As soon as the question was asked, Haon lowered his gaze and downed his wine in one go. Truthfully, he also wanted to ask about Inho’s relationship with Ryu Su-hyun, but another question had taken precedence. That was how badly he wanted an answer.
But as if to trample on that desire, Inho didn’t respond. The silence that fell so abruptly made Haon uneasy. Fidgeting with his glass, he cautiously glanced up.
“I thought you said you don’t date Omegas…”
Inho wasn’t looking at Haon, but at some vague point in the air, as if he were turning the question over in his mind. The slight tilt of his head gave him the expression of someone hearing something unfamiliar for the first time.
“Did I say that?”
“You did…!”
‘Don’t tell me he actually doesn’t remember.’
Haon nodded emphatically, flustered. It would’ve been one thing if Inho didn’t remember saying it to him directly, but judging by his expression, he didn’t seem to recall it at all. That only made Haon more bewildered.
“Why would I have said that…”
Inho rubbed the corner of his eye, furrowed his brow in contemplation, and let out a thoughtful hum. Then, perhaps frustrated that his brain wasn’t functioning fast enough, he instinctively reached for his glass and emptied half of it in one go. It was such a natural motion that Haon forgot to stop him.
“Ah.”
But perhaps the alcohol helped—Inho’s furrowed brow finally relaxed. It seemed the reason had come back to him.
“I said I only date people with the same secondary gender, didn’t I?”
There was no need to think too hard about it. The reason had always been obvious.
“To put your mind at ease, Haon.”
Lowering his voice, he whispered as though sharing a secret. And then he took another drink.
“But I didn’t lie with any bad intentions. I swear.”
Inho’s tone shifted to sincerity as the smile disappeared from his face. He had only lied to get Haon out of that dangerous goshiwon and into this house. He swore to the heavens—there were no other motives behind it.
“Just like I said back then, I haven’t so much as touched a finger of yours. And I never will, not if you don’t want me to.”
“I don’t mind.”
The words slipped out before Haon could stop them, and he hastily drowned them with a gulp of wine. He had meant to shut his mouth with alcohol, but instead, more words just poured out.
“S-So, with that person… were you two dating…?”
“No, we just saw each other for a little while.”
Just for a little while…
“There’s nothing between us anymore. We’re not going to see each other again, either.”
As Inho refilled his own glass, he absentmindedly poured more into Haon’s as well. He hadn’t even realized it—just assumed Haon wanted to drink more and acted on instinct.
The alcohol was hitting Inho harder and faster by the minute, but his expression remained composed and unbothered. A stark contrast to Haon, whose cheeks were burning bright red for a multitude of reasons.
With the wine glass full in his hand, Haon’s lips curled into a smile that nearly reached his ears. Regardless of what kind of relationship Inho had with Ryu Su-hyun, he had said it was all over now. Of course that made him feel good.
And now he was even saying he would date an Omega…
Not that Haon was expecting to be the one, of course. Absolutely not. Definitely, definitely not.
“Haon.”
Calling his name again, Inho smiled languidly, his voice mellow and warm.
“It’s my turn now. Focus.”
He playfully swirled his glass to draw Haon’s attention.
Eyes wide and alert, Haon focused intently on Inho, who looked satisfied with the reaction and smoothly continued.
“Is there anything that’s been bothering you since you moved in?”
Haon was about to answer no right away, but then paused, letting out a small ah as something came to mind. It wasn’t exactly a problem, but it had been on his mind.
“There aren’t any clocks in the house… It’s not that I need one, but I was curious why there weren’t any.”
Maybe there was a special reason? He waited for a response, staring at Inho with piqued curiosity.
“I just don’t really have a reason to look at one.”
The reply was lighter than expected, leaving Haon blinking in mild confusion as he offered a half-hearted, “Oh, okay.”
He’d assumed there would be a more specific reason—maybe the ticking sound was annoying or something.
“Now it’s your turn to ask.”
“Okay.”
Haon rolled his eyes upward, sorting through the mental cards of questions he had prepared. He chose the second most pressing one—one that not only he, but Tae-hwi hyung had been dying to know.
“What do you do for work…?”
Cough! Inho sputtered mid-drink, caught completely off guard. He couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Are you okay?”
Haon stood up quickly, looking around for tissues, but Inho gently pulled him back down, wiping his mouth casually with the back of his hand, still chuckling.
“That’s what you were curious about?”
They’d been living together for nearly three weeks now, and only now was Haon asking what he did for a living?
Inho had assumed Haon just didn’t care. Aside from his face, he figured the kid wasn’t interested in him at all.
“I-If it’s an uncomfortable question, you don’t have to answer…”
Perhaps misinterpreting Inho’s reaction, Haon quickly tried to change the subject. But before he could, Inho rubbed at his eye and finally replied.
