By Zephyria 
Yesterday, after eating the meal In-ho had prepared, they sat together on the living room sofa watching a movie before naturally returning to their respective bedrooms. It was a day that had passed exceptionally fast.
Haon simply did his best not to act awkwardly. During the meal, he focused entirely on the food, and while watching the movie, he kept his eyes wide open to ensure he could follow the plot.
He struggled throughout the entire time to avoid being conscious of In-ho. Every time their eyes met, his heart reacted so violently that he found himself constantly averting his gaze. Because of this, he hadn’t been able to look at In-ho’s face at all yesterday.
Even now, sitting in the car together, he kept his gaze fixed on the window rather than on In-ho. He ignored even In-ho’s profile reflected faintly in the glass, choosing instead to watch the pedestrians passing by. He tried his hardest to do so.
“The weather is clear today, too.”
Once again, it was In-ho who filled the silence. He was on his way to drop Haon off at the shop where he worked his weekend part-time job. Haon had said it was fine, but In-ho insisted he wasn’t fine with that and had grabbed the car keys.
“I think you ate a bit too much for lunch earlier. Let me know if your stomach feels uneasy.”
Haon had eaten everything In-ho had served. Although In-ho told him he could leave some, Haon had scraped every last grain of rice from the bowl even after he felt full.
“Maybe we should have had some tea. We still have some time; do you want to buy a cup of tea before you go in?”
While stopped at a red light, In-ho looked at Haon and asked. Haon shook his head, saying he was fine. Since his voice wouldn’t come out loudly, he always added a gesture to his answers.
Yes, no, I’m fine.
Only these three phrases were being repeated like a parrot from Haon’s stiff lips. He wanted to lead the conversation somehow, but his mouth wouldn’t follow his heart.
However, he couldn’t just stay quiet like this. At this rate, they wouldn’t have a proper conversation by the time they reached the shop.
“Today, uhm—”
Haon opened his mouth, determined to say anything. He cleared his locked throat and clenched his fists, forcing a sound out.
“You look handsome today, too…”
Perhaps because his determination had been too excessive, he ended up saying absolutely anything.
The moment the words left his mouth, Haon froze like a statue, spacing out as he imagined himself crawling into a mouse hole. He felt like he genuinely wanted to become a mouse. He figured it would be better to squeak and cling to In-ho’s side than to spout nonsense like this.
Ah, but then maybe In-ho wouldn’t like that. In that case, instead of a mouse, he wanted to be something small and cute, like a sparrow or an ant—something whose existence might not even be noticed. In truth, as long as he wasn’t a nuisance to him, anything was fine.
“We’ve arrived, customer.”
A beautiful hand entered Haon’s field of vision while he was deeply immersed in his own thoughts, having not even heard In-ho’s response. Only then did Haon’s focus return, and he looked back and forth between In-ho, who was smiling at him, and the entrance of the shop. They had already arrived.
“I’ll come pick you up at one o’clock.”
In-ho spoke as he unbuckled Haon’s seatbelt.
“Make sure to contact me if anything happens.”
Got it? Under that gaze that looked steadily into his eyes, Haon found himself nodding unconsciously. He had intended to tell him that he didn’t need to come pick him up.
In-ho…
Haon tried again to make up for the failed conversation. Since he still had time before his shift started, he didn’t have to get out immediately. There was a little more time to talk.
“What are you doing today?”
Fortunately, he asked a question that actually sounded like a question. He had actually tried to ask this earlier, but the moment he saw In-ho’s face, the words had come out wrong.
“Hmm, today…”
In-ho slowly rolled his eyes and tapped the steering wheel—tap, tap—with his finger. He didn’t have any planned schedules yet.
“I think I’ll just rest at home.”
I see. Haon nodded and told In-ho to make sure to eat a good dinner. He worried that In-ho might just eat something simple when he was alone. He was always concerned that In-ho ate too little compared to his physique and activity level. It was a wonder who was worrying about whom.
“I’ll be going now.”
Unable to think of anything else to say, he prepared to get out of the car. Though he had been deathly awkward while together, the thought of parting now filled him with regret. Even though they would meet again tonight anyway, his hand was slow to open the door.
“Drive safely. Thank you for dropping me off.”
As he bowed his head in greeting, In-ho, who had been smiling softly, suddenly reached out. For some reason, Haon expected that hand to come toward his face and leaned his head forward slightly.
However, In-ho only touched Haon’s hand. As if telling him to have a good day, he stroked the back of Haon’s white hand, just as he had lightly tapped the steering wheel.
You look handsome today too, Haon.
The playfully whispering voice tickled Haon’s insides once again. With blushing cheeks, Haon stepped out of the car as if fleeing.
Haon didn’t leave the spot until the car, starting smoothly, disappeared into the distance. He stood blankly in front of the shop, pressing his pounding chest before slowly moving his feet. He felt a slight thirst born of an unidentified sense of longing.
“Uh…”
Having steadied his heart, he opened the shop door and tilted his head. It was because the door had opened on its own.
“Welcome.”
Tae-hwi, who had opened the door from inside, welcomed Haon with a smile. He had been watching the entire scene through the transparent glass door.
“You have a lot to tell me, right?”
