By Zephyria 
After organizing all the laundered clothes, Haon went out alone for the first time in a while. Aside from when he went to his weekend part-time job, this was the first time he had stepped outside by himself.
Although the sky was overcast, it wasn’t raining yet. Since rain was forecast for the afternoon, he didn’t forget to pack a folding umbrella in his shopping bag.
He planned to visit a large mart near his house. He had ingredients in the refrigerator, but he wanted to prepare dinner using ingredients he bought with his own money.
He considered texting In-ho to say he was heading to the mart but decided against it. He didn’t want to distract In-ho while he was with his family. He also figured there was no need to notify him since he would be back soon anyway.
The mart was a ten-minute walk from home. Holding a memo with his shopping list, Haon found the entrance and stepped inside. Since it was his first time visiting a large mart alone, he felt a bit fluttery with excitement.
“Please try a sample!”
Despite it being a weekday afternoon, the mart was quite crowded. It seemed to be because there was a large department store, a famous hotel, and even an amusement park nearby. Thanks to that, Haon got to enjoy plenty of people-watching on his way to the mart.
Though it was chaotic, he looked around with a joyful expression. If In-ho had been beside him, he would have warned him to watch where he was walking. That was how excited he was.
He loved exploring the large mart for the first time, and he loved the fact that he was buying dinner for In-ho. Everything made Haon feel elated.
Truthfully, if he were buying ingredients for a meal he would eat alone, he wouldn’t have been this excited. Because it was a meal he would share with In-ho, the process of preparing it was even more delightful.
“Student, try a dumpling.”
A mart employee offered a freshly fried dumpling to Haon as he browsed the frozen food section. The employees at the tasting corners were particularly talkative with Haon.
“What did you come to buy? What are you planning to cook?”
It was because Haon was wandering around with a look of wonder, as if he had never been to a mart before. Having only ever visited small supermarkets, it was only natural that he found such a large mart fascinating.
“Ah… I’m planning to make Samgyetang.”
“You’re making it yourself?”
The employee glanced at Haon’s cart and gave a warm smile. Seeing that Haon didn’t seem accustomed to grocery shopping, she helped him by recommending ingredients. She also subtly suggested the fried dumplings she was selling.
“Thank you.”
Haon bowed his head politely and added two bags of fried dumplings to his cart, even though he hadn’t planned on buying them. Thanks to the woman, he learned a secret to making Samgyetang taste delicious.
After that, he was stopped by employees every time he passed a tasting corner.
Having filled his stomach with samples, Haon pushed his cart in a great mood. Many unplanned items had been added, but he viewed it as an experience and enjoyed his happy overspending.
He wanted to hurry home and tell In-ho everything that had happened today. He thought In-ho would laugh if he told him he’d filled up on samples.
In-ho always laughed at even the smallest stories Haon told. Thanks to that, Haon was gradually becoming a chatterbox in front of In-ho. It was a sign of how comfortable he had become with him.
Thump.
It happened just as Haon entered the snack aisle. A child, distracted by the snacks, bumped into Haon’s cart and fell backward. Fortunately, it wasn’t a hard fall, but Haon was greatly startled.
“Are you okay?”
Leaving his cart behind, he rushed to the child to help him up. However, the child bravely stood up on his own, brushed off his bottom, rejected Haon’s hand, and went to find his mother. Just then, the child’s mother was coming around from the next aisle.
“Did you pick a snack?”
She urged him to choose quickly. Relieved that the child wasn’t hurt, Haon turned back to retrieve his cart.
“Honey, do we have an umbrella in the car?”
And then, a strangely familiar voice caught Haon’s feet. It was the voice of the child’s father, who had arrived with a cart.
“I put a big one in the trunk.”
“Then we don’t need to buy one, right?”
“We’re going straight to the hotel anyway. We just need to buy some light snacks.”
Haon slowly exited the snack aisle while listening to the couple’s conversation. The more he heard the man’s voice, the more familiar it felt.
It was definitely a voice Haon knew. A voice he thought he would never encounter again.
“Should we eat dinner before heading back? Or delivery?”
