opened the common entrance for them.
Despite being a luxury residential area with only six units, the elevator was, as expected, cramped. Standing shoulder to shoulder, Lee Hae-sung and Choi Hong-seo looked up at the panel as the numbers slowly climbed, their hands full of gift bundles.
Then, Lee Hae-sung sensed a small movement. He shifted the gift bags to one hand and reached for Choi Hong-seo’s hand.
“……”
“……”
One, two… three…
Until Lee Hae-sung firmly interlaced their fingers, Choi Hong-seo didn’t seem to realize it himself—that he had been counting by folding his fingers.
Startled by his own action, he reflexively snapped his head up to look at Lee Hae-sung. Even though Lee Hae-sung wasn’t going to scold him, his frightened eyes shook violently.
“Wow, I thought… you’d completely fixed that.”
“When I’m extremely nervous, I can do that unconsciously.”
“I’d rather have thrown up like yesterday.”
“Is it something to beat yourself up over that much?”
“Because old memories come back… I really don’t want to go back to my old habits anymore.”
Biting his lower lip hard, Choi Hong-seo’s gaze dropped to his feet.
Whenever he was nervous or facing something he didn’t want to do, he used to fold his fingers and count. For Choi Hong-seo, it was a ‘stolen habit.’ The situations that had forced him to maintain that habit were horrific. He did not want to drag that habit into his current life, where he no longer needed to count on his fingers.
“I like it.”
At Lee Hae-sung’s soft, confident low voice, Choi Hong-seo slowly raised his head again.
“That habit was one of the hints that let me recognize you as Hong-seo.”
Upon hearing those words, Choi Hong-seo’s expression softened slightly. Come to think of it, that’s true. Seeing the look of agreement on his face, Lee Hae-sung smiled. He lifted their interlaced hands and planted a quick kiss on his lover’s fingernail. Choi Hong-seo smiled bashfully.
“Isn’t it funny that I was pretending to be cool earlier, but now I’m this nervous?”
“Not being hurt doesn’t mean you don’t get nervous.”
“……”
“And Hong-seo is always strong in actual practice. Just like yesterday.”
As Lee Hae-sung playfully shook their joined hands back and forth, Choi Hong-seo gave a brighter smile. However, the moment the elevator clattered to a stop and the doors opened, he froze instantly, rendering the effort to soothe him useless.
Jeong Ji-in and Yi-han were waiting for them in front of the elevator.
“Actor Jeong Ji-in and Nox Yi-han coming all the way to the entrance to greet us. This is far too humbling, isn’t it?”
Lee Hae-sung stepped out of the elevator, intentionally throwing out a joke. He had to grip Choi Hong-seo’s hand firmly and practically pull him out, as the younger man remained frozen, unable to move his feet.
The eyes of Jeong Ji-in and Yi-han shook violently upon seeing Hyeon-seo in person.
It was fortunate that Choi Hong-seo was looking only at the floor, so he didn’t see their bewilderment or sense of dismay.
“Welcome… Hyung-nim.”
Jeong Ji-in’s smile was awkward.
They had already known yesterday that Lee Hae-sung’s ‘person’ was the actor Hyeon-seo, and they must have researched that Hyeon-seo’s appearance, aura, manner of speaking, acting, and composing style were all said to resemble Choi Hong-seo to a controversial degree. Even so, facing Hyeon-seo in person, they momentarily failed to manage their expressions.
Because he resembled Choi Hong-seo far more than they had seen in photos or videos, and far more than they had prepared for.
Jeong Ji-in, who had been particularly close to Choi Hong-seo, seemed even more shocked than Yi-han. Seeing Hyeon-seo’s image forced him to think of Choi Hong-seo, causing his emotions to sway violently.
However, he recovered his emotions as quickly as possible and readjusted his smile. He offered a warm greeting to Choi Hong-seo, who was standing close to Lee Hae-sung and staring only at the floor.
“You’re Hyeon-seo-ssi, right? It’s a pleasure. I’m Jeong Ji-in.”
Choi Hong-seo bowed his head deeply in greeting. His gaze still couldn’t look Jeong Ji-in straight in the eye.
“Hello. I am… Hyeon-seo. Th-thank you for inviting me.”
Lee Hae-sung could tell. Jeong Ji-in wasn’t the only one whose emotions were shaken by seeing Hyeon-seo, who looked exactly like Choi Hong-seo. Choi Hong-seo, meeting Jeong Ji-in again while alive, was also swept up in intense emotion.
“Hyeon-seo-ssi, we’ve met before. Do you remember me?”
This time, Yi-han, who was standing beside Jeong Ji-in, leaned his large frame down to greet Choi Hong-seo. Like a shy child, Choi Hong-seo stole a glance at him before bowing his waist again.
“Yes, hello.”
His voice was barely a whisper. For some reason, he seemed even more intimidated in front of Yi-han than in front of Jeong Ji-in.
Slowly, Choi Hong-seo edged away from Yi-han and pressed closer to Lee Hae-sung. He was practically half-hidden behind Lee Hae-sung. As if holding hands wasn’t enough to stabilize him, he fumbled and gripped Lee Hae-sung’s arm and side as if clinging to him.
Watching this, Jeong Ji-in patted Yi-han’s broad back and spoke.
“Hyeon-seo-ssi, this man is quite large, isn’t he? But don’t worry, he won’t suddenly pounce and bite you. He’s gentler than he looks.”
