By Zephyria 
Side Story 2.
At the sound of rattling wheels, In-ho, who had been the first to break the silence, lifted his head. At the end of the narrow road, a truck with its headlights blazing was approaching rapidly.
Following his gaze, Haon’s reddened lips parted and his eyes widened. Overwhelmed with joy, he couldn’t even find his voice; he simply gripped In-ho’s shoulder tightly and shook him.
“Seong-gu, Seong-gu hyung…!”
Because he had been preoccupied with the kiss, his words came out slurred. In-ho quickly wiped the saliva from the corner of Haon’s mouth and brushed his own lips with the back of his hand.
The truck was speeding toward them at an alarming rate. It was as if it were coming to seize them both.
In-ho swallowed the remaining saliva in his mouth, his Adam’s apple bobbing slowly.
“Seong-gu hyung!”
Haon slid off In-ho’s lap and ran toward the truck. In-ho stood up with him and was about to tell him it was dangerous to run when—
“Don’t run!!”
A thunderous shout erupted, sounding as if it had been amplified by a microphone. Even the insects in the grass seemed startled, their noise subsiding. Even In-ho froze for a moment. Only Haon, with both arms raised high, remained unfazed.
“Seong-gu hyuuung!”
Running as if he intended to embrace the entire truck, Haon began jumping up and down on the spot. Unable to contain his excitement, he couldn’t keep his body still.
“Hyung! Seong-gu hyung!”
Slamming on the brakes, Seong-gu leaped out of the vehicle. While the corners of his mouth were curved in a smile, his startled eyes looked practically furious.
“You brat! What the hell are you doing, charging at a moving car!”
“Hyung! How have you been? Did you miss me a lot?!”
Seong-gu started to unleash a torrent of nagging, but ended up just pulling the younger boy into a fierce hug as he dove into his arms. The anger in his eyes vanished instantly.
“You almost gave your hyung a heart attack!”
“Hyung, did you gain weight? You’ve gotten bigger!”
Haon poked Seong-gu’s forearm, which had become even more toned. Seong-gu clicked his tongue, asking why Haon hadn’t gained a single pound. Still, the boy looked healthier than he had before leaving for Seoul. It was clear he had been eating well.
In-ho stood a short distance away, careful not to interfere with the joyful reunion between Seong-gu and Haon.
Tall, with broad shoulders and sun-kissed skin—Seong-gu was exactly as In-ho had imagined.
“Ah, hyung. This is our In-ho. Say hello!”
Flustered and excited, Haon hurriedly turned to attend to In-ho. His cheeks were flushed bright red from the excitement.
“This is Seo In-ho. The one I told you about on the phone.”
Watching Haon, In-ho smiled softly and bowed politely to Seong-gu.
“I’m Seo In-ho. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
He naturally reached out first to offer a handshake. Up close, the man wasn’t just physically imposing; he was quite handsome. His features were as sharp and distinct as Haon had praised. His thick eyebrows gave him an even more rugged impression.
“Hyung, hurry up and say hello….”
When Seong-gu just stared blankly at In-ho, a flustered Haon nudged him in the ribs with his elbow. His side, filled with muscle rather than fat, was as firm as In-ho’s. With his naturally thick frame and functional muscle, he had a physique that would make anyone believe he was a fitness trainer.
“Seong-gu hyung, I said say hello.”
However, contrary to an appearance that would appeal to women, his personality was that of a complete old-timer.
Ignoring In-ho, Seong-gu returned to the driver’s seat and slammed the door shut with a loud bang! The sound was so loud that Haon’s shoulders jumped.
“Is that all the luggage?”
He asked only Haon, one hand shoved in his pocket. He treated In-ho as if he were completely invisible.
“Yes, that’s everything.”
In-ho answered in place of the stunned Haon. Despite having his greeting ignored, he maintained a calm, smiling face as he gathered the bags. Seong-gu scanned In-ho from head to toe before dragging his slippers toward the stop.
“This is your bag, right, Haon?”
He picked up only Haon’s luggage. He deliberately left the heavy items for In-ho to carry alone and turned away. Haon’s lips twitched before he poked his brother’s back hard.
“Hyung, why are you being like this?”
He whispered softly, sticking close to Seong-gu’s back. In-ho continued to diligently move the luggage, keeping his smile intact. As if that only made things worse, Seong-gu’s gaze toward In-ho grew even sharper.
“Don’t do that. In-ho is my guest.”
My boyfriend, he added in a more emphasized voice. Even though his brother had been angry when he explained the situation over the phone, Haon hadn’t expected him to ignore In-ho entirely. After all, he had told them to come down.
To say let’s talk when we meet, and then ignore him like this. Our In-ho… is such a precious person to me.
Haon, glaring at Seong-gu hyung for ignoring even him, came to a dead stop. Simultaneously, Seong-gu turned around and glared back at Haon.
“Get in. Now.”
“I don’t want to.”
“I said get in.”
“I said I don’t want to!”
Even Seong-gu’s sighs were loud. Letting out a sigh that sounded like the earth was collapsing, he forcibly wrapped an arm around Haon’s shoulder and dragged him along. In the meantime, In-ho had moved the heavy shopping bags into the bed of the truck.
