“Shin-jae.”
“Why?”
When Sa-yoon called him with a somewhat serious expression, Shin-jae, who had been looking down at the table, stiffened slightly.
“Thanks for saving me taxi fare, okay? I’ll save up all that money and put it toward buying a house.”
Sa-yoon whispered quietly.
“What? Come on! Hyung, you’re always messing around.”
Watching Shin-jae sit up and rub his ear, two thoughts crossed Sa-yoon’s mind. He’s good-looking even when he’s like that… And, I think it’s about time to harvest.
“What house? Do you even know how expensive property in Seoul is these days? Even if you rode in my car for the rest of your life, you still wouldn’t be able to afford one.”
“Really? Then should I use the money you saved me on taxi fare to buy us a meal instead?”
“…Right now?”
“You didn’t eat anything back there.”
“When did you even notice that…?”
It wasn’t like he had been deliberately observing; the angle just made it easy to see. Or at least, that’s what Sa-yoon told himself.
“Hyung, you know…”
“Yeah? You got something you want to eat?”
Sa-yoon asked casually as he opened the navigation app. No way that neat freak would eat gamjatang (pork bone soup). A 24-hour Chinese place was out too… Meat was probably the safest bet.
“Not food. Can you take me to a movie instead?”
“Huh?”
Sa-yoon looked up from his phone, where he had been searching for open restaurants.
“A late-night movie would be perfect right now. We finished early today anyway.”
Now that he thought about it, this was usually the time people debated whether to move on to a second round of drinking. Even if they went to a movie now, they’d still be getting home earlier than originally planned.
“Alright, let’s do that.”
They sold food at theaters anyway. Switching from maps to the movie theater app, Sa-yoon answered easily.
***
As he watched Shin-jae selecting a movie at the self-service kiosk, Sa-yoon chuckled in disbelief.
“What?”
“Oh, nothing. Go on.”
“Do you not like this one?”
“No, I like it.”
“You’re the problem here. We’re watching together, and you just pick a movie without even discussing it?”
The movie Shin-jae had chosen was a zombie flick.
He was so terrified of the haunted house last time… but zombies were fine? Well, they were definitely different categories, but still.
“If you get scared, I’ll hold your hand like last time.”
“I told you, I was just really startled back then.”
By that logic, zombies should be just as startling. Things popping out suddenly—wasn’t it the same concept?
“It’s different when something jumps out at you in real life versus watching it on a screen.”
“……”
It was like he had read Sa-yoon’s mind. Since Shin-jae seemed so confident about it, there was no point in arguing.
Once they had picked the movie, the seating selection screen appeared. Whether it was because it was a weekday night or just the genre, the theater was nearly empty. Long fingers slid across the screen before confidently selecting the very back row—couple seats.
“…Why?”
When Sa-yoon gave him an incredulous look, Shin-jae had the audacity to ask as if he were the one being weird. Sa-yoon had assumed he suggested a movie because he enjoyed the time they spent watching one at home last time, but…
“You said you’d take this seriously.”
“I didn’t even say anything. Oh, yeah, great seats.”
Fine, I’ll let it slide since you’re cute.
This little scheme was downright shameless.
“You really didn’t have to buy this much.”
“I told you, I was paying.”
By the time Sa-yoon snapped out of his daze—first from the zombie movie, then from the couple seat choice—Shin-jae had already paid for the tickets. As a penalty, he was now stuck carrying a tray with hot dogs, nachos, and two cups of zero-calorie cola. Out of sheer fairness, Sa-yoon was holding the mixed-flavor popcorn.
Inside the theater, the couple seats were exactly as expected—one continuous cushion instead of two separate chairs. Never in his life did Sa-yoon think he’d end up in one of these with a younger guy who openly liked him.
He moved inside first and got comfortable. Meanwhile, Shin-jae just stood there, staring down at the seats like they were some kind of puzzle.
“What are you doing?”
“…Nothing.”
Maybe because he was carrying the tray, but his movements were oddly careful, almost exaggeratedly so.
Couple seats were really just two single seats pushed together. With two guys over 180cm sitting in them, there wasn’t a lot of extra space. Their thighs touched. They could have made an effort to keep some distance, but instead, Sa-yoon simply placed the popcorn right on top of their overlapping legs.
“First time sitting in a couple seat.”
“…Really?”
Shin-jae looked highly suspicious. Was this a bias at play or a lack of one?
“It’s not exactly common for two guys to go to the movies together, let alone sit in couple seats.”
“Oh…!”
Only then did it seem to dawn on Shin-jae. And then—his face lit up with pride.
Sa-yoon could guess why. Rather than commenting, he simply turned his head toward the ads that had just started playing.
…Now he understood why the theater was empty.
What he thought was just a zombie film turned out to be a chaotic mix of occult horror, supernatural elements, and zombies all rolled into one. Just when a scene seemed to settle into the zombie genre, giving them a moment to breathe, a ghost would suddenly jump out from an unexpected angle.
[KRAAAAH!]
Flinch.
[GRRRRR…!]
