FHO 118

Side Story 6.

Haon first turned off the living room lights and ran straight to Seong-gu’s room. Even though he wasn’t hungry, the smell of food filling the house made him swallow hard. He wanted morning to come quickly so he could brag to In-ho about his aunt’s cooking skills.

“Hyung, you awake?”

He had intended to sneak out quietly if his brother was asleep.

Seong-gu, who had spread a blanket on the floor, was waiting for Haon with his arms crossed. Looking at his expression, it seemed he still had more nagging to pour out.

“Sit down. Quickly. We need to talk.”

“But I’m sleepy…”

Swallowing a sigh, Haon scratched his cheek and sat down in front of Seong-gu. Even as he sat facing his brother, his eyes kept drifting toward the clock on the wall.

“Did that guy buy all that stuff?”

“Don’t call him ‘that guy.’”

“Just answer me.”

Seong-gu didn’t grumble as much as Mr. Jin, but he wasn’t as overjoyed as his aunt, either. He kept a dissatisfied look on his face.

“No, I bought everything for you and Auntie with the money I earned.”

Although In-ho had bought everything else, the gifts for Seong-gu’s family had all been paid for by Haon. Upon hearing this, Seong-gu’s expression softened slightly.

“What is that guy going to do here? Is he going to farm or something?”

“In-ho is really smart. He’ll be good at whatever he does.”

“That’s why I’m asking how he’s going to make a living.”

“Seong-gu hyung.”

Haon placed his hand on his brother’s sturdy arm and looked him steadily in the eye.

“You don’t have to worry about In-ho.”

At the conviction in his voice, Seong-gu found himself speechless. Haon’s calmed brown eyes also silenced him.

“And don’t worry about me either. We’re really going to live well.”

Seong-gu looked at Haon, who was gripping his arm tightly, and silently turned his head away.

“Just lie down for now.”

He turned off the small lamp and collapsed onto the blanket. Haon lay on his side facing his brother and asked if he was just going to sleep.

“I have to chat before I sleep. Don’t you miss your brother?”

“Of course I do. Okay. Let’s talk and then sleep.”

Instead, he earnestly requested that Seong-gu not badmouth In-ho. In lieu of an answer, Seong-gu simply clicked his tongue.

“Is Seoul nice?”

“Yeah, the buildings are all huge, there are so many people, and lots of pretty places.”

“What did you like most?”

Thinking his brother would feel even more slighted if he said In-ho was the best part, Haon mentioned the second best thing.

“Riding bikes at Han River Park.”

“You can do that here too.”

“No, it’s different.”

To Haon, it was like night and day. Because In-ho wasn’t here.

Besides that, Haon told him about his experiences at the aquarium and expensive restaurants. However, the conversation ended quickly thanks to his brother, who began to snore with a loud, rattling sound not long after.

“Seong-gu hyung.”

Since they were young, his brother had always fallen fast asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. It seemed to be because his body was exhausted from doing all the heavy lifting in the village by himself.

“I’m sorry for upsetting you.”

Haon whispered softly and covered Seong-gu with his own blanket. As he was about to leave, he lightly pinched the tip of his brother’s nose, which was making a drilling sound. It was a small revenge for ignoring In-ho’s greeting.

---

Unable to find the flashlight, In-ho tried to turn on his phone’s flash. Since he was heading out to check the surroundings, he also packed his toiletries, intending to wash up. He figured he wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway.

Rubbing the back of his hand where the bug had touched, he walked slowly toward the sliding door. The presence outside was gradually drawing closer to the door. It was the sound of footsteps—either a person or an animal—not a bug.

That was fine. At this point, In-ho was even willing to welcome a ghost or a wild beast. As long as it wasn’t stolen contenta bug. As long visit our siteas it wasn’t something that crawled on the ground or flew in the air…

Woof!

“Shh.”

Just as In-ho was about to grab the door handle, the presence outside became more distinct.

“Be quiet.”

Detecting a familiar voice, a smile spread across In-ho’s lips. He opened the door while keeping his presence hidden.

Woof!

“I told you to be quiet. Shh.”

Haon, blocking his lips with his index finger, leaned his upper body forward.

He continued to make “shh, shh” sounds like a snake, trying to soothe the puppy circling around his legs. However, the puppy, unable to contain its joy at seeing Haon after a long time, barked even more excitedly.

Woof woof!

The dog hopped on its hind legs, lunging as if to jump into Haon’s arms. Because Haon was holding a basket, he couldn’t Read on Read BL Novelsclass="wm-strong" style="position:relative;display:inline;">[visit our site]hug the little guy and could only struggle. He felt anxious that In-ho might actually wake up.

“Haengbok, be a good boy. Let’s be quiet for a little bit, okay?”

“Is his name Haengbok?”

Startled by the sudden voice, Haon flopped down onto the ground. He almost dropped the basket he was holding so dearly.

In-ho immediately rushed out and helped Haon up. He laughed as he brushed off Haon’s pants.

“Did you come alone?”

“Yes, I sneaked out.”

Looking up at In-ho, Haon wore a mischievous smile like a child who had played a naughty prank. Even though there was no one around to eavesdrop, he lowered his voice. He looked very excited.

