By Zephyria 
Since he started living at In-ho’s house, Haon had experienced many things for the first time.
He took a half-body bath in a bathtub for the first time, and tasted sweet wines and all sorts of foreign foods.
Furthermore, he experienced his first relationship and his first kiss. Of course, his conscience pricked him at the thought of calling it a “first kiss,” but Haon wanted to believe that the kiss he shared with In-ho was his first.
“Ouch.”
And today was the day of his very first date. A date. Even on the morning of the promised date, Haon couldn’t believe it and kept pinching his own skin.
“Ngh.”
Even now, he was in the middle of changing clothes, pinching the flesh of his forearm with all his might. Seeing as it hurt enough to make him moan, it was certainly not a dream.
After pinching various parts of his body to his heart’s content, he finally accepted the reality and finished zipping up his pants. Naturally, he wore the clothes In-ho had bought for him. Since In-ho had bought several outfits, he had spent a long time agonizing over what to wear.
For a moment, he felt discouraged, feeling as though no matter what he wore, he didn’t look particularly stylish. But then, recalling Ho-yeong’s words, he straightened his back with confidence. Ho-yeong had told him to have confidence. Haon consciously chewed over those words.
“Looking good, looking good.”
He praised himself without any real conviction, psyching himself up in front of the mirror. He looked completely tense, like a student on his first day of school.
It wasn’t even his first time going out with In-ho. Yet, simply adding the word ‘date’ had completely changed his mindset while preparing to leave.
Haon patted his left chest, which refused to calm down, and murmured as if praying. I am cool. I am a truly cool person.
“Do a good job, Jeong Haon.”
Finally, he clenched his fist and made a vow to the mirror. Anyone watching would think he was heading off to a major competition.
Even after his resolve, he couldn’t easily leave the mirror. He glared bitterly at himself, feeling that he still looked cheap even in nice clothes, and then opened a drawer.
Should I put on some perfume? He paused as he opened the cap of the perfume he hadn’t been able to return to Tae-hwi. He remembered Ryu Soo-hyun’s words.
‘Doesn’t he tell you not to wear it?’
It seemed that person had been told not to wear perfume. Wondering why he hadn’t been told the same, he quickly put the perfume back.
He had almost forgotten that conversation and made him uncomfortable.
“Get it together. Focus.”
He tapped his forehead and widened his already large eyes even further.
For today, he wanted to remember every single tiny conversation he shared with In-ho without exception. No, he would never forget them in the future. Definitely.
“I can do this.”
Fighting! he shouted a cheer inside his head. The meaning of “do a good job,” which he had vowed dozens of times since the crack of dawn, was to make a good impression on In-ho.
He wanted to show him a wonderful side of himself so that In-ho wouldn’t regret deciding to date him. To put it simply, he wanted to seduce In-ho.
“Ahem.”
He rubbed his cheek, reflecting on a wish he could never utter aloud. Though he knew it was an excessive ambition, he set his goals high for now. After all, he… was in a relationship with him.
After spending a full two hours getting ready, he checked the weather and time on his phone. Fortunately, the weather was clear today. Since they were planning to go to the aquarium, the weather didn’t matter much, but it was still a relief.
The moment he closed the weather forecast window with a pleasant feeling and checked the time, a small sigh of “Ah…” escaped him.
It wasn’t even 6:00 AM yet. Outside the window, the dimness of dawn had not yet faded.
He had intended to wake up early, but this was far too early. Because he planned to finish all the housework before leaving, he had intentionally set a tight schedule. In the end, Haon decided to move a bit more leisurely. He decided to vacuum later, as it might disturb In-ho’s sleep.
Haon opened his bedroom door quietly, scratching his smooth face that was heavily coated in lotion. Such a small sound wouldn’t reach the upper floor, but he acted cautiously just in case.
“Oh…”
However, the moment he stepped out of the room, Haon’s efforts to hide his presence became meaningless.
In-ho…?”
In-ho was sitting on the living room sofa, not in his bedroom. Without the TV even on, he was leaning his head back against the sofa, staring at Haon’s bedroom door.
“You’re awake already?”
Haon approached In-ho with a surprised expression. In-ho simply scanned Haon with a calm gaze as he drew closer.
“That’s my question.”
Seeing Haon already dressed for the outing, a small chuckle escaped In-ho’s lips.
“You don’t have any other appointments before our date, do you?”
Playfulness shimmered in the corners of In-ho’s mouth as he leaned his cheek against the sofa.
“I don’t have any appointments. I woke up early to clean.”
True to Haon’s nature of taking jokes seriously, a strong denial returned. In-ho looked up at Haon and smiled. His gaze, made even more languid by the early hour, lingered on Haon’s glossy cheeks.
