By Zephyria 
Haon washed his hands in his bathroom, letting out a long sigh of relief. In-ho’s nose had been bleeding so profusely that Haon thought he might actually faint.
However, In-ho had remained composed, calming down the more startled Haon before heading upstairs. As Haon tried to follow, In-ho repeatedly waved him off, insisting he was fine as he distanced himself.
Maybe he really hasn’t been sleeping well.
Taking the opportunity, Haon splashed his face with cold water while worrying about In-ho. He, too, wasn’t in peak condition after staying up all night. But seeing In-ho’s nosebleed had completely chased away any lingering sleepiness.
Just as Haon stepped out of the bathroom, he heard the sound of In-ho’s slippers. Haon had intentionally left his bedroom door wide open to listen for In-ho’s presence.
“Are you alright?”
Haon rushed straight toward him. In-ho was already on his way to Haon’s room.
“Yes, I’m perfectly fine.”
He pointed to his nose, where the bleeding had stopped, as if showing it off. Haon had feared it wouldn’t stop easily since there was so much blood, so he felt relieved.
“Don’t you need to go to the hospital?”
“Don’t worry. This happens occasionally.”
With a light smile, In-ho suddenly looked down at Haon’s clothes. Haon was wearing the clothes In-ho had bought for him.
A soft smile played on In-ho’s lips, and he seemed about to say something, but then closed his mouth. After a moment of observing Haon’s expression, he changed the subject.
“Shall I make you some more porridge?”
He listed the types of porridge he had memorized one by one, telling Haon to pick anything. He wanted Haon, who hadn’t been able to eat proper meals for a while, to at least eat well if it was porridge.
“I don’t think I need to eat right now.”
Haon shook his head, declining cautiously. He wasn’t hungry yet, and his appetite had vanished from worrying about In-ho.
“No one is going to come to the house anymore.”
As In-ho spoke, he gently touched the bandage covering Haon’s left cheek. He tucked away a thin strand of hair caught in the bandage and locked eyes with Haon.
“It’s unlikely, but if they do come, you don’t have to open the door.”
Even if it’s my mother? When Haon asked this with his eyes, In-ho seemed to understand and nodded in response.
“Yes, don’t open it for anyone.”
After that, In-ho headed to the kitchen, saying he should eat something. In-ho, too, had consumed nothing but coffee all day.
Haon naturally followed behind him. Curious about what In-ho would eat, he watched as In-ho took out a bowl and opened the refrigerator.
Since In-ho usually prepared lavish meals with two or more dishes, Haon looked forward to seeing what he would make today.
“…Is that all you’re eating?”
However, all In-ho took out was chicken breast and some fruit. Looking at the sparse table, a bewildered Haon cast a worried glance, wondering if In-ho’s health was truly in bad shape.
“I’m not very hungry.”
“But you’ve only had coffee today.”
When Haon pointed out something undeniable, In-ho shrugged and gave a sly smile.
“I’ve lost my appetite because Haon isn’t eating with me.”
Caught off guard by In-ho’s smile, Haon avoided his gaze and touched the clean table. Even though he knew it was a joke, he couldn’t think of a quick comeback, so he pretended not to hear.
“You’re tired, aren’t you?”
Holding a piece of banana with a fork, In-ho stared intently at Haon’s face. The dark circles under Haon’s eyes were more pronounced than In-ho’s. Even though In-ho had slept far less, Haon’s complexion looked more exhausted.
Unlike In-ho, who was accustomed to insomnia, Haon’s stamina dropped noticeably even after missing just one night of sleep.
“I’m not tired.”
Despite his heavy body, Haon stood up. He placed a glass of lukewarm water in front of In-ho and told him to drink it slowly. It was something In-ho often said to him.
“Thank you.”
After drinking the water Haon provided, In-ho absentmindedly poked at the fruit. He really did seem to have no appetite.
“I was thoughtless today.”
As Haon watched In-ho’s bowl remain mostly full with concern, In-ho spoke up.
“I’m sorry for gifting you clothes without asking about your taste.”
He put down the fork and offered a sincere apology. He added a promise that he wouldn’t do it again.
Hearing this, Haon blinked rapidly and waved his hands.
“No, it’s not that. I’m sorry for being so sensitive.”
It wasn’t something In-ho needed to apologize for. In-ho had spent a lot of money to give him a gift, and yet he had made him apologize. Haon’s heart felt even heavier.
“I’m sorry for getting angry today….”
