Haon, who had claimed to be good at biking, was already out of breath after just twenty minutes. As confidently as he had declared, he pedaled with practiced ease—but he didn’t have the stamina to go for long.
“Huff, haa…”
In the small countryside village he was from, there was never a reason to ride a bike non-stop for more than twenty minutes. For distances longer than that, they just drove.
“Haon-ssi, are you okay?”
Inho, who had been pedaling leisurely to match Haon’s pace, heard the labored breathing beside him and gently pulled his brake lever.
“No, I mean… uh, a little…”
Haon hesitated, then confessed honestly as he became aware of the growing heaviness in his legs. At that, Inho stopped his bike first.
“Then let’s take a break.”
Haon quickly reached for his own brake lever and took a breath. Feeling a bit parched, he rummaged through the eco-bag he’d tucked into his bike basket.
“You should’ve said something if you were struggling.”
Leaving his bike where it stood, Inho walked over to Haon and snatched the orange juice from his eco-bag. Narrowing his eyes playfully in mock scolding, he twisted open the cap and handed the bottle back to Haon.
Haon gave an awkward laugh and took a sip to moisten his throat. In truth, Inho had seemed so comfortable on his bike that he hadn’t been able to bring himself to ask for a break.
“Do you want some sparkling water?”
As he drank the juice alone, it suddenly occurred to him to ask. He had intentionally packed some, knowing that Inho preferred it over plain water.
“I’ll just drink yours, Haon-ssi.”
Inho took the juice Haon had already sipped from and brought it to his own lips, drinking the sweet liquid through the narrow mouth of the bottle.
Feeling embarrassed for no real reason, Haon wiped his now-moist lips and stared at Inho. His gaze, which had started on Inho’s face, slowly dropped—then settled on his Adam’s apple, bobbing up and down.
As he watched that throat move with each gulp of juice, Haon unconsciously swallowed hard himself.
A strange feeling welled up. Something he couldn’t put into words… an incredibly strange feeling.
“Haon-ssi.”
“Y-Yes?!”
Haon stammered, startled by Inho’s sudden touch on his cheek. Without any warning, Inho had reached out, brushing his cheek and forehead with the back of his hand as he stepped closer.
W-Why is he doing this all of a sudden?
Trying to ignore the pounding in his chest, Haon simply tilted his chin up. He stood completely still, like a tree, afraid that if he flinched or stepped back, Inho might pull his hand away.
“You don’t have a fever…”
Inho murmured, gently stroking Haon’s rounded forehead.
Because Haon’s face suddenly turned pink, Inho had momentarily thought he might be running a fever. It made sense—pushing his body to exercise when he hadn’t fully recovered could easily lead to a spike in temperature.
“I-I’m not sick.”
Now even his ears were bright red as Haon averted his gaze to the ground, trying to avoid Inho’s eyes. Even after realizing there was no ulterior motive behind Inho’s touch, his heart wouldn’t stop racing.
What am I even expecting here?
“If you’re feeling unwell, you have to say something right away.”
Haon nodded vigorously, promising that he would. For some reason, it was becoming harder to look Inho in the eye.
Inho scanned the area for a place to rest, and spotting a nearby convenience store, he gently guided Haon toward it.
“Are you planning to buy something?”
Since they’d already packed plenty of drinks and snacks, Haon tilted his head in curiosity as he followed behind. He wondered if there was anything else Inho needed.
“You’re really not having any stomach issues, right?”
“Nope, I’m totally fine.”
He replied while rubbing his calm stomach, even after drinking the cold beverage. Inho seemed relieved and offered a soft smile before seating Haon on a nearby bench.
“Just sit here for a bit.”
With that, he headed into the convenience store alone.
Haon obediently followed Inho’s instructions and sat down on the wide wooden bench. It was connected to a table, allowing him to rest his arms comfortably.
As the crisp autumn breeze played with his bangs, he tidied them back into place and waited for Inho to return. He blew lightly on a flower petal that had landed on the broad tabletop, brushing it off before absentmindedly playing with another.
Ah… this is nice.
The warmth of the sunlight falling on his body helped put him at ease once again.
Smiling softly, Haon tilted his head toward the sky, closed his eyes, and soaked in the gentle warmth. His heavy legs began to sway naturally, as if moving in time with a quiet melody.
Nature really is the best. Just as that thought passed through his mind—
“Wah…!”
A sudden chill on his cheek startled him wide awake. Only then did he realize that Inho had returned from the store and was now standing over him.
