First, Haon turned off the living room light and immediately ran to Seong-gu hyung’s room. The smell of food filling the house made his mouth water even though he wasn’t hungry. He wanted morning to come quickly so he could boast about his aunt’s cooking skills to Inho.
“Hyung, are you asleep?”
He had intended to quietly sneak out if his hyung was sleeping.
Seong-gu, who had laid out a blanket on the floor, waited for Haon with his arms crossed. Judging by his expression, it seemed there were still more nagging words to come.
“Sit down quickly. Let’s talk for a bit.”
“I’m sleepy…”
Haon sighed, scratching his cheek as he sat down in front of Seong-gu. Even while sitting across from his hyung, his eyes kept going to the clock on the wall.
“Did he buy all of that with his money?”
“Don’t call him ‘that guy’.”
“Just answer me.”
Seong-gu didn’t grumble like Jin, but he wasn’t as openly happy as his aunt either. He just kept wearing a displeased expression.
“No, I bought all the things for hyung and aunt with the money I earned.”
The rest was all bought by Inho. However, Haon had paid for all the gifts for Seong-gu’s family. Upon confirming this, Seong-gu’s expression softened slightly.
“What’s he going to do here? Is he going to farm or something?”
“Inho is really smart. He’ll be good at anything.”
“So, how is he going to make a living?”
“Seong-gu hyung.”
Haon placed his hand on his hyung’s firm arm and looked him straight in the eye.
“You don’t have to worry about Inho.”
At his confident tone, Seong-gu was at a loss for words. Haon’s calm brown eyes also silenced him.
“Don’t worry about me either. We’re going to live really well.”
Seong-gu looked at Haon, who was tightly holding his arm, then silently turned his head away.
“Just lie down.”
He turned off the small lamp and flopped down on the blanket. Haon lay on his side facing his hyung and asked if he was just going to sleep.
“We should chat before sleeping. Aren’t you even happy to see your hyung?”
“Of course, I’m happy. Okay, let’s talk and then sleep.”
He earnestly asked him not to speak ill of Inho. Instead of answering, Seong-gu just clicked his tongue.
“Is Seoul nice?”
“Yeah, the buildings are all big, there are a lot of people, and there are many pretty places.”
“What did you like the most?”
If he said he liked Inho the most, his hyung would probably be even more upset, so he mentioned the second best thing.
“Riding a bicycle in Hangang Park.”
“You can do that here too.”
“No, it’s different.”
For Haon, it was like the difference between heaven and earth. Because Inho wasn’t here.
Besides that, Haon also told him about his experiences at the aquarium and expensive restaurants. However, the conversation ended quickly thanks to his hyung, who started snoring loudly with a keo-keo-keok sound before long.
“Seong-gu hyung.”
Ever since he was young, his hyung would fall fast asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow. It seemed to be because his body was exhausted from doing all the heavy work in the village by himself.
“Sorry for upsetting you.”
Haon whispered softly and covered Seong-gu with his blanket. He was about to leave when he lightly pinched the tip of his hyung’s nose, which was making a drilling sound. It was a small revenge for ignoring Inho’s greeting.
***
Unable to find a flashlight, Inho tried to turn on his phone’s flashlight. He also packed his washing tools, intending to wash up while going out to check outside. He wouldn’t be able to fall asleep anyway.
He slowly walked towards the sliding door, rubbing the back of his hand where the bug had touched him. The sound coming from outside was gradually getting closer to the door. It was the sound of footsteps, not a bug, but a person or an animal.
Then it was fine. Right now, Inho was even willing to welcome a ghost or a wild beast if it appeared. Anything but a bug. Anything that didn’t crawl on the ground or fly in the sky…
Woof!
“Shhh.”
Just as Inho was about to grab the doorknob, the sound outside became clearer.
“Be quiet.”
A smile spread across Inho’s face as he recognized the familiar voice. He held his breath and opened the door.
Woof!
“I said be quiet. Shh.”
Haon, with his index finger over his lips, bent down.
He soothed the puppy that was circling his legs, continuously making a shh, shh snake-like sound. However, the puppy, overjoyed to see Haon after a long time, barked even more excitedly.
Woof woof!
It ran towards Haon on its hind legs, ready to jump into his arms. Haon, who was holding a basket, couldn’t hug the puppy and just fidgeted. He was worried that Inho might really wake up.
“Haengboki, be good. Let’s be quiet for a little bit, okay?”
“Its name is Haengboki?”
Haon, startled by the sudden voice, plopped down on the ground. He almost dropped the basket he was carefully holding.
Inho, who had run out immediately, helped Haon up. He smiled as he dusted off Haon’s pants.
“Did you come alone?”
“Yes, I sneaked out.”