Because he had promised not to apologize to In-ho, Haon’s voice trailed off. But he felt too shameless to let it pass without saying he was sorry.
Haon, who had been looking down, stole a glance up at In-ho. In-ho remained silent for a moment, staring intently at Haon. A slight question mark appeared in his deep eyes.
“You… got angry?”
When?
In-ho asked, resting his chin on his hand, sounding genuinely curious. He retraced their conversation, but he couldn’t quite understand at what point Haon had been angry.
“I… put on the seatbelt late…. And when you gave me the gift, I said I didn’t need it….”
Overcome with guilt, Haon’s voice grew even smaller.
Watching the mumbling Haon, In-ho’s mouth hung open slightly as he picked up his fork again.
“So that was you being angry.”
His tone wasn’t meant to tease; he sounded genuinely surprised. After filling his mouth and chewing for a long time, he nodded and spoke.
“I’ll have to be careful not to make Haon angry in the future.”
“I—I’ll be more careful.”
Haon lowered the corners of his mouth, thinking that he really had been far too sensitive.
Since it was his first time ever getting angry at someone, he couldn’t even remember what kind of expression he had made in front of In-ho. Seeing In-ho react this way, he feared he had come across even worse than he had worried.
“Go back and get some sleep. I’m finished.”
After observing the crestfallen Haon for a while, In-ho stood up with his bowl, which wasn’t even half empty.
Haon tried to clear the bowl for him, but was refused. Still, he didn’t return to his room, instead lingering by In-ho’s side and watching him put the fork and bowl into the dishwasher.
“Are you going to sleep?”
He asked now out of curiosity about what In-ho would do.
The night was already deep, and since both were sleep-deprived, they were in a state where they needed to lie down quickly. However, neither of them seemed to want to return to their room.
“I’m going to watch some TV before I go in.”
“Ah… are you going to drink too?”
“Yes, a little.”
In-ho intended to drink once Haon left. For him, alcohol was like a sleeping pill.
Since he had mentioned it, he took out a brandy glass in front of Haon. Because Haon was watching so intently, he filled the glass only halfway before setting the bottle down.
“Is that all you’re drinking?”
Haon followed up with a curious question. In-ho wasn’t sure if he was asking because he was genuinely curious or if he just wanted to keep talking.
In-ho simply looked at him endearingly and picked up the bottle again, intending to keep it by his side.
“The wine you gave me back then.”
Haon brought it up cautiously, mumbling as he lightly touched the bandage on his cheek.
“It was delicious. It tasted like juice.”
“I’m glad.”
In-ho, who had been heading toward the living room, stopped in the middle of the kitchen and waited for the next words. He intentionally kept his mouth shut until Haon spoke on his own.
“It tasted better than the beer I had last time.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Haon nodded vigorously and looked up at In-ho. His round eyes were practically screaming that he wanted to drink, but In-ho pretended not to notice. He waited for Haon to ask for it directly.
“…Then, please get some rest.”
After glancing back and forth between the wine cellar and In-ho, Haon eventually bowed his head and stepped back. Despite his face practically announcing that he wanted to taste the wine again, he couldn’t bring himself to say a word.
“Haon.”
In the end, In-ho decided to be the one to offer first.
He gently caught Haon’s wrist as he tried to head back to his room, letting out a laugh that sounded like a sigh.
“Do you want some?”
Haon nodded without hesitation.
“Tell me directly. That you want to drink.”
He carefully touched the thin, bony wrist and used his other hand to take out a new glass.
“If you aren’t honest, I get confused.”
In-ho laughed lightly, as if making a joke, and let go of his wrist.
He suddenly wondered how long it would take for Haon’s wrists to fill out. Similarly, he wanted to know when Haon would be able to easily express his desires and ask for things.
In-ho’s wish to grow closer to Haon grew by another inch today. Yet, the more he wished for it, the more he felt Haon was somehow drifting further away, making him feel impatient. At this rate, he felt Haon would still find him intimidating even after a year and a half had passed.
“Can I… drink all of that…?”
A timid voice approached one step behind In-ho as he took out the wine bottle. Haon swallowed hard, pointing to the bottle In-ho was holding.
“Because I can’t sleep.”
He said it because he remembered In-ho saying that drinking helps with sleep. He didn’t want to get drunk, but he needed a bit of an alcoholic haze today.
“I want to drink.”
So, he spoke honestly. Using the courage In-ho had instilled in him.