“I don’t really have a job.”
Saying something so sad with a smile… The unexpected answer completely threw Haon off, but Inho swallowed his laughter and quickly added more.
“I just have a lot of money.”
That pale face held an unreadable smile that floated aimlessly across his features.
“I’ve got a lot of money, but just as many flaws to match.”
“I’m a useless person,” he muttered under his breath, then smiled softly and downed yet another drink—Haon had lost count of how many.
“Hmm, and also…”
Normally, he never drank this much, let alone at such a reckless pace. No matter how sleepless the night, he would slowly nurse a full glass, one sip at a time.
But today had been different. He’d heard too many voices he didn’t want to hear, and that made him reach for the bottle more than usual. Old habits died hard.
“No, that’s not true.”
Inho, who had been looking around for the wine bottle that had disappeared from his line of sight, turned at the sudden sound. Not true? What wasn’t?
“You’re a good person, Inho.”
The unexpected words came from someone clutching the very bottle he had been searching for. Inho reached out toward the person cradling it like it needed to be hidden.
“You have way more good in you.”
Just as he tried to take the bottle back with some force, his senses suddenly snapped into focus.
His drink-blurred vision had momentarily failed to register Haon at all. That was when Inho realized just how drunk he’d become. He couldn’t even recall what he’d been babbling to Haon a moment ago.
“Inho, you’re really cool, and you’re the kindest person I’ve ever met. You’re thoughtful, too. And always so confident wherever you go, and…”
“That’s not true.”
Inho cut in, watching Haon ramble with a faint smile. It was obvious Haon was talking about him—but he had it all wrong.
“I’m a coward.”
He muttered the words under his breath as he pressed against his aching forehead. The headache that had been slowly creeping in was now starting to throb down his neck.
It was no wonder—he hadn’t slept, and he’d been pouring alcohol down his throat. His body was starting to shut down.
“Even so… You’re definitely a good person.”
Haon spoke with absolute conviction. No matter how drunk Inho was, he couldn’t believe what he’d just said.
“So please… don’t say things like that.”
Inho had claimed he was full of nothing but flaws. With unfocused eyes, he’d stared off toward the window, muttering that he was useless. Those confessions weighed heavily on Haon. They were the kinds of words he should’ve been saying about himself, not Inho. Hearing them come from Inho hurt.
“Stop drinking.”
Hugging the heavy bottle to his chest, Haon stood up from the sofa. He was planning to hide the bottle somewhere and get Inho a glass of water.
Haon was tipsy too, but compared to Inho, he felt almost completely sober.
‘Come to think of it… he even had a nosebleed earlier.’
Worry gnawed at Haon’s chest. He regretted not stopping Inho sooner. He stepped forward quickly, determined to get to the kitchen right away—but just as he did, his body tilted back toward the sofa.
“Don’t go.”
Inho grabbed his arm and pulled his slender frame close.
“I won’t drink anymore.”
Then, to keep Haon from moving again, he clasped both arms around him and pulled him into his lap.
“I’m not that drunk,” he murmured.
Inho stared intently at Haon, murmuring as if offering a clumsy excuse. His expression remained composed, and his gaze was still focused—but judging by his words and actions, he was clearly very drunk.
“So… don’t go.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Haon gave a small, uncertain wiggle of his hips on Inho’s thigh before giving up and fully settling his weight against him.
“I don’t have anywhere to go anyway.”
He whispered the words so softly they were barely audible, then gently brushed his fingers beneath Inho’s nose. He was checking to make sure there wasn’t another nosebleed. Meeting Inho’s eyes, he pressed lightly against the skin beneath his nostrils.
Then, using the alcohol as an excuse, he brought their lips together. The truth was, he’d wanted to kiss him from the moment he sat beside him.
It was so faint, there wasn’t even a sound—no smack, no press.
Haon’s lips barely brushed Inho’s, lighter than a child’s kiss. He pulled away immediately, as if he’d just stolen something forbidden, cheeks flushing a deep red. Inho had been staring at him too intensely.
“Th-that was a mistake…”
Even if it really had been an accident, no one would have doubted it. The kiss had been that fleeting. But for Haon, it was the first time in his life he’d ever made such a move, and his face was burning because of it.
Hoping desperately that Inho, too drunk to think straight, would just let it slide, Haon shifted again, trying to rise. He had forgotten their earlier exchange—forgotten he’d promised not to leave.
“So is this.”
Before he could get up, Inho’s hand slipped from Haon’s arm and wrapped firmly around his slim waist. And then, as if to forewarn his own mistake, he captured Haon’s parted lips with his own.
He filled Haon’s small mouth with wet heat, his tongue leaving no space untouched as he held Haon’s waist down, firmly enough to keep him from escaping again.
