By Zephyria 
“Do you think you can ride the bikes some more?”
In-ho naturally shifted the topic to keep the conversation going. He had intended to leave the bikes behind if Haon was struggling, but Haon sprang up from his seat as if he had been waiting for the suggestion.
“Let’s go now!”
Haon brushed off the chair he had been sitting on, preparing to depart immediately. He felt as though if he stayed seated any longer, the heat building up inside him would burst. Or perhaps the heat would migrate elsewhere.
“The bikes are…”
“Over there.”
In-ho pointed out the location of the bikes to Haon, who was looking around. Just as In-ho was about to stand up following Haon, a fluffy white ball of fur suddenly came charging from a distance.
Woof! Woof!
The white puppy, barking boldly and charging headlong, bumped its head right into Haon’s leg. It was a small Pomeranian.
“I’m so sorry!”
The owner, appearing flustered as if unfamiliar with using a leash, rushed over hurriedly to apologize. The owner was a young student, about the same age as the puppy. Perhaps an elementary schooler.
“He loves people too much. Ha-yang, you can’t do that.”
Ignoring its young owner, the puppy leaned its body against Haon’s leg. Overcome by that slight weight, Haon sat back down on the bench to admire the snowy white puppy. Seeing it rush in while wagging its tail violently, it seemed to want to sit on his lap.
“Ha-yang, shh! I said you can’t.”
“It’s okay.”
Looking at the whining white fluff-ball, Haon asked the child if he could pet it. The young owner nodded and loosened the leash slightly.
Woof!
At that, the hopping puppy nimbly leaped onto Haon’s lap. Its jumping power wasn’t great, so Haon had to help by supporting its backside.
Woof! Woof!
The doll-like puppy sat on Haon’s lap and barked happily, as if saying thank you. The sight of it panting with its pink tongue sticking out was incredibly cute.
“Haon, give me the ice cream.”
In-ho took the remaining ice cream so that Haon could pet the puppy to his heart’s content. He even gave his card to the young owner and told him to buy some treats at the convenience store. Since Haon seemed to welcome the puppy so enthusiastically, In-ho wanted him to be able to pet it longer.
“Why is your fur so soft? You’re still a baby, aren’t you?”
Thanks to this, Haon held and stroked the puppy freely.
As Haon touched its body, the puppy’s tail wagged even more excitedly. It was so cute, shaking its tail as if it might actually fly away, that Haon shook his head along with it.
He’s seriously too cute. In-ho watched the scene with a silent smile.
“Ha-yang, what did you eat to become this white? Is that why your name is Ha-yang?”
Despite having fair skin himself, Haon found the white fur fascinating. In-ho glanced at the puppy cradled in Haon’s arms.
Seeing that the fur was clean and soft without any tear stains, it seemed the puppy had grown up receiving a lot of love. That was evident just by how much it liked people.
“He’s so cute, isn’t he?”
After petting the puppy thoroughly, Haon belatedly became conscious of In-ho and turned his gaze. It had been so long since he had touched an animal that he had focused entirely on the puppy without a spare thought for In-ho.
“Try touching him once.”
Claiming the fur was truly soft, he slightly pushed the puppy in his arms toward In-ho. He was certain that In-ho would love the feel of the fur as much as he did.
“…….”
However, In-ho’s hand did not move forward. He simply looked at Haon while holding the ice cream.
“Do you… perhaps dislike dogs…?”
When Haon asked, fearing the worst, In-ho fortunately replied that it wasn’t that.
“I like them. All small animals.”
He answered and stared intently at Haon, as if he had something else to say.
“…Then try touching him. He’s very gentle.”
Waiting for the following words, Haon tilted his head and stroked the puppy. He moved a bit closer to encourage In-ho to touch it.
Then, with an unreadable expression, In-ho lightly shook his head. The corners of his mouth were still curved in an arc, but for some reason, it didn’t feel like he was smiling.
“I have a fur allergy.”
Ah, so that’s why.
As soon as Haon heard In-ho’s words, he stood up holding the puppy and created some distance.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know…!”
As it happened, the young owner had finished picking out snacks and come back, so Haon bid farewell to the puppy at a perfect time. Even after the puppy left, Haon remained at a distance, unable to approach In-ho.
“It’s okay. As long as you don’t touch me directly.”
In-ho tried to approach, but Haon stepped back, fleeing one step at a time. If he had known In-ho had a fur allergy, he wouldn’t have touched the dog in the first place.
“I’ll go wash my hands!”
Haon immediately ran to the public restroom behind the convenience store.
While scrubbing his hands diligently with soap, he checked his face in the mirror. He widened his hazy eyes, dried the moisture from his hands, and tidied up his wind-blown hair.
Just as he was pressing down on the bandage covering his bruise, his lips—now free of scabs—parted wide.
“Ah… he did tell me.”
‘I have a severe fur allergy.’
The conversation he had with In-ho at the department store finally came back to him. Good heavens, to think he had forgotten that.
With wide eyes, Haon slapped his forehead and hurriedly left the restroom. He had certainly carved it into his mind so as not to forget. But because he had met Ryu Soo-hyun and In-ho’s mother after that conversation, it had completely slipped his mind.
“Haon, over here.”
Haon, who had been rushing out, locked eyes with In-ho standing in front of the restroom. He was waiting for Haon at the entrance of the restroom rather than on the bench.
“Is something wrong?”
Seeing Haon rush out, In-ho’s expression hardened as he strode closer. To the question of whether something was wrong, Haon first shook his head and began to speak incoherently.
