At the clattering sound of wheels, Inho was the first to part his lips and lift his head. At the end of the narrow road, a truck with its headlights blazing was speeding toward them.
Haon, who turned his head after him, parted his reddened lips and widened his eyes. Overcome with joy, he clutched Inho’s shoulder tightly and shook him instead of making a proper sound.
“Seong-gu, Seong-gu hyung…!”
His words came out slurred, his mind still muddled from the kiss. Inho quickly wiped the saliva smudged around Haon’s lips and brushed his own lips clean with the back of his hand.
The truck was hurtling toward them at an alarming speed, almost as if it were aiming straight for the two.
Inho’s Adam’s apple bobbed slowly as he gathered the saliva left in his mouth and swallowed it.
“Seong-gu hyung!”
Haon scrambled down from Inho’s lap and ran toward the truck. Inho stood up alongside him, about to call out to warn him not to run because it was dangerous.
“Don’t run!!”
An enormous shout, as if someone were speaking into a microphone, rang out across the field. Even the insects fell silent, startled by the sheer volume. Inho himself froze for a moment. Only Haon, who had thrown both arms up high, remained unshaken.
“Seong-gu hyuuuung!”
Haon dashed forward as if he were about to embrace the truck itself, hopping up and down on the spot. Unable to contain his overflowing joy, he couldn’t stay still.
“Hyung! Seong-gu hyung!”
Seong-gu slammed on the brakes and jumped out of the truck in a hurry. Though his lips were smiling, his wide, startled eyes looked furious.
“You little punk, what are you doing, running at a moving truck like that?!”
“Hyung! How have you been? Did you miss me a lot?!”
Seong-gu, about to unleash a tirade of scolding, instead caught his little brother rushing into his arms and hugged him tightly. The anger in his eyes melted away in an instant.
“Because of you, my heart nearly stopped!”
“Hyung, you gained weight, huh? Your body got even bigger!”
Haon poked at Seong-gu’s now even more muscular arm with a finger. Clicking his tongue, Seong-gu retorted, asking why Haon hadn’t gained even a little weight. Still, the boy looked healthier than before he had left for Seoul. It was clear he had been eating and living well.
Inho stood a little distance away, careful not to disturb the emotional reunion between Seong-gu and Haon.
Tall, broad-shouldered, and sun-tanned—Seong-gu was exactly as Inho had imagined.
“Ah, hyung! This is Inho-ssi. Come say hi!”
Haon, flustered and bursting with excitement, hurried over to bring Inho into the moment. His cheeks were flushed red from sheer joy.
“This is Seo Inho-ssi. The one I told you about over the phone.”
Smiling softly at the sight of Haon’s excitement, Inho politely bowed his head toward Seong-gu.
“I’m Seo Inho. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Naturally, Inho extended his hand first for a handshake. Up close, the man wasn’t just well-built—he was strikingly handsome too. As much as Haon had praised his good looks, Seong-gu’s sharp features stood out clearly. His thick eyebrows made his expression even more rugged and intense.
“Hyung, hurry up and say hi…”
When Seong-gu just stared blankly at Inho, Haon, flustered, nudged him in the side with his elbow. His side, packed tightly with muscle rather than fat, was just as solid as Inho’s. With a naturally thick frame combined with hardened muscles from daily labor, he had the kind of body that could easily be mistaken for a professional trainer.
“Seong-gu hyung, I said say hi.”
However, despite his outward appearance that would easily appeal to women, inside, he was entirely old-fashioned. Ignoring Inho completely, Seong-gu turned back toward the driver’s seat and slammed the door shut with a loud bang, loud enough to make Haon’s shoulders flinch.
“Is that all the luggage?”
He spoke, one hand stuffed into his pocket, directing the question solely to Haon. It was as if Inho didn’t even exist.
“Yes, that’s everything.”
Instead of the dazed Haon, Inho answered smoothly. Though he had been ignored, he smiled calmly and started gathering their belongings without the slightest sign of offense. Seong-gu gave him a once-over before dragging his slippers toward the bus stop without another word.
“This one’s your bag, right, Haon?”
He picked up only Haon’s bag, deliberately leaving the heavier ones for Inho to carry alone, then turned away abruptly. Haon bit his lip, hesitating for a moment, then jabbed his brother hard in the back.
“Hyung, what’s wrong with you?”
He whispered sharply, sticking close behind him. Inho kept his gentle smile and diligently carried the rest of the luggage. Seeing this seemed to annoy Seong-gu even more; the glare he shot at Inho grew sharper.
“Don’t do that. Inho-ssi is my guest.”
My boyfriend. Haon added the last part more firmly, strengthening his voice. Even when he’d explained the situation over the phone, Seong-gu had gotten angry, but Haon hadn’t imagined he would go so far as to act like this—to outright ignore him. Especially after telling him to come down and talk face-to-face.
After saying he’d meet him, now he was treating him like this. Our Inho-ssi… someone so precious to me…
Glaring at his hyung who was even ignoring his words, Haon came to a sudden halt. At the same moment, Seong-gu turned around and glared back at him.
“Get in. Now.”
“No.”
“I said get in.”
“I said no.”
Even his sigh was enormous. Seong-gu let out a groan heavy enough to make the ground sink, then forcibly wrapped an arm around Haon’s shoulder and dragged him toward the truck. Meanwhile, Inho had already loaded the heavy shopping bags into the back of the truck.