“I’ll ride in the back.”
Having loaded everything, In-ho spoke while looking between Haon and Seong-gu. Since it was a small truck, the only available seat was the passenger seat. Even if Haon didn’t take it, the space was too cramped for someone of In-ho’s size. Seong-gu himself had practically squeezed his body into the driver’s seat.
“Let’s ride in the back together!”
Leaving Seong-gu hyung behind, Haon ran toward In-ho. Seong-gu let out a loud snort and climbed into the truck first. Fortunately, he didn’t slam the door this time. If he had, Haon wouldn’t have stayed quiet.
“Haon, you sit in the front. You haven’t seen your brother in a long time.”
When Haon tried to climb into the truck bed, In-ho stopped him.
“I can’t. It’s dark outside, and I’ll be scared sitting here alone.”
He already felt bad about making Haon sit in the back, so he couldn’t leave him alone. Though Haon shook his head, In-ho gave a light jump and climbed into the truck bed by himself.
“Sit next to your brother and tell him lots of great things about me. Don’t worry about me.”
He kissed Haon’s rounded forehead and winked with his left eye.
“Hurry now. Your brother is waiting.”
He used his fingertip to flick up the corners of Haon’s drooping mouth, but they quickly slumped back down sullenly.
“I’m sorry….”
“There’s absolutely nothing for you to be sorry about, Haon.”
In-ho smiled with genuine warmth and stroked the boy’s soft cheek. Having grown tired of waiting, Seong-gu honked the horn loudly. In response, In-ho reached out a long arm and opened the passenger door for Haon.
See you in a bit. Haon looked longingly at In-ho, who said those words only with his lips, before finally forcing himself into the passenger seat. With a face full of indignation.
Gritting his teeth, Haon suppressed his joy at seeing Seong-gu hyung and narrowed his eyes. His clenched fists tightened. He couldn’t let this slide. Haon did his absolute best to express with his entire body that he was currently very angry.
“Starting now. Buckle up.”
When Haon ignored him and just glared, Seong-gu raised an eyebrow and flicked Haon’s forehead.
“Ow!”
Even though it was a light flick, Haon covered his forehead and let out a loud cry. Still, since they had to leave, he did buckle his seatbelt.
Seong-gu ruffled Haon’s hair with a rough, affectionate pat. At the familiar touch, a small chuckle escaped Haon’s lips.
He had missed this small, round head—like a chestnut—so much. Having grown up together since childhood, Haon’s absence had left a massive void for Seong-gu.
“Hyung, are you really doing this? How can you ignore someone who’s greeting you?”
This brat. He doesn’t even understand his brother’s feelings and gets angry just because I didn’t accept his lover’s greeting. Seong-gu let out a series of sighs, feeling slighted.
“I’m really disappointed in you, hyung. I’m so upset right now.”
Haon huffed, even beating his chest. His attempt at expressing anger was utterly awkward. It was because he had never actually fought with anyone while sober.
“I told you. He’s a good person, and he’s going to be with me from now on.”
“With some guy you’ve known for less than a month?”
“I-it’s been more than a month….”
You call that an answer? Seong-gu let out a hollow laugh and messed up Haon’s hair again. Despite his huffing, Haon didn’t push his brother’s hand away.
“Line up every guy who has a younger sibling and ask them. Do you think they’d say anything good about their young sibling moving in with an older man they’ve known for a month?”
“He’s not that much older.”
“Think about your own age!”
“I’m the young one! It’s not that In-ho is old.”
Seong-gu, sitting in a slouched position with his chin resting on his hand, had once claimed that anyone over thirty was an old man. Who knew when that logic had started.
“You’re more of an old man, hyung.”
“What did you say, you brat?!”
“In-ho is way cooler than you. He’s kind and has the biggest heart in the world!”
Haon raised his voice, claiming In-ho couldn’t even be compared to his brother. Even so, he couldn’t match half of Seong-gu’s volume, though it was quite loud for Haon.
Sitting in the truck bed, In-ho covered his mouth with the back of his hand, stifling a laugh. Because the window was halfway open, the conversation reached him clearly even without trying to eavesdrop.
He hadn’t meant it when he asked Haon to praise him. While he felt sorry that he was causing a rift in their brotherly bond, he couldn’t stop the laughter from leaking out. Haon’s spirited defense made the corners of his mouth dance.
“Stop it and just be nice to him. You’re a good person too, hyung!”
“I’ll just be a bad person then! How can a brother not be angry when his sibling says he’s going to live with some guy who looks like a gigolo?!”
“A gigolo?!”
Haon’s shout reached an all-time high.
“Don’t talk about our In-ho like that! He’s not someone to be ignored!”
Haon shouted without pause, the veins in his neck standing out. With all his heart and soul.
“He’s such a precious person to me!”
Hearing that booming voice, In-ho slowly raised the hand covering his mouth and rubbed his eyes closed. The cool night air brushed past his cheeks and vanished. It was a night where even that chilly sensation felt warm.