By Zephyria 
Mottled clouds spread across the sky, which had been clear until last week. It looked as if raindrops would fall at any moment, yet there was no forecast for rain.
Still, I feel like it’s going to rain…
Muttering to himself, Haon pressed his forehead against the window and rubbed his eyes. Monday, 9:00 AM. Normally, this was the time he would have already started working, but now he was leisurely gazing out the window.
The man had set his starting work time for 10:00. He still had plenty of time.
Haon leaned against the window, poking a straw into a carton of soy milk. Lately, he had been making a conscious effort to eat breakfast. Even when he had no appetite, he forced himself to drink soy milk like water. Since his mood would plummet whenever he felt hungry, it was better to fill his stomach first.
Until he came to this house, he had rarely felt hunger when he wasn’t in heat. However, because the meals the man prepared were so thoughtful and wonderful, Haon’s dormant stomach clock had begun to make its presence known. It was certainly a symptom Haon didn’t find welcome.
He stared blankly at the ingredients list on the soy milk carton before taking a sip through the straw again. This was soy milk that Haon had given to the man as a gift.
‘Let’s drink it together.’
The man had filled the refrigerator with the soy milk himself and told Haon to buy more once they were finished. Of course, Haon had readily agreed. He could buy as much soy milk as the man wanted.
The man also drank one carton every day, just like Haon. Every time he saw the number of cartons decreasing, a sense of pride swelled within him. He felt it had been a good idea to give them as a gift.
Sluuuurp. Shaking the lightened paper carton, he continued to look out the window. Haon’s vacant gaze was fixed not on the land crowded with buildings, but on the sky. Looking at the overcast sky, sighs kept escaping him.
He wasn’t in a very good mood. The gloomy sky was part of it, but the bigger reason was that he hadn’t slept well last night.
Haon had gone to bed after 3:00 AM yesterday and fallen asleep immediately, but he woke up after only an hour. It was because his grandmother had appeared in his dream.
“…I hope it doesn’t rain.”
Rubbing his forehead against the cool window, he whispered as if sharing a secret with the sky. Then, for some reason, the dark clouds seemed to clear a bit.
Feeling a sense of wonder, he continued to whisper his wish, clasping his hands tightly as he prayed to the sky.
Please don’t let it rain. I want the weather to be clear. And the dream about my grandmother… please let me have that a little later. Just a little bit later.
As Haon prayed with his eyes tightly shut, the sound of raindrops—patter, patter—reached his ears. When he slowly opened his eyes, small raindrops were shattering against the once-clear window. A look of resentment filled his round eyes.
They said there was no forecast for rain.
Haon pouted, glancing back and forth between the weather app on his phone and the sky. Because it started raining right after he had prayed with such anticipation, he felt even more drained.
He shouldn’t have made a wish.
* * *
“Haa…”
In-ho, who had not yet gotten out of bed, let out a dry sigh while staring at the glass window. His mood was just as gloomy as Haon’s.
In In-ho’s case, it was entirely the weather’s fault.
On cloudy days, he invariably stayed cooped up at home. When there was absolutely nothing to do, he would gather people. Whenever the summer monsoon season began, In-ho’s house was always filled with new guests.
Since In-ho didn’t trust weather forecasts, he looked at the sky and expected that it would naturally rain. And his prediction was correct.
Patter, patter. The sound of the falling rain gradually grew louder. Lying languidly on the bed, he buried his face in the pillow. He was already bored at the thought of being semi-forcibly trapped inside the house. Not that going out was particularly enjoyable, either.
Ah.
While letting out a heavy sigh into the pillow, he suddenly lifted his head and looked toward the door. Seeing the bedroom door, which was always wide open, he thought of the person downstairs.
I wonder what Haon is doing.
* * *
After roughly combing his hair, Haon left his room before 10:00. Even though the room was larger than the goshiwon where he used to live, being in a confined space made his mood sink further.
“You woke up early.”
As he opened the door and stepped out, he saw a welcome face. The man seemed to have just come down from upstairs as well. The timing was perfect.
“Did you sleep well?”
Curling the corners of his lips upward, Haon strode toward the kitchen as if he had intended to go there all along. He didn’t actually have anything to do there. He had just unconsciously followed the man because it seemed like the man was heading toward the kitchen. Since he was there, he figured he might as well drink a glass of water.
“It’s raining outside.”
The man, who had waited for Haon before heading to the kitchen together, pointed toward the window. Raindrops were dripping down the transparent glass panes scattered throughout the house.
“Yes, I saw.”
Haon’s gaze followed the man’s fingertip listlessly, sinking even further. No matter how much he smiled, he couldn’t hide the gloom in his heart that mirrored the weather.