[“Aaaah! Help me!”]
Flinch.
[“KYAAA!”]
Flinch. Flinch.
Shin-jae’s muscular thigh twitched non-stop. If someone walked in right now, they might assume he was getting a massage. Unfortunately for him, since their bodies were touching, Sa-yoon had no choice but to notice.
Glancing over, he saw Shin-jae gripping the tray so tightly that the bones on the back of his hands were visibly protruding. Since the theater was practically empty, it wasn’t disturbing anyone, but still—out of courtesy, Sa-yoon leaned slightly toward him.
“Is it too scary? Want to just leave?”
“Why?”
At that moment, the screen brightened, and Shin-jae’s expression became fully visible. Thanks to the shadows cast by his sharp nose, his face looked even more dramatic.
Sa-yoon was just asking out of concern, but for some reason, Shin-jae seemed offended.
“Nothing, just… the sound here feels a bit too loud.”
Wasn’t that just how movie theater sound systems worked? Well, if Shin-jae insisted he was fine, Sa-yoon wouldn’t push it. He turned his attention back to the screen.
At first, he had been baffled by the bizarre genre mix, but the directing was surprisingly solid, and the plot was turning out to be rather convincing. Just as the protagonists were heading toward the mountain research lab—the origin of all the chaos—the story was becoming even more engaging.
Deeply immersed in the movie, Sa-yoon suddenly noticed something. When he looked down, he realized that Shin-jae, too terrified to think straight, had forgotten where the popcorn was. Instead, he was blindly groping at Sa-yoon’s thigh.
“Shin-jae.”
Sa-yoon whispered. The hand immediately froze.
“This feels a little too fast-paced for us.”
[KYAAA!]
“…What?”
“Hmm?”
Unfortunately, Shin-jae’s voice overlapped with a bloodcurdling scream from the movie, making his words barely audible. Naturally, Sa-yoon leaned in closer.
“You said I could hold your hand if I got scared.”
“Oh, right.”
So now he was fine with it? Earlier, he had been all huffy about the suggestion. Guess it really was just a pride thing.
Honestly, considering how terrified he had been at the haunted house before, the fact that he had lasted this long was already impressive.
Sa-yoon took the hand resting on his thigh and intertwined their fingers.
“If it gets too scary, I can cover your eyes for you too.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“Really?”
“But… if you’re offering, I won’t say no.”
“Being with you is never boring, seriously.”
“That’s a compliment, right?”
“Yeah.”
Since the theater was practically empty, they could talk freely—aside from their voices being drowned out by the loudspeakers.
As soon as Sa-yoon covered Shin-jae’s eyes, the screen was suddenly filled with a grotesque ghost. Since it was the final scene, the director had clearly put all his effort into making it as terrifying as possible.
Good thing he covered his eyes. Shin-jae’s fluttering eyelashes tickled Sa-yoon’s palm. He had never once thought of horror movies as scary, yet for some reason, his heart felt unsettled.
***
“Maybe we should’ve watched something else.”
“Hey, I still saw half of it.”
The other half was left unseen because he had his hands covering his face the whole time.
“Sesame’s gonna give me an earful when I get home.”
The movie had been longer than expected, and now it was nearly midnight.
“Your cat scolds you?”
“Of course. Cats are ridiculously routine-oriented. And lately, I’ve been out of the house for long stretches.”
“What about your family?”
“My brother’s practically living at his study academy because of college entrance exams, and my parents are on a business trip.”
Shin-jae pulled up to Sa-yoon’s place and parked as if he had done it a hundred times before.
Sa-yoon hesitated as he unbuckled his seatbelt.
“I kinda want to invite you in to see Sesame, but once he gets excited, he’ll go on a rampage all night.”
“It’s fine. I’ll come by during the day next time.”
“Alright. Get home safe, and good job today.”
“Thanks. Have a great weekend, hyung. I’ll wait until you’re inside.”
Shin-jae didn’t drive off until Sa-yoon had unlocked the gate and disappeared through the front door.
The fact that he hadn’t had a single sip of alcohol just so he could drive him home, and now this—his thoughtfulness showed up in unexpected ways. Maybe it was because it had been a while since Sa-yoon had dated, but things like this felt strangely unfamiliar. After all, on the outside, he was the well-built, over-180cm-tall guy. Still, the consideration wasn’t unwelcome.
“Sesame, I’m home.”
As Sa-yoon stepped into the house and bent down to take off his shoes, he froze.
Normally, Sesame would come running the moment he heard the door, meowing incessantly. But now—silence.
“Sesame, no. Where are you?”
Something was definitely wrong.
He barely had time to register the sinking feeling before he stepped into the living room.
“…Huh? What the hell—?”
His bare foot landed on something damp.
Lowering his gaze to check, his face immediately stiffened.
“Sesame!”
In the middle of the living room, Sesame lay collapsed.
The floor was a mess—he had clearly thrown up multiple times before finally collapsing.
Sa-yoon rushed forward, scooping the limp, cheese-colored cat into his arms.
His heart plummeted.