His eyes sparkled with the anticipation of hearing a lot of stories.
Tae-hwi had been waiting for this day since the moment he saw In-ho personally come to pick up Haon last week. He was incredibly curious about where on earth Haon had met such a lottery-winning kind of man. Anyway,
“What were you doing, not getting out of the car right away?”
Tae-hwi asked as he led Haon toward the storage room so he could prepare for work. Judging by Haon’s expression, it seemed there had been some progress in the relationship. Tae-hwi was very quick-witted.
“Just… we talked.”
Even before the serious questions had begun, that gentle face had already turned into a carrot. He must have kissed in the car or something.
“Right, talking is good. It’s even better if it’s erotic.”
Tae-hwi nodded with a “Kyah!” sound, only to let out a shout of “Ack!” He had been smacked on the back of the head by Hyung-cheol, who was heading toward the kitchen.
“Stop bullying the kid.”
“What bullying! I’m showing interest!”
“You’re crossing the line.”
Tae-hwi snapped back, arguing that his brother was the one who lacked interest. While Hyung-cheol and Tae-hwi bickered, Haon quickly stepped into the storage room, found his apron, and put it on. Then he waited for Tae-hwi to enter.
“Haon, is it uncomfortable when I ask? Should I stop?”
Tae-hwi, who entered the storage room huffing, asked sincerely. Although he seemed like someone who didn’t care about others on the surface, he actually tended to be mindful of how others perceived him. As Hyung-cheol said, he simply went too far; there was no malice.
“I… there’s something I want to say.”
Because Haon knew that, he didn’t dislike Tae-hwi, even if he was occasionally uncomfortable. And right now, Haon needed someone to vent his worries to. He had a feeling that Tae-hwi would listen better than anyone else.
“You’re dating that guy, aren’t you?”
“H-how did you know?!”
Haon’s mouth fell open as he gripped his apron. He had been worried about how to bring it up, but it turned out there was no need to worry.
“First of all, congratulations.”
Tae-hwi beamed with a face that said he had expected it all along. He had a lot he wanted to say, but since time was short, he got straight to the point.
“What’s the problem? Tell me briefly.”
Unfortunately, because a group reservation had been made early today, there wasn’t much time for conversation. Facing the disappointed Tae-hwi, Haon fidgeted with his hands, hesitating.
“Quick, tell me. Hurry!”
Tae-hwi stomped his feet, urging him as if he were dying of curiosity. Many things he wanted to say were jumbled together, but Haon brought up the most important issue among his many worries first.
“I don’t know what it’s like to be in a relationship…”
No, honestly, he just didn’t know anything. He didn’t know how to treat him, and he couldn’t understand the heart of the man who said he liked him.
“And somehow…”
Scratching his neck, Haon left an ambiguous comment with a sigh. That it felt like he was the only one who felt too heavy.
“Excuse me, seniors.”
Just then, a deep voice was added to the narrow storage room. It was the voice of the youngest, Ho-yeong.
Standing at the door, he bowed his head and greeted his seniors brightly. Perhaps having just arrived for work, he raised both hands to Hyung-cheol, who was far off in the kitchen, letting him know he was here.
Because the storage room was so cramped, either Tae-hwi or Haon had to step out for Ho-yeong to enter. With a small sigh, Tae-hwi took out his phone and held it out to Haon.
“Put your number in. Let’s talk over the phone later.”
“Ah, yes.”
Haon immediately gave his number to Tae-hwi. It was the first time he had given his number to a colleague.
“Haon, change your shoes and come out. Don’t forget!”
Tae-hwi pointed to Haon’s sneakers as he left the storage room first. Because the floor was often slippery when moving to and from the kitchen, there were separate shoes for wearing in the shop. The owner had provided them for the part-timers.
Haon took off his sneakers immediately before he could forget. In the meantime, Ho-yeong also prepared for work, tucking his large crossbody bag into a corner.
“Did anything happen that day?”
“Huh?”
Haon, who was changing his shoes, looked at Ho-yeong. Ho-yeong was watching Haon with eyes full of concern, devoid of any smile.
“Ah, uh. I’m okay. Thanks for worrying about me.”
Remembering that Ho-yeong had tried to help him when In-ho visited the shop, Haon thanked him. Because so many things had happened during the week, he had simply forgotten.
“That person is a really good person. There’s nothing to worry about!”
“That’s a relief, then.”
Ho-yeong said so, but he didn’t look away, as if something still felt off.
Haon’s complexion looked better than last week, but he still had a bandage on his left cheek. It was where a severe bruise had been. That was clearly a wound from being hit by someone.
“Haon hyung.”
“Yeah.”
“About the taxi fare I lent you.”
Taxi fare? Haon blinked with a blank expression before suddenly jumping. His feet actually hovered in the air for a brief moment before landing.
“I—I! Right! How much was it?! I’ll give it to you right now! I’ll give you more!”
Flustered, Haon hurriedly tried to take out his wallet. Blocking him, Ho-yeong held out his phone, following Tae-hwi’s lead. Instead of taking the money, he asked Haon to buy him a meal.
And so, two colleagues’ names were added to Haon’s phone contacts: ‘Tae-hwi hyung’ and ‘Ho-yeong’.