“I really tried to memorize it…! It’s not that I forgot, no, I mean… I did forget, but….”
Haon’s pupils shook slightly as he rambled. Realizing the reason In-ho’s smile had momentarily faded, his heart sank with anxiety.
That was definitely a look of disappointment.
“I remembered that you said you have a fur allergy.”
Scratching his carefully tidied hair, he scolded his foolish self inwardly.
“I won’t forget it now. Never.”
Haon lowered his head, unable to look In-ho in the eye.
He had forgotten the conversation at the department store, yet he remembered promising that he wouldn’t forget anything In-ho said. His chest stung, feeling as though he had made yet another promise he couldn’t keep.
“It can’t be helped if you forget again. It’s not like you forget because you want to.”
Breaking the short silence, In-ho tidied the stray hairs sticking up on Haon’s head. He comforted the crestfallen Haon, saying it wasn’t something to apologize for.
Gaining courage from this, Haon met his eyes again. Fortunately, In-ho was smiling. Seeing the same smile as usual put his mind at ease.
“Were you always prone to forgetting things?”
Watching Haon’s expression relax, In-ho curved his lips further and continued his question. It was a question he had intended to ask in detail someday.
“I was a bit like that… but it got worse after I manifested as an Omega.”
Truthfully, he hadn’t been the meticulous type even as a child. He often lost things and frequently got lost on roads he always took.
“Did you get a check-up?”
“They said it’s a pheromone issue. There’s nothing wrong with my brain.”
Haon spoke while clenching his fists, like a child insisting they weren’t hurt. He didn’t want to look like a sick patient to In-ho. In-ho likely already thought of him as an unstable Omega.
“I don’t forget the really important things.”
He was certain that if he revealed any more flaws, he would only exhaust the man. Haon vowed to stay more alert from now on.
Listening quietly to that promise, In-ho eventually replied that he understood and took Haon’s hand.
“Let’s go now.”
Someone might take our bikes. Thanks to In-ho continuing the conversation in a light tone, the dampened atmosphere was refreshed.
Haon gripped the hand In-ho held with both of his own and increased his stride. Although In-ho was walking sufficiently to match his pace, Haon intentionally walked faster.
Lest In-ho find it frustrating.
* * *
Haon and In-ho enjoyed their walk along the Han River until just before sunset. Even though they hadn’t done much, time flew by.
Haon wanted to stay a bit longer, but he didn’t argue when In-ho suggested they head back.
“Let’s play longer next time.”
As if reading Haon’s lingering regret, In-ho spoke with a smile as he started the car.
“It’ll be cold at night now, so dress warmly and come back later.”
Relieved by the suggestion to come back, Haon nodded in agreement. If he were too greedy, he might catch a cold. Because he couldn’t even take antipyretics, Haon suffered for a long time even from a common cold.
“Traffic will be heavy now, so it’ll take a while. I’ll wake you up, so get some shut-eye.”
In-ho reclined the seat so Haon could lie down comfortably. Haon’s eyes sparkled with curiosity at the automatically moving seatback.
“Aren’t you tired?”
“No.”
At the immediate answer, In-ho burst into laughter and rested his chin on his hand. Then, with one hand relaxed on the steering wheel, he gazed at the congested roads of the commute.
“Shall we listen to the radio? Or music?”
“Either is fine… the radio, please.”
Haon carefully gave his opinion, fearing In-ho might ask him to choose one of the two again. Since anything was fine, he had just picked one.
As long fingertips operated the buttons, the stable voice of a radio DJ flowed out.
Pretending to focus on the radio, Haon stole glances at In-ho’s profile. Even though he had seen this face all day, he didn’t seem to tire of it.
He liked that he could observe In-ho freely because In-ho didn’t look to the side much while driving. Moreover, the expression of concentration on the road and the languid way he rested his chin on his hand whenever the light turned red were so handsome that Haon wanted to capture them in a photo. It was a pity he couldn’t truly carve the image into his eyes.
—When you think of a first kiss, what place comes to mind?
Just then, the clear voice of the radio DJ pierced Haon’s ears. As words like ‘first kiss,’ ‘peck,’ and ‘kiss’ were repeated, he couldn’t help but become conscious of them.
“Ahem….”
Haon cleared his throat and fiddled with the bandage on his cheek. He tried not to look at In-ho on purpose, but his honest gaze began to flicker toward In-ho’s lips as if drawn by a magnet.
It was simply an unconscious action. Because the radio DJ emphasized ‘kiss’ so much, the lips had caught his eye. He absolutely wasn’t looking because he hoped for something. Absolutely, absolutely not.
“Haon.”
It was when the DJ’s segment ended and transitioned into a song. In-ho, using that same affectionate voice, called Haon while keeping his gaze fixed forward.
“…Yes.”
Haon’s flustered voice echoed faintly. Even though there was no reason to be nervous, sweat kept pooling in his palms.
“If there’s anything you want to do, just tell me.”
Under the red-tinted sky in the distance, the traffic light turned green. In-ho released the hand resting on his chin and slowly pressed the accelerator.
In the meantime, Haon swallowed hard, chewing over In-ho’s words.
Want to do what…? He wanted to ask, but since his throat was blocked by tension, he could only ask with his eyes. It was a question that wouldn’t reach In-ho, who was looking straight ahead.
“Just, anything.”
However, In-ho answered immediately. As if he had been watching Haon all along.