When the wife said either was fine, the man asked his daughter instead what she wanted to eat. Since the child was only interested in the snacks, the man played around by scooping him up in his arms.
He seemed to be a man who was tender toward his family. His tone with his wife and daughter was very soft.
“Shall we have pizza? No? Then chicken?”
He had treated Haon with that exact same kind of affectionate tone.
Before leaving the snack aisle, Haon turned his head slightly to confirm the man’s face. As expected, it was the man from his memories.
The man holding his young daughter in one arm was an Alpha. His tall stature and broad shoulders revealed his status as an Alpha.
He hadn’t expected to see him again. And in such a coincidental way.
“Why haven’t you picked a snack yet? Want Daddy to pick one for you?”
The man laughed as he sat the child in the cart seat. He looked exactly as he did when Haon first met him. Since it had only been a year and a half, it was natural that there were no major changes.
He was the first Alpha Haon had ever met. That first button, sewn on wrong.
“Just buy one. Only one.”
“Mom says only one. Let’s pick just one.”
The moment he saw the man, his blurred memories became vivid. He thought he had forgotten everything.
The shape of the bed in the motel they first visited together, the mirror on the ceiling, and even the color of the bedding came back to him. He remembered the words the man had poured out to him all night in a mature tone, and the gentle touch of his hands.
“…….”
Haon gripped the handle of the cart tightly and quickened his pace.
He walked forward, deliberately not looking back. He had already bought everything for dinner, so there was no need to look around further.
Haon headed for the checkout counter as if escaping and frantically moved his items.
He acted urgently, like someone being chased. While the cashier scanned the barcodes, he fidgeted anxiously with his hands. He also kept his head low, as if trying to hide his face.
“Please insert your card in the front.”
“Yes, yes…”
He dropped his wallet a few times before finally managing to pull out his card.
He hurriedly packed the paid items into his shopping bag and left the area. His hunched posture made him look like someone who had committed a great crime. His shoulders slumped further, as if crushed by a sin that must not be discovered.
Haon intended to head for the escalator but chose a secluded elevator instead. He went to the place where he could encounter the fewest people.
Haon’s complexion was pale as he rubbed his thumping left chest. He swallowed repeatedly, feeling as though the food he’d eaten at the tasting corners might come back up.
The image of the young child calling the man “Daddy” lingered before his eyes like an afterimage.
“Haa…”
Was the child about five years old? The more he estimated the child’s age, the more his thumping chest tightened.
It had been only a year and a half since Haon first met him. He hadn’t been wearing a wedding ring.
He had never dreamed the man had a family. Haon hadn’t even thought to ask if he was seeing someone. There was no way he could have suspected.
A slight tremor ran through Haon’s hand as he held the shopping bag. Thinking only of escaping this place immediately, he pressed the elevator button.
His heart was beating so fast it actually hurt. He pressed firmly on the left side of his chest to calm the startled beat. He felt severely anxious, as if someone were chasing him.
At the same time, he felt angry.
Haon took a deep breath and waited for the elevator. He repeatedly pressed the button that was already lit, huffing softly.
Amidst the desire to run away, a surge of longing to go to that man right now and scream at the top of his lungs rose up. He didn’t even know what words he wanted to say. He just wanted to scream wildly.
Haon had never felt such intense anger toward someone in his life. The emotion filling his chest was so unfamiliar that he could only take deep breaths. He knew no other way to release this feeling.
Just as he covered his mouth, struggling to suppress a gag reflex, the elevator arrived.
He leaned against the wall, gripping the elevator handrail as if collapsing. He tried to press the floor button, but his hand wouldn’t obey, so he waited for the door to close first.
Hoping his stomach would settle, he closed his eyes tight with his forehead leaning against the wall. The moment he heard the door close, the strength left his legs, and he nearly slumped down.
But before that, the door opened again.
At the sound of the door opening, Haon opened his eyes and instinctively stepped back. It was because the man’s face was revealed through the slowly widening gap of the doors.
“It is you.”
He spoke with a bright smile. As if he had met someone he was glad to see.