I should’ve looked into it a little more.
As he kept brushing his coat sleeve endlessly, filled with regret and guilt over ruining their first trip, a gentle voice called out to Shin-jae.
“Baby.”
His back flinched at the calm summons. Baby—he had heard it before not long ago, but it still felt awkward. When he turned around, Sa-yoon had already come up behind him.
“Shall we take a walk?”
There was no way he could refuse the hand tugging at his arm.
The beach was right in front of the hotel. The sun had set early, leaving the winter sea dark and quiet. Apparently, there was supposed to be a drone show at the other end of the shore. Walking close enough for their bodies to touch, the couple soon intertwined their hands in the sparse crowd.
The sea breeze swept through their bangs. Their feet sank deep into the sand, grains slipping into their sneakers, but just the act of walking together felt so pleasant that it was hard to complain.
“Feels nice looking at the ocean, doesn’t it?”
“It’s nice because I’m looking at it with you.”
At the casual question, Shin-jae wasted no time in making his point. It’s nice because I’m with you.
“…Such a tease.”
“But I mean it.”
Even though he was still awkward about expressing his feelings, he managed to say everything he wanted, albeit hesitantly.
God, I wanna pin him down.
Sa-yoon was momentarily entranced but quickly snapped out of it. He had come out to comfort his sulky boyfriend, and it hadn’t even been five minutes yet. Tearing his gaze away from that tempting face, he happened to catch sight of the full moon overhead.
“Want to try taking some pictures of the moon? Phone cameras capture it pretty well these days.”
Shin-jae nodded, and with that, their little night time photoshoot began. It had been a while since Sa-yoon had taken moon pictures too.
Adjusting the settings here and there, he pressed the shutter. A few more tweaks, and he finally got a shot he was satisfied with.
When he glanced to the side, he saw Shin-jae holding up his phone with both hands, completely focused. Sa-yoon thought about smoothing out the furrow between his brows, then quietly took a picture of his boyfriend instead. His movements were even more careful than when he had been capturing the moon.
“Looks good.”
“You say that, but… You’re just teasing me, aren’t you?”
Despite all his concentration, the results were a disaster. The moon was so blurry it looked more like a distorted “V” shape. Shin-jae stared at it with a grave expression.
“But it’s heart-shaped, isn’t it? You sure you didn’t take it like this on purpose, just to show me?”
Shin-jae, still pouting, shot Sa-yoon a What kind of nonsense is that? look.
“Oh, it’s not? I almost got excited thinking my boyfriend was trying to express his feelings.”
“Hyung, I think you might be right.”
After a moment of quiet contemplation, Shin-jae quickly accepted the idea, as if deciding that framing it that way was the better choice. And then, shamelessly, he asked, “Did you really get excited?”
God, he’s adorable.
Sa-yoon plopped down right where he had been taking pictures of the moon. He patted the spot next to him, gesturing for Shin-jae to sit, only then realizing that the sandy ground might be too dirty for someone as particular as his boyfriend.
“Wait a second, at least let me—”
Lay something down? Before he could even finish his sentence, Shin-jae had already sat down beside him.
“What?”
“Nothing. Here, drink this.”
Sa-yoon tilted his head slightly, wondering if Shin-jae was really okay with this much, then pulled a can of beer out of his pocket and handed it over.
“Why is this… cold?”
“Hm?”
Shin-jae looked at it as if he had just witnessed a magician pull a rabbit out of a hat.
“I took it from the hotel fridge.”
“Oh.”
Did he really think Sa-yoon had carried it around chilled for the entire trip? Amused, Sa-yoon poked his cheek playfully. Realizing his own ridiculous thought process a moment too late, Shin-jae let out an embarrassed chuckle.
“Sitting like this… it reminds me of the past.”
“The past? Oh, you mean when we watched the fireworks.”
“You brought beer that time too.”
Back then, on festival night, they had cracked open cans of beer on the rooftop, watching fireworks explode across the sky. The beer had been cold, the fireworks dazzling… and Shin-jae had confessed.
At the time, Sa-yoon never would have imagined that he’d end up like this with Sa Shin-jae. Dating a guy six years younger, full of youthful energy, bickering with him, getting betrayed by his schemes—and yet, somehow, falling into a relationship.
The thought made him feel strangely nostalgic.
“Life really is unpredictable, huh?”
Resting his chin on his folded knees, he laughed softly—only for Shin-jae’s face to suddenly close in. A surprise kiss. The fleeting warmth disappeared almost as soon as it landed, leaving Sa-yoon wanting more. He instinctively grabbed Shin-jae’s arm.
