Haon brightly smiled and playfully smacked Seong-gu’s arm. He wanted to hug his brother tightly for bringing alcohol to drink with Inho. He wished the three of them could sit together on the porch and drink all night, just like he used to do with his grandmother.
“Inho can’t drink a drop,” Haon said.
Unfortunately, Inho was currently abstaining from alcohol. Ever since coming to the countryside, he hadn’t touched a drop. He even ignored the canned beer.
“He can’t drink at all?” Seong-gu asked.
“Yeah, he can’t drink anything.”
“Wow, how old is he that he can’t handle alcohol?”
“He has an allergy,” Haon explained.
Haon mentioned that Inho breaks out in hives if he drinks even a little. Although he appreciated Seong-gu’s effort, Haon didn’t want to interfere with Inho’s decision to quit drinking.
“So, he can never drink again?” Seong-gu asked.
Seong-gu stopped teasing and backed off. Perhaps because Haon had a severe drug allergy, Seong-gu didn’t push the matter further when he heard it was due to an illness.
“I’ll take the alcohol,” Seong-gu said.
“Are you leaving now?” Haon asked.
Seong-gu, holding the makgeolli, waved his hand casually. When Haon tried to follow him to the gate, Seong-gu shook his head, signaling him to stay.
“Tell him I’ll be keeping an eye on him,” Seong-gu said, pausing at the gate and lifting his chin. Haon pretended not to hear, so Seong-gu clicked his tongue and left.
“And you, don’t go crazy just because you’re in love. Make sure you see things clearly. You need to know someone for a long time,” Seong-gu advised.
“…Got it,” Haon replied.
“Don’t just brush it off. You should at least see each other through all four seasons,” Seong-gu insisted.
Seong-gu was uncomfortable with Haon living under the same roof and sharing a bed with a man he had just met. Although the villagers liked Inho, Seong-gu still found him suspicious.
Inho was friendly and always smiling, but there was something eerie about him. Seong-gu didn’t like how Inho remained unfazed by his rude behavior and even acted friendlier. He thought Inho was not an ordinary person.
“I’m going. You, Haon’s dog, take good care of him,” Seong-gu said.
Haon covered Haengboki’s ears and whispered, “You’re not a bad dog.” When Seong-gu shouted “Bad dog!” even louder, Haon responded just as loudly, “Haengboki!”
After seeing Seong-gu off, Haon waited for Inho again. Haengboki, leaning against Haon’s knee, yawned widely, looking ready to fall asleep.
“Why is he taking so long…..” Haon wondered.
Haon began to worry as time passed and Inho still hadn’t returned. He wondered if Inho might have gotten lost.
“That’s unlikely,” Haon thought.
While Haon might get lost, he knew Inho wouldn’t. Inho had memorized the village layout in just two days. He even remembered the names of all the trees and flowers Haon casually mentioned during their walks. Inho had a remarkable memory, recalling almost everything he heard.
Although Inho mentioned this casually, Haon was impressed. Living closely with Inho, Haon discovered many of Inho’s amazing qualities that he hadn’t noticed while they were in Seoul. Inho was skilled with tools, had great strength to move any load, and quickly learned new tasks with his excellent sense.
Villagers were already eager to have Inho help them. Fortunately, it was getting colder, so there was less farm work; otherwise, Haon might hardly see Inho.
Thanks to Inho taking on the village’s heavy tasks, Seong-gu’s workload had also lessened. Today, Inho had gone to change a light bulb at Man-gu Grandma’s small convenience store. Man-gu Grandma had given Inho a chicken for dinner and taken him along. Each time Inho helped with chores, he received various food items and furniture, making Haon’s house abundantly stocked.
This winter, Haon could stay home all day and still have plenty to eat, all thanks to Inho.
“Haengboki, it seems being too capable can be tough too, right?” Haon grumbled, nuzzling Haengboki’s fur, which smelled of hay. Haon felt a bit annoyed that Inho seemed busier here than in Seoul. Inho was constantly called away, and they barely spent any full days together.
“Our Inho still needs more rest,” Haon muttered.
Seong-gu would have scoffed if he heard this. Inho, with his strong alpha male aura, had a physique that could lift a cow. Whenever Haon worried about Inho, the villagers laughed, thinking he was joking.
Sniff.
Haengboki seemed to take it as a joke too, snorting softly even in his sleep.
Haon didn’t care what others thought; he steadfastly worried about Inho. He always reminded people not to give Inho too much hard work.
‘He must be held up somewhere else,’ Haon thought.
Tired of waiting, Haon took out his phone. Man-gu Grandma’s house was near the community center, so Inho might be held up by other villagers. Last week, Haon had rushed to the community center to rescue Inho, leaving his cooking halfway.
‘Oh, there’s a message from Tae-hwi,’ Haon noted.
He had just seen a text from Tae-hwi sent three hours ago. Haon replied to Tae-hwi’s greeting and then sent a message to Ho-young as well. They had all promised to visit in the spring.