Meanwhile, Haon chewed over In-ho’s words. When he explicitly mentioned a ‘date,’ Haon felt shy, yet a strange sense of relief washed over him.
“You don’t have to clean.”
“No, I have to. We agreed to start doing it again from today.”
Haon shook his head and said he would finish cleaning quickly.
In-ho, please sleep more. I’ll be quiet so it doesn’t make any noise.”
You should sleep more too, Haon. We’re busy today.”
In-ho spoke, reaching his hand out toward Haon.
“You need to save your energy. I’ll be upset if you get tired too early.”
He didn’t withdraw his arm until Haon took his hand. Being weak to In-ho, Haon had no choice but to take it.
“Then I’ll just wipe the floors and come back.”
He said he would only do it for one hour, but In-ho shook his head firmly. I can really finish it quickly. After hesitating like that, he was eventually drawn by In-ho’s tender gaze and sat on the sofa.
“What time did you wake up?”
In-ho asked, sitting close to Haon. Just as when they had sat side-by-side on the convenience store bench, he sat close enough for their arms to touch, despite the ample space available.
“Not long ago.”
In truth, he had been awake for two hours, but he lied in case In-ho would worry. However, In-ho didn’t seem to believe him particularly. For someone who had just woken up, the scent of shampoo wafted from Haon’s hair, as he had already finished showering.
What about you, In-ho?”
“I woke up not long ago either.”
Haon didn’t believe In-ho’s words either. There was an empty liquor glass on the sofa table.
Since when had he been out here? Haon couldn’t ask, fearing that In-ho wouldn’t answer honestly, just as he himself hadn’t.
“How about we leave around 11:00?”
“Sounds good.”
Haon nodded immediately. Honestly, in his heart, he wanted to leave even earlier to spend as much time as possible with In-ho. However, he felt his stamina might not keep up. Since it was the first day, he shouldn’t be too greedy.
“Then shall we sleep a bit more? Aren’t you sleepy, Haon?”
“A little.”
This was also a lie. Haon wasn’t sleepy at all. Despite having slept less than four hours because he fell asleep after finishing his weekend part-time job, he was wide awake.
But In-ho looked tired for some reason. His expression was relaxed as usual, but his languid eyes lacked energy. It was likely because of the early hour.
“Let’s close our eyes for a bit and then wake up.”
Haon agreed. He was about to say he would come out at 11:00, but before he could, In-ho naturally lay down on the sofa, gently pulling Haon’s wrist.
Ah, he means let’s sleep together.
“Should I bring a blanket?”
Haon shook his head slightly to indicate it was fine and lay down following In-ho. Because In-ho had stretched his arm out long, Haon ended up in a slightly awkward position while trying to lie down avoiding his arm.
Avoiding In-ho’s chest, which filled his field of vision, he turned his head this way and that and tilted his chin up. No matter where he looked, it was quite embarrassing.
“I think it would be more comfortable if you came up here.”
A hint of a smile permeated In-ho’s soft voice. He pulled a cushion and placed it on his arm, telling Haon to come up, saying it would be plush.
Haon, who hadn’t considered using an arm as a pillow at all, squirmed and slowly crawled up.
“I think your arm might fall asleep…”
“If it does, I’ll stretch it out.”
In-ho said with a laugh when Haon couldn’t lean back comfortably. Thanks to that, Haon was able to relax a bit and lie on his side, facing In-ho.
The distance was so close that their breaths touched, which felt awkward but happy. The heart-pounding beat that felt like it would burst was also starting to become a bit familiar now.
“Let’s take lots of pictures later. And eat delicious food.”
Haon, feeling even better at In-ho’s words, silently pressed his palms together as if clapping. He felt relieved that In-ho also seemed to be looking forward to today’s date.
In-ho patted Haon’s shoulder with a grin and closed his eyes first. He must have been sleepy after all.
“Sleep comfortably. Act as if I’m not here.”
Following the slowly echoing voice, the touch patting his shoulder also gradually slowed down.
“…….”
Haon watched In-ho fall asleep quickly with wide-awake eyes. A faint scent of alcohol wafted from his slightly parted lips. Haon inhaled that scent deeply and exhaled quietly through his nose. It seemed to be a very strong liquor.
Could it be… that he didn’t sleep a wink?
Chewing over the sudden thought, he slowly lifted his arm. Haon moved a bit closer to In-ho and carefully patted his chest, which was rising and falling shallowly.
He hoped In-ho would fall into a deep sleep, even if it meant going to the aquarium next time. He hoped he would have a peaceful slumber, so deep that he wouldn’t even dream.
Unfortunately, Haon’s wish did not last long, but instead, the two’s first date was a success.