“Grape or melon—what do you prefer?”
Inho held a cold ice cream bar in each hand.
So that’s what he went to buy—he must’ve wanted ice cream. But wait…
“I thought you didn’t like sweets…”
Haon looked up at him, rubbing the cheek where the ice cream had touched. Inho didn’t answer. He simply gave the bars a light shake, as if urging him to choose.
“Grape? Melon?”
“I like both. Anything’s fine.”
Haon laughed at the way Inho jiggled the ice cream and raised both hands to indicate that Inho should pick first. As long as it was something Inho gave him, he didn’t care which flavor it was.
“Then pick the one you like a little more.”
But Inho insisted, pushing Haon to choose the one he truly wanted. Honestly, it really didn’t matter to him.
“Um… then I’ll take this one.”
Inho showed no signs of backing off until Haon made a choice, so he finally picked the melon-flavored ice cream. Compared to the hard grape one, the softer melon bar appealed to him a bit more.
“Melon over grape. Got it.”
Inho, having just learned one more of Haon’s preferences, sat down next to him with a satisfied look on his face. Then, he unwrapped the ice cream Haon had chosen and placed it directly into his hand.
“Thank you.”
Haon whispered as he brought the cold bar to his lips.
Just a bit of sunshine, and it felt like something was already growing inside him. If someone had planted a seed near his heart, it felt like it would’ve already borne fruit.
With that ridiculous thought, he snuck a glance at Inho, sitting unusually close beside him. He couldn’t help but wonder why they were sitting so close.
The bench was long enough that there was plenty of room between them if they wanted it, but Inho had chosen to sit close—close enough for their arms to touch.
It seemed like Haon was the only one aware of the tight space. Inho, on the other hand, looked completely unfazed.
“You don’t have to finish it all. Just eat as much as you want.”
“Okay…”
Trying to hide his awkward feelings, Haon gave an exaggerated nod. Inho chuckled at the sight, then relaxed, swinging one leg out and leaning back against the table.
Haon adjusted his posture to mimic him, even trying to cross his legs like Inho did, but it was uncomfortable, so he quickly gave up. Stretching his legs out straight was much more his style.
“The weather’s amazing today.”
Maybe it was the sunshine—Inho’s voice sounded lighter, more cheerful than usual. Haon nodded and muttered in agreement while slowly savoring the sweet ice cream. The chill helped calm the heat rising inside him.
The two of them stopped talking for a while, simply enjoying the quiet together.
Whenever a cool breeze passed, tiny flower petals fluttered down around them. Haon watched them float and fall with childlike joy. Inho, in turn, quietly watched Haon.
“Is it good?”
Inho asked, subtly sneaking side glances at him. At first, Haon had only licked the tip of the ice cream little by little, but now he had it fully in his mouth, sucking on it.
Watching the small bar disappear and reappear between those lips was… oddly mesmerizing. Inho realized he could probably watch it for hours.
‘Ah, maybe that’s too much.’
“Yeah. Do you… want to try?”
Haon started to offer the ice cream he’d been sucking on, then hesitated. ‘I should’ve just taken a bite.’ He couldn’t bring himself to offer it now, knowing how much of it had been touched by his tongue.
“Maybe… the end here…”
He pointed to a clean part that hadn’t touched his mouth and held it out again. Inho didn’t say a word—instead, he parted his lips and took a big bite right from the spot Haon had been licking.
Then, with a mischievous smile tugging at his lips, he looked Haon straight in the eye.
“Tastes good.”
Haon’s gaze locked on Inho’s slowly retreating lips. Blinking in surprise, he stammered,
“R-Right? It’s good, isn’t it…”
“Melon’s expensive, you know. Uh, maybe that’s why it tastes better…”
‘What the hell am I even saying right now…’
Flustered by his own nonsensical rambling, Haon quickly shoved the ice cream back into his mouth to silence himself. But then he caught sight of the bite mark Inho had left on the bar—and his face turned red all over again. It reminded him of their kiss.
The sensation of hard teeth clashing with heated flesh swirled in his gut. Along with that came a vivid recollection of the wet, sticky sounds that echoed every time their damp skin met. In broad daylight. Outside, no less.
‘I must be out of my mind.’
Haon sucked harder on the ice cream, desperate to cool the heat rising inside him. He was starting to worry that the restless feeling in his stomach might sink lower.
Inho watched silently as Haon tried to compose himself, then licked his lower lip lightly and turned his gaze away.
He, too, had been recalling a similar memory—though with a few additional fantasies layered on top.