Haon was happy to stay connected with his few friends from Seoul. He decided to send greetings to everyone in his contacts. He messaged the hop bar owner and Joo-hyuk, who worked at the bar, asking how they were doing. Finally, he sent a message to Inho, saying, “Come home soon, dear. I miss you.”
Haon smiled, imagining Inho’s reaction to the message. He loved using pet names for Inho, who always responded warmly. Haon’s heart fluttered as he thought about Inho’s gentle gaze and soft touch.
‘I’m getting all excited now,’ Haon thought, blushing.
He decided to take a cold shower to calm down. As he stood up, his phone rang. It was a call from an unknown number. Haon hesitated, then answered.
“Hello?”
A familiar voice greeted him, “Haon, it’s me. Seo Inho.”
Haon was surprised. “Inho? Why are you calling from an unknown number?”
Inho explained, “My phone ran out of battery, so I’m borrowing someone else’s. I’m still at Man-gu Grandma’s house. She insisted I stay for dinner.”
Haon smiled, relieved. “Okay, I’ll wait for you. Come home soon.”
“I will. And Haon… I miss you too,” Inho said softly before hanging up.
Haon’s heart raced with happiness. He decided to prepare a warm bath for Inho instead of taking a cold shower himself. He wanted to make Inho feel comfortable and loved when he returned home.
Haon also sent a message to Inho’s younger brother, Joo-han.
Buzz.
Joo-han replied almost instantly, as if he had been holding his phone. Haon smiled at the contact name saved as “Joo-han” and read the message.
“What is our hyung doing?” Joo-han asked.
Joo-han occasionally exchanged messages with Haon, but his questions were mostly about Inho. He asked why Inho had left his car behind, if they had a TV in the countryside, and what they did to pass the time. Joo-han seemed very interested in their rural life.
However, whenever Haon invited him to visit, Joo-han always replied, “Maybe later.” Haon found this amusing because Inho often said the same thing.
“Who is it?” a voice asked.
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over Haon. Startled, he looked up and his jaw dropped so wide that it made a popping sound.
“Did your jaw just pop?” Inho asked, surprised. He quickly cupped Haon’s face, checking if his jaw was alright. Fortunately, it was fine.
“When did you get back? I didn’t hear you come in,” Haon asked.
“You were so focused on your phone, I decided to sneak in,” Inho said. He had even left his bicycle outside the gate to surprise Haon. However, he hadn’t expected Haon’s jaw to pop like that. They both laughed at each other’s surprised reactions and went to bring the bicycle inside.
“Haon, do you like chestnuts? Boiled ones,” Inho asked.
“I love them,” Haon replied.
Inho had brought back more food in his bicycle basket. This time, it was filled with boiled chestnuts and corn. Underneath the heavy plastic bag, there was also a newspaper-wrapped mackerel. Just looking at it made Haon feel full.
“Did Man-gu Grandma give you all this?” Haon asked.
“I got the fish from another auntie on my way back. The one with the shortest hair,” Inho explained.
“Ah, Aunt Kyung gave it to you,” Haon said.
Even without helping with chores, Inho always returned with plenty of food. His good looks alone seemed to charm the villagers into giving him things. The aunties in the village were all smitten with Inho’s smiling eyes.
“You must be hungry, Inho,” Haon said.
“A little. What about you?” Inho asked.
“I’m hungry too. Let’s have dinner quickly,” Haon replied.
They parked the bicycle by the stone wall and carried the food to the kitchen. Haon and Inho moved in sync, as if they were one body. If Haon moved to the right, Inho followed; if Inho looked left, Haon’s gaze followed. They seemed connected, like their nerves were intertwined.
“I changed the light bulb for her and hammered a few nails into the wall. She wanted to hang some picture frames. I also helped a bit with dinner prep,” Inho explained.
That’s why he was late. Haon smiled and praised Inho. Man-gu Grandma lived alone and needed help often. Haon used to visit her frequently when he was younger, chatting with her. Now, Inho shared that role with him.
“Ah, Haon,” Inho said suddenly, reaching into his pocket. He gently tugged at Haon’s wrist, his eyes crinkling with a soft smile—an expression Haon loved the most. It was such a boyish smile.
“I earned some money,” Inho said, pulling out two crumpled bills from his pocket. He smoothed them out and placed them in Haon’s hand. They were two five-thousand won notes, payment from Man-gu Grandma.
“I told her I didn’t need it, but she insisted,” Inho explained.
“Man-gu Grandma is very meticulous about money. She’s been in business for a long time,” Haon said, smiling as he imagined Inho being scolded by the grandmother. He neatly folded the money in half. Haon knew Inho enjoyed giving him the money he earned, so he never refused it. Instead, he always put the money into a piggy bank.
He still had the red piggy bank from his childhood, although its belly had long since split open.
“You worked hard,” Haon said softly, rising on his tiptoes. At the same time, Inho leaned down, welcoming Haon’s approaching lips with a smile.