“What, you’re treating me like a puppy. Hyeon-seo-ssi is probably used to this height. I’m not even that many centimeters different from Hyung-nim.”
Placing a hand on Yi-han’s thick, broad shoulder, Jeong Ji-in shook his head slightly.
“Han-ah, it’s not a matter of height.”
Then, he shrugged toward Lee Hae-sung and Choi Hong-seo.
“Even the little kids living in the same building hide behind their moms and dads for a few months every time they see Yi-han.”
Despite the efforts of Jeong Ji-in and Yi-han to ease the tension, Choi Hong-seo remained pressed tightly against Lee Hae-sung’s side. Lee Hae-sung wrapped an arm around his lover’s shoulder, stroking his hair as he asked the two men for their understanding.
“Please understand. Hyeon-seo is very nervous about today’s meeting.”
“Hyeon-seo-ssi’s face is pale as a ghost, but aren’t you smiling too much, Hyung-nim?”
“It’s obvious. He’s happy because Hyeon-seo-ssi is clinging only to him.”
Despite Yi-han’s teasing, Lee Hae-sung only laughed silently.
Yi-han’s words were true. Lee Hae-sung felt good having Choi Hong-seo’s hand and arm relying on him.
In the past, he had felt this same emotion the moment he formally introduced Manager Kang to Choi Hong-seo.
At that time, Choi Hong-seo still found Lee Hae-sung difficult to deal with. But once Manager Kang appeared, Lee Hae-sung became a relatively comfortable companion. Unconsciously closing the distance between them, Choi Hong-seo had vaguely gripped the area around Lee Hae-sung’s elbow.
Looking down at Choi Hong-seo, Lee Hae-sung had found it enjoyable. His behavior was cute and heartwarming, making him wonder if this was what dating someone younger was like. At the same time, he felt a poignant emotion, as if watching a stained puppy following him around.
“He’s someone who’s usually so good at handling everything on his own. Normally, there are no gaps for me to fill. Maybe that’s why it feels good when he relies on me.”
“Ah… I know exactly how it feels to date such a perfect person.”
Yi-han nodded, staring intently at Jeong Ji-in. With an expression of disagreement, Jeong Ji-in spoke to Choi Hong-seo.
“Hyeon-seo-ssi, just let the talk of these two go in one ear and out the other. I thought being a fool for one’s partner was Yi-han’s specialty, but Hyung-nim is just as bad. I wonder if I should be glad that it’s not just my guy…”
At Jeong Ji-in’s joke, Choi Hong-seo, who was clutching Lee Hae-sung’s collar, managed a clumsy smile.
Even though they were cousins, Lee Hae-sung hadn’t been extremely close with Yi-han while growing up. Due to the age difference, he didn’t have many opportunities to hang out with Yi-han himself, and he had felt more competitiveness with Yi-han’s older brothers and sisters. It was only after Choi Hong-seo’s death that he became this candidly close with Yi-han and began interacting with his partner.
They were the only friends who comforted Lee Hae-sung after he lost his lover, and Jeong Ji-in and Lee Hae-sung shared the grief of losing the person who was Choi Hong-seo. Before he knew it, Lee Hae-sung felt closer to them than to his own biological siblings.
It felt surreal that he had become the kind of person who exchanged these kinds of jokes with Yi-han, and especially with Jeong Ji-in, who had always treated him with such formality. In a way, it was Choi Hong-seo who had brought these connections into a life that had lacked intimate friends to share emotions with.
“We’ll be standing here forever at this rate. Please come in, Hyung-nim. Come in, Hyeon-seo-ssi.”
Jeong Ji-in guided the two inside the apartment. As they entered the entrance, a long hallway stretched out. Jeong Ji-in glanced back as he walked ahead.
“It’s a bit too early for a meal, so I’ve prepared some aperitifs first. Hyeon-seo-ssi, you drink too, right?”
“Of course, Hyeon-seo is a proper adult.”
“Proper? How long has it been since I became an adult…”
At Lee Hae-sung’s comment, which made him sound like a child who had just reached adulthood, Choi Hong-seo pulled his hand and scolded him in a lowered voice. The way he wanted to be treated as an adult in front of others was exactly like a child.
“Haha. But Hyeon-seo-ssi really does look too young for his age. I was surprised to find out he’s only one year younger than our Han.”
Yi-han, who had reached the living room first, stopped while opening the glass door leading to the terrace and looked back at Jeong Ji-in.
“Hey, Jeong Ji-in-ssi, aren’t you being too harsh on me today?”
“Why? Do you want to look young? You don’t.”
Jeong Ji-in wrapped his arm around the waist of his partner, who was pretending to be sulky. Yi-han’s expression immediately cleared, and as a form of revenge, he gave Jeong Ji-in a crushing hug before letting go. Scolding him for what he was doing in front of guests, Jeong Ji-in tapped him near the shoulder, and Yi-han exaggerated his reaction.
Stopping at the entrance of the living room, Choi Hong-seo watched the two of them in silence.
Adjusting his grip on Choi Hong-seo’s hand, Lee Hae-sung rested his forehead lightly on the crown of the younger man’s head.
“Does it put you at ease to see them living happily?”
Choi Hong-seo lifted his chin and looked up at Lee Hae-sung. With a sincere smile, he nodded, his eyes shimmering with light. It was a gaze like one watching two protagonists on a screen who had finally reached a happy ending after overcoming hardships and adversity.