FHO 116

Side Story 4.

Just as In-ho let go, lingering on his lips one last time, Haon bit his lower lip.

Haon stood on his tiptoes and wrapped his arms around In-ho’s neck. Having returned home with him, he wanted to convey these overwhelming emotions somehow. A simple kiss wasn’t enough to hold all his feelings, and the insufficiency left him anxious.

“In-ho…”

“Yes.”

“Thank you… thank you so much for coming with me.”

In-ho shook his head, his lips brushing against Haon’s damp ones.

“I’m the one who’s grateful. For bringing me here.”

“No, I’m more—much more grateful.”

“I don’t think so.”

The two of them held each other tightly, bickering over who was more grateful. They pecked at each other’s faces as if competing to see who could kiss the other more. No matter how much they kissed, it wasn’t enough. If possible, they felt like swallowing the other whole and savoring them bit by bit for the rest of their lives.

HONK—!

They only broke their embrace after Seong-gu, unable to hold back any longer, sounded the horn. Their eyes, unable to pull away from one another, were thick with lingering regret.

In-ho tried to go out with Haon to say goodbye to Seong-gu, but Haon stopped him. It was obvious that his brother would just ignore the greeting anyway. He didn’t want to make In-ho feel awkward anymore.

“Get some good sleep. If you need anything or have any questions, just text me right away.”

“You sleep well too, Haon. Don’t worry about me.”

Haon released their tenderly clasped hands and headed toward the main gate. Standing on the porch, In-ho waved to Haon as he grew smaller in the distance. Even though they would meet again in a few hours, he couldn’t easily take his eyes off him, as if they were lovers who wouldn’t see each other for years.

Haon looked back nearly ten times before finally stepping out the gate. Even after the noisy iron gate slammed shut, In-ho didn’t leave his spot. He intended to go inside once he heard the truck drive away.

However, instead of the sound of an engine, the sound of the iron gate opening echoed again.

Peeking through the rusted gate, Haon spotted In-ho standing on the porch and ran toward [Read on Read BL Read on Read BL NovelsNovels]him. Did he leave something behind? In-ho wondered what Haon had forgotten as he reached out toward him.

“Let’s have breakfast together tomorrow.”

Ah, he ran back to say this.

“I’d love to. Let’s eat together.”

“I’ll come as soon as the sun rises.”

He already said that. In-ho thought to himself and nodded slowly. Haon, running toward him, was so lovely it made his chest ache. He clenched his jaw tight, fearing he might accidentally tell him not to go.

“Get home safely.”

After barely squeezing the words out, he looked down at Haon. Because In-ho was standing on the porch, Haon had to tilt his head back so far it looked like it might flip over.

In-ho tried to step down from the porch to meet Haon’s eye level, sensing that Haon still had something left to say.

“In-ho.”

Just as In-ho bowed his head to find his shoes, Haon suddenly stepped [unauthorized copy]style="position:absolute;left:-9999px;font-size:0;">[Read on Read BL Read on Read BL NovelsNovels]close and thrust his face forward.

“I love you.”

Haon’s face, now close enough for their noses to touch, was flushed red. It was a lovelier hue than a ripe apple.

Then, he left a quick peck on In-ho’s cheek and bolted out the gate, not even giving In-ho a chance to respond.

“…”

In-ho stood frozen for a moment in an awkward posture at the edge of the porch. I love you. In-ho, I love you. Haon’s soft voice echoed like a refrain.

It wasn’t a fact he didn’t know, yet his heart raced anew. Like someone receiving a confession of love for the first time in his life.

He sat down on the porch, knees bent, and listened to the receding sound of the truck’s engine. Rubbing the tips of his ears, which had grown warm, he let out a small chuckle and rested his chin in his palm.

“I love you more.”

He carved the answer he couldn’t give into the palm of his hand. Tomorrow, when they met, he would confess his love before even asking if he had slept well.

“So, stay with me.”

He let the following inner thought scatter into the cool air.

“Don’t leave me alone.”

And this, too.

“I can’t sleep without you, Haon.”

And this as well.

Sending his secrets, which he didn’t want the night sky to discover, floating away, he chuckled intermittently like a man with a hole in his lungs. The rural air, smelling of damp earth, seemed to be making his head fuzzy. Seeing as he couldn’t stop smiling.

He sat still for a long time, leaning his head against an old pillar. Even though there wasn’t much to see, obscured by the pitch-black sky, he observed his surroundings for a long while. If Haon had seen this, he would have wondered what on earth In-ho was looking at. That was how little there was to see.

Yet, In-ho could have sat there motionless until sunrise. Thinking that this was the space where a young Haon had run and spent his time made him want to keep admiring it.

Did he sit on that wooden platform and look up at the sky like this? He probably spent time zoning out alone on this porch, too.

If it were Haon, he definitely would have. He was the kind of person who stolen contentcontent">stolen contentwould marvel at a scenery he saw every day as if it were the first time, calling it beautiful.

“Haon.”

A person purer and clearer than anyone else in the world.

“Haon-ah.”

Repeating the precious name, he took in every object around him.