“I’ll ride in the back,” Inho said, looking back and forth between Haon and Seong-gu. It was a small truck, with no room besides the driver’s and passenger’s seats. Even if Haon didn’t ride up front, it would still be too cramped for Inho’s broad frame. Seong-gu himself was practically wedged into the driver’s seat.
“Let’s… let’s ride together in the back!” Haon shouted, his voice bright and urgent.
Leaving Seong-gu behind, Haon ran straight to Inho. With a loud snort, Seong-gu climbed into the truck first. At least this time, he didn’t slam the door shut. If he had, Haon certainly wouldn’t have stayed quiet about it.
“Haon-ssi, sit in the front. It’s been a while since you saw your hyung.”
When Haon tried to climb into the truck bed with him, Inho stopped him gently.
“No, I can’t. It’s dark outside, and it’s scary to sit alone.”
He already felt bad enough making Inho ride in the back—he couldn’t bear to leave him alone there too. Haon shook his head in protest, but Inho lightly jumped up into the bed by himself.
“Sit next to your hyung and brag about me a lot. Don’t worry about me.”
After placing a kiss on Haon’s round forehead, Inho winked with his left eye.
“Hurry up. He’s waiting.”
He playfully flicked Haon’s drooping lips upward with his fingertip, but they quickly sagged back down in a pout.
“I’m sorry…”
“Haon-ssi, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for.”
Smiling warmly, Inho gently stroked Haon’s delicate cheek. Growing impatient, Seong-gu blared the horn loudly. Stretching out his arm, Inho opened the passenger-side door for Haon.
See you soon, Inho mouthed silently with a smile. Longing clear in his gaze, Haon finally, and reluctantly, climbed into the passenger seat, his face dark with sulking.
Clenching his teeth, Haon suppressed the joy and excitement of seeing his hyung again, his eyes tightening with resolve. His clenched fists were trembling with tension. There was no way he could just let this go. Haon made sure, with every fiber of his being, to show that he was extremely upset.
“We’re leaving. Buckle up.”
When Haon just glared at him silently, refusing to obey, Seong-gu raised one eyebrow and flicked him on the forehead.
“Ah!”
Even though it was a light flick, Haon covered his forehead and yelped loudly. Still, knowing they had to get moving, he fastened his seatbelt without further protest.
Ruffling Haon’s hair roughly, Seong-gu gave him a hard, affectionate pat. Feeling the familiar touch, Haon couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.
That small, round head—like a little acorn—he had missed it so badly. Having grown up together since childhood, Haon’s absence had left a massive void for Seong-gu.
“Hyung, seriously? How can you ignore someone when they’re greeting you?”
This brat. Not understanding his hyung’s feelings at all, getting angry just because he hadn’t accepted his boyfriend’s greeting. With a pang of bitterness, Seong-gu could only let out sigh after sigh.
“I’m really disappointed in you. I’m so upset right now.”
Haon pounded his own chest, breathing hard in frustration. His clumsy attempt to express his anger was almost laughably awkward. He’d never actually fought with anyone sober before.
“I told you. He’s a good person, and he’s going to stay by my side from now on.”
“And you’re talking about some guy you’ve barely known for a month?”
“I-It’s been over a month…”
Is that supposed to be a comeback? Seong-gu gave a dry laugh and once again tousled Haon’s hair roughly. Even while fuming, Haon didn’t bat away his brother’s hand.
“Line up all the guys who have little brothers and ask them. If their young, clueless brother said he was going to shack up with some older guy he’s only known for a month, do you think any of them would say something nice?”
“He’s not even that much older.”
“Think about your own age!”
“I’m the young one! Inho-ssi isn’t old at all!”
Leaning back in his seat with a slouched posture, Seong-gu propped his chin on his hand and grumbled that once you were past thirty, you were officially an ahjussi. What kind of outdated thinking was that?
“Hyung, you’re way more like an ahjussi.”
“What did you say, you little punk?!”
“Inho-ssi is way cooler than you! He’s kind, and he has the biggest heart in the world!”
Haon raised his voice, shouting that Inho couldn’t even be compared to his hyung. Of course, no matter how much he yelled, he couldn’t match even half of Seong-gu’s booming voice, but for Haon, it was quite the outburst.
Sitting in the truck bed, Inho covered his mouth with the back of his hand, trying to hold back his laughter. Because the window was half-open, he could hear their conversation clearly without even trying to eavesdrop.
That wasn’t exactly what he had meant when he told Haon to compliment him, but hearing their bickering warmed his heart. Though he felt sorry for causing a rift between the two brothers, he couldn’t stop the laughter bubbling up. Haon’s fiery determination made the corners of his lips dance with joy.
“Don’t be like that. Be nice to him, hyung. You’re a good person too!”
“I’m just gonna be a bad guy then! How do you expect me not to get mad when my little brother says he’s going to live with some pretty-boy gigolo?!”
“Pretty-boy gigolo?!”
Haon’s scream hit an all-time high.
“Don’t you dare talk about my Inho-ssi like that! He’s not someone you can disrespect!”
His voice cracked as he shouted with every ounce of strength he had, his throat straining and his neck flushing red with effort.
“He’s so precious to me!”
Listening to that powerful cry, Inho slowly lifted his hand from his mouth and gently rubbed his eyes. The cool night breeze brushed against his cheeks, slipping past him and fading into the darkness. Yet even that chilly sensation felt warm tonight.