“Why did you come alone at night? It’s dangerous. There weren’t even any streetlights.”

“Seong-gu hyung’s house is pretty close.”

Haon waved the flashlight, saying he had arrived quickly. With this one tool, he could move around at night without any trouble.

“And this little guy came with me.”

The puppy, seemingly knowing it was being introduced, looked up at In-ho and let out a “Woof!” It was obvious at a glance that the dog liked people.

“Whose dog is he?”

“Uh… he’s just a dog that lives in the neighborhood. He doesn’t have an owner.”

He was a neighborhood dog who lived by getting food from this house and that house. Haon had called him Haengbok since he was young, but the villagers called him a mutt. In fact, because he often ate his own droppings, even Seong-gu called him a mutt, no matter how much Haon insisted he was Haengbok.

“Hello, Haengbok.”

In-ho petted the white puppy, who looked like a half-unrolled roll of toilet paper. Haon watched the scene with a deep smile, then took In-ho’s hand and led him to the porch.

“In-ho, would you like some apples?”

Haon had brought the basket of apples that Aunt Myeong-hee had set out for him to eat. He hadn’t touched them yet because he didn’t feel right eating them alone while leaving In-ho out.

The two sat on the edge of the porch and each picked an apple. Despite their fatigue, their eyes were full of vitality as they looked at each other. Both of their faces looked as if their tiredness had completely vanished.

“Did you talk a lot with Seong-gu?”

Nodding, Haon told him that Aunt Myeong-hee wanted to meet him unauthorized copysoon. He didn’t visit our siteBEGIN: unauthorized copy -->unauthorized copybother mentioning the conversation he had with Seong-gu.

“When I showed her your photo, she even clapped. She said you’re so handsome and look like you have a great impression.”

“I’ll have to dress up nicely tomorrow.”

“You’re handsome enough as you are.”

Haon whispered this, sliding his arm against In-ho’s. In response, In-ho raised his arm and wrapped it around Haon’s shoulder.

Leaning his body against In-ho’s broad chest, Haon swung his legs gently. It felt strange and wonderful to be sitting with him in this familiar space.

Just sitting side-by-side, breathing in the night air, made his heart throb. The heavy weight of In-ho subtly leaning into him made Haon’s tender heart flutter even more.

“The floor… is it too hard?”

While taking a breath to soothe his racing heart, Haon suddenly looked worried. Since In-ho had only slept in beds, he thought his back might hurt from sleeping on the floor.

“It’s fine. It’s comfortable.”

“I’ll get more blankets for you to sleep on today.”

Haon thought to himself that he should buy a bed. No matter how many blankets he laid down, it wouldn’t [stolen contentclass="wm" style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">unauthorized stolen contentcopy]be a substitute for a plush mattress.

“If there’s anything you need, please tell me everything.”

In-ho, who was leisurely biting into an apple, rolled his eyes with a hum. Haon blinked, hoping he would tell him anything at all.

“I think it would be good to have some insect repellent.”

“Ah, we have that at home.”

In-ho, greatly relieved, said that would be enough. He really does hate bugs. Haon vowed to exterminate every single bug crawling inside the house.

He decided he should buy every type of repellent. He needed to buy new mousetraps, too. And also… as he thought of them one by one, there were quite a few things to prepare. Because this was a space where they would live together, not alone.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Huh?”

Haon, who had been nibbling on the apple peel, looked up. In-ho curled the corners of his mouth as he brushed the tip of his finger against Haon’s juice-stained lips.

“Because you’re smiling so beautifully.”

Haon, smiling shyly, covered his mouth with the apple. When In-ho grabbed his wrist [stolen content]unauthorized copyEND: unauthorized copy -->stolen content -->to pull it down, he shook his head and blocked him. Even with his mouth covered, the sound of his laughter leaked out.

Instead of forcing the apple away from Haon, In-ho took a large bite of it. At this, Haon giggled and opened his mouth wide, following In-ho’s lead.

As he bit into the apple, sweet juice burst forth. The pale liquid that trickled down his chin was all taken into In-ho’s mouth.

In-ho leaned his upper body toward him, licking the juice that had fallen on Haon’s chin and neck. As In-ho supported his slender waist, Haon naturally relaxed and leaned his back against the wooden floor.

“You were bored, weren’t you?”

After chewing and swallowing the remaining apple in his mouth, Haon quietly cupped one of In-ho’s cheeks. He did so with a heart that felt sorry for leaving him alone.

In-ho delayed his answer for a moment and kissed the palm of Haon’s hand. Meanwhile, Haengbok, who had been sniffing the apple basket, wagged his tail vigorously and ran out the front gate.

Thanks to that, they were finally left alone. In-ho bit the chin of Haon, who was glancing toward the gate where Haengbok had left. At least for the moment their bodies were overlapped, he wanted to monopolize Haon’s gaze.

“I was a little bored.”

Meeting Haon’s eyes, In-ho rubbed the tips of his nose between Haon’s slender fingers. The chirping sound of insects vibrated, blending with his faint voice.

“Actually, a lot.”

He murmured with a voice laced with laughter and sucked on Haon’s finger. A sweet scent [Read on Read BL Novelsunauthorized copy;left:-9999px;">]lingered on the tender skin.