His gaze fell upon the flowerbed decorating the stone wall and the dog bowl, which someone must have filled with affection. He even carefully observed a faded flashlight.

“I’m jealous.”

Muttering a low monologue, he flopped down on the porch. Ridiculously, In-ho was feeling jealous of everything surrounding him. Not as a joke, but sincerely.

The childhood Haon that he would never be able to see. He sighed, scratching the floorboards that Haon must have stepped on with his fingertips. Once triggered, his jealousy only grew in volume.

“I miss you.”

Imagining Haon toddling around made his chest feel tight. Even while feeling jealous Read on Read BL Novelsaria-label="stolen content">stolen contentof lifeless objects, he didn’t think of Seong-gu once. He knew that if he started being conscious of him, there would be no end to it.

Lightly brushing back his hair, In-ho took his phone out of his pocket. He felt he could only endure the lonely night if he looked at a photo of Haon.

As soon as he held the phone, a call came through with impeccable timing. The caller was Hyo-jung. Perfect.

— Did you arrive safely?

As soon as he accepted the call, Hyo-jung’s voice came through the speaker.

“I just arrived.”

— Are you alone?

She sensed with ghostly accuracy that Haon wasn’t by his side. When In-ho didn’t deny it, Hyo-jung asked worriedly.

— You didn’t fight, did you?

“We don’t fight.”

In-ho briefly explained the situation. When he mentioned that Haon had been “stolen” by a man who stolen contentaria-label="unauthorized copy">unauthorized copywas like a father-in-law, Hyo-jung burst into laughter.

— This is your first time sleeping in a place like that. Will you be okay alone?

“I can’t afford to be ‘not okay’ at an age where I’m called ‘mister’.”

Hyo-jung’s laughter erupted once more. The situation In-ho was in was so novel that she laughed until tears welled up. She even sniffled while wiping the corners of her eyes.

— Still, be careful. There are lots of ghosts in the countryside.

“I feel like one might pop out.”

In-ho stretched, looking around the pitch-black surroundings without a single streetlight. To him, both people and ghosts were objects of indifference. The only one who influenced his emotions was Haon.

— Did you only take two months’ worth of medication?

“For now.”

Although he had cleared out his house in Seoul, he and Haon had agreed to go back to the city occasionally. He had to go up at least once every six months for regular check-ups.

“Noona.”

Having entered the room, In-ho called her tentatively. He had intended to contact her separately while he was alone.

“Are you sure Haon is okay?”

Before moving to the countryside, Haon had been examined by Hyo-jung. Along with basic blood tests, she had performed pheromone and uterine ultrasound exams.

The results were exactly as Haon knew. There was no particular deterioration or improvement.

— How many times are you going to ask? I told you everything. Pregnancy will be difficult.

“Not that.”

In-ho replied as if that wasn’t the reason for his persistent questioning. When Hyo-jung asked what he was curious about, In-ho hesitated while closing the sliding door.

“You’re saying my pheromones aren’t bad for Haon, right?”

He kept worrying that his pheromones might put a strain on Haon’s body as a recessive omega. If that were the case, he needed to take measures.

— Yes, Haon’s pheromones visit unauthorized copyvisit our siteour siteare actually becoming more stable. This is the third time I’ve told you this.

“Tell me more. In detail.”

Though Hyo-jung sighed repeatedly, she listened to In-ho as she always did. She briefly repeated the explanation she had already given until her mouth was sore.

— Your pheromone compatibility isn’t bad. It’s actually on the good side. For partners with that kind of compatibility, sex is actually beneficial for health, so it’s fine to release a small amount of pheromones. It’ll give Haon a sense of psychological stability, too.

Until he met In-ho, Haon’s heat cycles had never lasted more than two days. However, whenever he spent them with In-ho, they invariably lasted over five days. This was evidence that their pheromone compatibility was excellent.

— It’s good news, so feel free to be happy.

“Are you saying that just to put my mind at ease?”

— In-ho, you seem to keep forgetting, but I’m a doctor. Do you think I’d say something like this recklessly?

“Not every doctor says things that are correct.”

Having lost her words for a moment, Hyo-jung told him to find another doctor if that were the case. She added a grumbling complaint that it would be hard to find a doctor as good as her.

In truth, there was a reason In-ho was so persistently suspicious. It was because, stolen visit our sitecontentat the hospital, Haon had asked In-ho to wait while he had a private consultation with Hyo-jung first.

“If there’s anything you only told Haon, don’t hide it; tell me everything.”

— I told him exactly what I told you. Haon said so too. Trust people’s words for once.

“You two talked for eight minutes without me.”

It was by no means a short time. He didn’t know how much his heart had raced while standing in front of the door, staring at his watch the entire time. Fearing that some problem had arisen with Haon’s body.

— …Do you act like this in front of Haon, too?

Hyo-jung clicked her tongue openly, sounding exhausted.

“No way.”

In-ho laughed lightly and asked if that were even possible.

He never wanted to show this side of himself to Haon. The side that was anxious, suspicious, and clung to others until they were sick of him.

“Our Haon should only see the good things.”

Even if he had already been found out, he would never reveal it. As much as possible, until the day he died.