“They said it wasn’t supposed to rain…”
As he trailed off and looked back at the man, those clear, ink-colored eyes—the only bright thing in the overcast weather—naturally drifted away.
“Do you not like the rain either, Haon?”
The man asked as he headed toward the refrigerator. Haon nodded and asked back if the man also disliked the rain.
“I hate it immensely.”
The man curled his lips into a slight smile as he took a blue bottle out of the refrigerator. It was an expression that didn’t suit the words “hate it” at all. Still, since he said he ‘immensely’ hated it, he must hate it.
“Me too.”
Haon was sensitive to humidity. Ever since he was a child, he would lose energy and tire easily whenever it rained. Moreover, back in the countryside, he had to stay trapped indoors during the monsoon season, so he had no fond memories of rain. And after a heavy downpour, there was always more work to do.
“When it rains, I feel like I just slump when I’m inside.”
Haon spoke as he pressed the button on the water purifier, recalling the time he lived in the countryside house and the goshiwon. Unlike the man’s house, which was always pleasant, both of those places were environments heavily affected by rain.
Especially in the goshiwon, the smell of mold would permeate everything whenever the humidity rose. There were even times he woke up at night because his body was itching.
“I hope it stops soon.”
Thinking he might have been rambling too much on his own, he took a sip of water. Meanwhile, the man quietly took in the sight of Haon’s hand holding the glass without strength and his visibly faded smile. Then, looking out the window, he tilted his head slightly and spoke slowly, tapping the blue bottle with his fingertips. Tap, tap.
“Want to go out?”
Haon set down the water glass and looked at the man. Seeing the eyes that asked “What?” in return, the man stepped closer with an expression that suggested he had a great idea.
“Let’s go see a movie.”
“Uh… but, the work…”
“Play with me today. In exchange, I’ll let you take tomorrow off from work.”
Playing today and resting tomorrow. Haon waved his hand, saying he couldn’t do that, but the man was already contemplating which movie to watch.
“Do you not want to go?”
Observing Haon’s troubled expression, he tilted his head. His eyes, which looked as if they had been meticulously drawn with a brush, seemed even deeper today.
Oh, he doesn’t have double eyelids. Because his eyes were large, Haon had assumed he did, but looking closely, there was only a thin line; he had monolids. Even so, his eyes were truly large. His eyelashes were long, too.
“It’s not that you hate the idea, right?”
The man asked again, calling Haon’s name as he momentarily spaced out. Haon stared at his face again before nodding faintly. There was no way he would hate it.
The two agreed to meet in the living room in one hour. The man said he would get ready as quickly as possible and vanished up the stairs in an instant.
“Take your time.”
Haon looked up worriedly at the man, who was climbing the stairs two or three steps at a time. He felt tense himself, fearing the man might misstep. Fortunately, the man seemed to have excellent athletic reflexes and reached the upper floor without falling. If it were me, I would have slammed my nose into the stairs long ago.
An hour from now… Haon checked the time on his phone and returned to his room. He had already finished showering, so he could leave as soon as he changed his clothes.
I should change and maybe do a bit of cleaning.
With that thought, Haon hurriedly opened his wardrobe. The inside of his wardrobe was sparse. Three short-sleeved t-shirts, one thin shirt, two pairs of pants he wore all year round, and a hoodie were all he had. His only winter outerwear was a thin lightweight puffer jacket.
Haon had a bit of interest in dressing up, but he lacked a sense of style. He had no idea what colors to buy or how to match them.
Because of that, he only bought clothes in the most neutral colors. He wasn’t the type to shop often, only buying new clothes once the old ones became worn out and needed to be thrown away.
What should I wear today? Despite the lack of options, he agonized over it, taking out his clothes one by one. If In-ho, whose dressing room was packed with new arrivals every season, had seen this sight, he would have wondered what on earth Haon was struggling over. Haon’s clothes were almost all similar, differing only slightly in color.
“Like this… no, this would be better.”
After much deliberation, he chose a black short-sleeved t-shirt and a gray shirt. Since it was now autumn and would be a bit chilly at night, he packed a thin outer layer.
Or… should I wear that?
His lingering, contemplative gaze landed on a shopping bag stored in the corner of the wardrobe. Inside were the knit sweater and pants he had received from the man on his first day. They were clothes he had intended to wear on the day he returned to his hometown.
After hesitating for a moment, he grabbed the handle of the black shopping bag. As he pulled out the contents from the crisp bag, the bright clothes lit up the drab wardrobe.
Recalling the cloudy weather, Haon decided to wear this today. He felt that if his clothes were bright, his mood might improve. Above all, since it was his first time going out with the man, he wanted to be well-dressed.
After pacing in front of the mirror wearing the clothes gifted by the man, he decided after much thought to spray some of Tae-hwi’s perfume. Just a tiny bit, so it wouldn’t be obvious.