Haon looked up at Inho and gave him a mischievous smile like a child who had played a prank. Even though there was no one around to eavesdrop, he even lowered his voice. He seemed very excited.
“Why did you come alone at night so dangerously? There weren’t even any streetlights.”
“Seong-gu hyung’s house is quite close.”
Haon waved the flashlight, saying he had come quickly. With this, he could walk around at night without any trouble.
“And he came with me.”
As if it understood it was being introduced, the puppy that had been staring intently at Inho barked, ‘Woof!’ It was clear at first glance that it liked people.
“Whose puppy is this?”
“Uh… it just lives in the neighborhood. It doesn’t have an owner.”
It was a neighborhood dog that wandered from house to house, getting food. Haon had called it Haengboki since he was young, but the villagers called it a mutt. In fact, because it often ate its own droppings, even Seong-gu called it a mutt despite Haon’s insistence on calling it Haengboki.
“Hello, Haengboki.”
Inho stroked the white puppy that looked like a roll of toilet paper that had been pulled apart. Haon watched with a deep smile, then took Inho’s hand and led him to the porch.
“Inho, would you like some apples?”
Haon had brought the basket of apples that Myeong-hee Imo had taken out for him to eat. He hadn’t touched them yet because he didn’t feel like eating alone while Inho was there.
The two sat on the porch and each picked up an apple. Even though they must have been tired, their eyes were full of life as they looked at each other. Both of their faces looked as if all their fatigue had disappeared.
“Did you talk a lot with Seong-gu?”
Haon nodded and conveyed that Aunt Myeong-hee wanted to meet him soon. He didn’t bother to mention the conversation he had with Seong-gu hyung.
“I showed her your picture, and she even clapped. She said you’re very handsome and have a good impression.”
“I should dress nicely tomorrow then.”
“You’re handsome enough now.”
Haon whispered so and lightly brushed his arm against Inho’s. Then, Inho raised his arm and wrapped it around Haon’s shoulders.
Leaning against Inho’s broad chest, Haon swung his legs gently. It felt strange and nice to be sitting with him in a familiar space.
Just sitting side by side and breathing in the night air made his heart flutter. The subtle weight of Inho leaning against him made Haon’s tender heart beat even faster.
“The floor… it’s too hard, isn’t it?”
As he inhaled to calm his rapidly beating heart, Haon suddenly looked worried. Inho had only slept in a bed, so he thought his back would hurt if he slept on the floor.
“It’s okay. It’s comfortable.”
“I’ll get you more blankets when we sleep tonight.”
Haon thought to himself that he should buy a bed. No matter how many blankets he laid down, they couldn’t replace a soft mattress.
“Tell me if you need anything at all.”
Inho, who was leisurely biting into his apple, hummed and rolled his eyes. Haon blinked, hoping he would say anything at all.
“It would be nice to have some bug repellent.”
“Ah, we have that at home.”
Inho, greatly relieved, said that would be enough. He really doesn’t like bugs. Haon vowed to exterminate all the bugs crawling around the house.
I should buy all kinds of repellents. I need to buy new mousetraps too. And… As he thought about it one by one, there were quite a few things to prepare. It was going to be a space where the two of them would live together, not alone.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Huh?”
Haon, who had been peeling off small pieces of the apple skin, looked up. Inho ran his fingertip across Haon’s lips, which were stained with juice, and smiled.
“You were smiling so beautifully.”
Haon smiled shyly and covered his mouth with the apple. When Inho grabbed his wrist and tried to pull it down, he shook his head to stop him. Laughter leaked out even though he covered his mouth.
Instead of forcibly taking Haon’s apple, Inho took a big bite. In response, Haon giggled and opened his mouth wide to follow Inho.
As he bit into the apple, sweet juice burst out. The light-colored liquid that dripped down his chin all went into Inho’s mouth.
Inho licked the juice that had dripped onto Haon’s chin and neck and leaned towards him. As he supported his slender waist, Haon naturally relaxed and leaned his back against the wooden floor.
“You must have been bored.”
Haon chewed and swallowed the apple remaining in his mouth, then gently cupped one of Inho’s cheeks. It was to convey his apology for leaving him alone.
Inho delayed his reply for a moment and kissed Haon’s palm. In the meantime, Haengboki, who had been sniffing around the apple basket, wagged its tail vigorously and ran out the front gate.
Thanks to that, they were finally left alone. Inho bit Haon’s chin as he glanced at the front gate where Haengboki had gone out. At least in the moment they lay intertwined, he wanted to monopolize Haon’s gaze.
“I was a little bored.”
Inho, meeting Haon’s eyes, rubbed his nose against his slender fingers. The chirping of the crickets mingled with his faint voice.
“Actually, a lot.”
He murmured with a hint of laughter in his voice and swallowed Haon’s fingers. A sweet scent lingered on his soft skin.