“Did you suddenly feel like kissing your hyung?”
He whispered the question at close range, and Shin-jae, gaze lowered, gave a small nod. The sea breeze had tinged his cheeks a soft pink. When Sa-yoon placed the back of his hand against them, Shin-jae nuzzled into it like a small, affectionate animal.
“Why’s my boyfriend being so cute today? Do you like going on this trip with me that much?”
“I do. I love everything about it.”
Looking at Shin-jae’s bright, beaming smile, Sa-yoon thought to himself—coming here had been the right decision. He had squeezed out time that barely existed, and once they returned, he’d probably be crushed under his workload again. But seeing this moment made it all worth it.
This time, Sa-yoon was the one to initiate the kiss. Clinging to each other like a pair of Antarctic penguins, they made out for quite some time before finally getting up much later.
***
My boyfriend is acting strange.
“I wasn’t expecting much, but… breakfast was pretty good, right?”
“It wasn’t bad.”
Pout.
“The fish cake skewers were good, huh?”
“…It’s different from what I imagined, but yeah, it tastes good.”
Pout, pout.
Sa-yoon tilted his head. There hadn’t been any issues up until they went to bed last night.
After they each had a can of beer, they had walked hand in hand again. While taking a few more pictures of the scenery shrouded in darkness, Shin-jae had been caught in the act of writing Shin-jae ♡ Sa-yoon on the sand. It was the kind of thing only people their age would do.
When Sa-yoon laughed at how cute it was, Shin-jae huffed and tried to erase it with his foot. Sa-yoon barely managed to stop him and quickly snapped a picture.
Of course, once they got back, they kissed. And it didn’t take long for things to heat up.
So…
Everything was fine until they went to sleep.
“This picture turned out so good. Must be because the subject is perfect.”
“…It’s because you took it well.”
Pout.
Was that a compliment? The contradiction between his words and his expression made Sa-yoon rub his temple.
Shin-jae’s tone was sweet. His actions were just as affectionate—he wasn’t refusing anything. The problem was that mouth. Those soft, plump lips kept jutting out every time he spoke, only to return to place seconds later.
He doesn’t even realize it.
It was a habit. A subconscious reaction that only surfaced when something was bothering him.
There was no way anything had happened while they were sleeping. That meant something must have annoyed him this morning.
“…Hello?”
“Huh?”
“Do I have something on my face?”
“No. You’re just cute.”
But he had no idea what it could be.
At Sa-yoon’s calm reply, Shin-jae’s lips instantly pulled back in. His pale-colored eyes flickered around hesitantly before he suddenly grabbed his phone.
“Your turn now. Go stand over there.”
Sa-yoon walked to where Shin-jae was pointing, still puzzled.
Cats sometimes lashed out when they were too happy. Maybe this was like that. Some people got scared when things were too good. He figured Shin-jae would get over it if he gave him some time.
“This place was amazing. How did you even find a restaurant like this? The food was incredible.”
…But he didn’t get over it.
In the morning, it just seemed like Shin-jae was mildly sulking, but by lunchtime, the air had turned downright chilly.
Sa-yoon, who had been speaking to him gently all morning, ran a hand over the back of his neck.
I really don’t like this.
Suddenly, the scenery came into focus. The weather was clear, and the endless ocean shimmered under the fractured sunlight. It was the kind of view that made your chest feel open and free. And right in the middle of that breathtaking landscape stood his boyfriend—wearing a sulky expression.
“……”
“……”
Wondering if Shin-jae just needed some time to think, Sa-yoon let him be. That led to an extended silence between them.
They passed by the observation deck, the coastal tunnel, and the colorful staircase that perfectly framed the ocean—without stopping even once. They just kept walking and walking, their silence their only companion.
At this rate, their first trip was about to turn into a full-scale trek across the country.
Sa-yoon glanced to the side. Would he get even sulkier if I grabbed that duckbill of his?
In the past, Shin-jae would’ve just kept everything bottled up. At least now, he was expressing his displeasure—so in a way, it was progress…
Still, this was their first trip together. Some people might not think much of a first trip, but memories last a long time. Especially since everything had been going great just the day before.
Sa-yoon wanted this trip to be filled with good memories. That was why he had taken Shin-jae out last night to cheer him up. Yet now, he was watching him eat absentmindedly, barely touching his food, barely even looking at the scenery around them.
Lost in thought, Sa-yoon came to a sudden stop. It took a moment for Shin-jae to notice he was walking alone. He turned around.
“Hyung?”
“Let’s talk.”
Sa-yoon pointed past him—toward the cable car station.
