By Zephyria 
Monroe’s ears twitched, as if it heard the sound of the door lock being pressed. Immediately recognizing the direction of the sound, it darted towards the entrance. Yoon Joo-ho, who had been stroking the cat while drinking beer after his shower, suddenly felt his hands empty. He chuckled wryly and got up from the sofa.
There was a long hallway between the entrance and the living room, making the sound of the door lock’s password being pressed barely audible even when listening carefully. Yet, Monroe’s reaction speed was always astonishing. It made sense, considering that the frequency range a cat’s hearing could perceive was about four times wider than that of a human.
“Monroe! Did you come out to greet Dad?”
Song Hyun-soo’s voice was heard, and a faint smile appeared on Yoon Joo-ho’s lips as he crossed the hallway.
Mee-yahng. Mee-yahng. Myang.
Monroe, being showered with kisses in Song Hyun-soo’s arms, cried out in a high-pitched voice. It seemed to have a lot to say to Song Hyun-soo, who had been gone for a night.
“Is that so, my puppy? Did you miss Dad that much?”
As expected, Song Hyun-soo was still standing in the entrance without taking off his shoes, hugging Monroe and pecking it with kisses. He didn’t even notice Yoon Joo-ho watching.
“Not a puppy, a cat. Identity confusion.”
Song Hyun-soo raised his head, spotted Yoon Joo-ho, and grinned. It had only been a night apart, but that smiling face was welcome. And slightly awkward and shy. Judging by Song Hyun-soo’s hesitant expression, unable to rush in as usual, it seemed Yoon Joo-ho wasn’t the only one feeling that way.
Even while walking side by side down the hallway, Song Hyun-soo only looked down at Monroe in his arms. Yoon Joo-ho playfully placed his hand on the crown of his head.
“Tired?”
“No. The traffic wasn’t too bad, and I’m okay.”
“I should have gone to pick you up.”
“Ehh, that’s an overreaction. You just came up yesterday, senior.”
Song Hyun-soo seemed to take Yoon Joo-ho’s words as half a joke. But he was serious. Because he was serious, he had sent a message this morning as soon as he woke up, asking, ‘Should I go pick you up?’
Song Hyun-soo, heading to the kitchen, placed the large backpack and the insulated bag he had been carrying on his shoulder on the chairs in front of the dining table in turn.
“Did Monroe poop today?”
“It did.”
This time, he asked while taking off his padding.
“What about snacks?”
“I gave it a piece of jerky when I got up.”
Even though Yoon Joo-ho was standing right in front of the table, he didn’t give him a single glance. Or rather, he couldn’t. Song Hyun-soo now turned his body towards the refrigerator.
“Did Monroe sleep well yesterday…”
In the end, Yoon Joo-ho’s patience ran out. Unable to wait any longer, he grabbed his wrist and pulled him close. He stumbled backward, drawn into Yoon Joo-ho’s arms.
“Why… why?”
“What about me?”What about you, senior?””
“Aren’t you curious about me?”
“……”
“How I felt waking up this morning and seeing the empty space next to me, whether I lost my appetite, whether I slept well without you yesterday. Aren’t you curious?”
Song Hyun-soo’s gaze remained fixed somewhere around Yoon Joo-ho’s collarbone.
“Well, the senior is an adult, so.”.. I’m sure you did, well.”
He supported his chin and gently lifted it to make eye contact.
“Are you being shy just because we were apart for a day?”You were being awkward too, though, senior.””
“True.”
Yoon Joo-ho pulled Song Hyun-soo’s waist, aligning his stomach perfectly with his own.
“It feels like it’s been ages since we saw each other, even though it’s only been a day.”
Song Hyun-soo’s eyes widened.
“Right? It feels like it’s been a month. Why is that?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know the reason, but I’m getting excited for no reason?”
“Oh, come on… all of a sudden… geez.”
The pinna of Song Hyun-soo’s ear was reddened as he grumbled.
Grabbing him as he struggled to escape, Yoon Joo-ho bit that earlobe. He kept chuckling to himself. So did Song Hyun-soo. Skinship seemed to have melted away some of the awkwardness.
Having given up on escaping, Song Hyun-soo suddenly buried his nose in Yoon Joo-ho’s neck and sniffed.
“Did you shower?”
“I worked out.”
“Hmm…”
“What?”
“I was going to ask if we could do it together.”
“We can do it together. What’s the problem?”
“You’re going to do it again? No way.”
“Then go and come out. You’ll end up showering again anyway. Let’s do it together then.”
“……”
Normally, he would have jeered, calling him perverted or something, or conversely, he would have actively clung to him and thrown back lewd jokes. But today, Song Hyun-soo kept his mouth shut and lowered his head, the pinna of his ear even redder than before. He loved the moment when he discovered him being aware of him as a man for a split second, even though he usually acted like a reckless high school boy in front of him. Yoon Joo-ho wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.
“Go wash up quickly and come out.”
“I, I’ll put that away first…”
Song Hyun-soo placed the insulated bag he had put on the chair on the counter.
“What is that?”
“Grandma packed me all sorts of food. She said she couldn’t pack anything for you when you left yesterday, senior.”
“…Really?”
“She nagged me a lot to put it in the refrigerator as soon as I arrived.”
“I’ll put it away, so go wash up.”
“Okay, then. She said to just put the dumplings and patties in the freezer. The rest in the fridge.”
Song Hyun-soo, who was about to leave the kitchen, turned back. As if he had forgotten something. Then, he clung to Yoon Joo-ho’s side, who was opening the insulated bag’s zipper, and kissed him on the cheek.
“I missed you… Brother.”
Laughter burst out before he could help it. Song Hyun-soo also smiled, pressing his lips tightly together. They weren’t even doing anything particularly funny, but they kept chuckling as they looked at each other. Yoon Joo-ho, who was laughing as he watched Song Hyun-soo disappear towards the Master Zone, opened the insulated bag completely.
“……”
A envelope was neatly placed on top. Yoon Joo-ho’s hand paused for a moment. His lips seemed to dry up. After taking a deep breath, he carefully held the envelope in his hand.
The letters filling a white sheet of paper were neither too dense nor too sparse. The slightly rough but somehow affectionate handwriting reminded him of her hand. Yoon Joo-ho stood in front of the counter and began to read the letter.