Yun slowly walked down the stairs, still not understanding why Tae had come or what was happening, and when he finally reached the entrance, he stood in front of Tae and raised his head to look at him.

Before Yun could ask anything

Tae came closer and rested his head against Yun’s shoulder.

Tae wanted to ask what had happened to Yun at the convenience store, but he decided to wait until the right time, because he wanted Yun to tell him himself when he was ready, and more than anything, he wanted to protect him.

Yun quietly asked,

“Tae... umm... what happened?”

Tae quietly wrapped his arms around Yun’s waist and kept his head resting against his shoulder.

The warmth of the hug instantly surrounded Yun, and Tae’s cold body slowly made his own body feel warm.

Yun’s eyes widened slightly before he slowly hugged Tae back, his fingers unconsciously grabbing the back of Tae’s shirt tightly, almost as if he didn’t want him to disappear again.

His throat became dry.

He desperately wanted to cry.

After so many years, he suddenly felt the same warmth he used to feel from his grandmother, and yet, despite the overwhelming emotion rising inside him, Yun still didn’t cry.

Tae  raised his head and looked straight into Yun’s eyes.

“Yun-ah... I’m fucking tired because of all the work...”

He quietly whispered,

“And you know... I missed you.”

“I missed you so much than I thought...”

Yun didn’t understand what Tae meant, and he wanted to ask why, but instead, he simply stayed quiet and listened while Tae kept him wrapped warmly in his arms.

Yun quietly lifted his head and asked Tae,

“Then... do you want to sleep here?”

Tae hesitated for a moment.

He had only come to see Yun, but when Yun asked him that question, he realized that he actually wanted to stay. So Yun and Tae quietly walked toward Yun’s room. Yun looked around before speaking softly.

“It’s a bit small, so it might feel a little uncomfortable.”

Tae simply shook his head.

“No... no, I won’t feel uncomfortable.”

Then Yun handed Tae a towel for his shower, showed him where the bathroom was, and told him to take a shower to wash away some of the exhaustion from his body. After taking a shower, Tae came out wearing only a towel. Without looking at his body, Yun quickly handed him some clothes.

“They might be a bit short...”

“These are the only clothes I have that are big enough.”

Without saying anything, Tae took the clothes.

Before putting them on, he smiled slightly.

“It’s okay.”

“Even if you want to see my naked body, I don’t mind.”

“And my body is something everyone likes, so I’m sure that you’ll love my body.”

Yun immediately turned away and walked toward his bed.

While preparing everything for them to sleep and changing another blanket, he quietly murmured to himself,

“I think he thinks I’m some kind of pervert.”

After changing his clothes, Tae walked into the bedroom. Yun pointed toward the bed.

“You sleep on the bed.”

“I’ll sleep on the ground.”

But Tae immediately refused.

“It’s your house.”

“You should sleep on the bed.”

Again, Yun shook his head.

“Even if it’s my house, you should sleep on the bed.”

“You look tired.”

“If you sleep on the ground, you’ll wake up with body pains tomorrow.”

“I don’t want that.”

“So sleep on the bed.”

But Tae continued refusing. Then, without warning, Tae caught Yun’s hand and threw him onto the bed as well before wrapping his arms around him and pulling him close. In the end, both of them ended up sleeping together on the uncomfortable bed. Yun struggled to get out of bed because he still wanted to sleep on the ground, but Tae caught him even harder and wrapped him tightly in his arms.

Tae slowly took a breath. The room was filled with Yun’s soft, warm scent. Tae quietly whispered into Yun’s ear,

“You have a before-rain smell.”

“Yun, do you have a part-time job tomorrow?”

Yun simply nodded. Tae struggled for a moment to ask what he wanted to say, but he wanted Yun to have some fun because he had been working so hard, even if it was only for one day. So he finally asked,

“Then... do you want to be free tomorrow?”

“I want to take you to an amusement park.”

Yun thought for a few seconds. He wanted to refuse, but because it was Tae asking him, he finally agreed.

As Yun agreed. Tae slowly moved his face closer to Yun’s neck. He wanted to leave his mark there, but instead, he gave Yun a small kiss on his neck for only a second.

Yun’s breath stopped. His heart immediately started beating faster, and he desperately hoped Tae wouldn’t hear it. Not knowing Tae’s heartbeat was even louder. That night Yun slept peacefully in Han Tae’s embrace.

---

The sun rose the next morning. Soft sunlight reached Yun’s face through the window, slowly waking him from his sleep. After a long while, Yun opened his eyes. For the first time in days, he had slept peacefully without any troubling thoughts. The night felt strangely short. But when he looked beside him...Tae was gone. Yun’s heart sank slightly. For a moment, he thought Tae had already left.

But then...His home was filled with the delicious smell of freshly prepared food. Yun followed the smell toward the kitchen.

Tae was cooking. The moment Tae noticed Yun watching him, he turned around. And the moment he saw Yun standing there with messy hair and sleepy eyes. He burst into laughter.

“This is the first time I’ve seen you this messy.”

Yun immediately frowned slightly.

“…Sorry if I look messy.”

He rubbed his hair awkwardly.

“This is just my morning face.”

But Tae walked closer while smiling softly.

“I think your morning look is even cuter than your college look.”

Then, after staring at Yun for another second, he quietly added,

“I want to see you like this every day.”

Tae then explained that he had wanted to wake Yun up, but Yun looked like a baby while sleeping, so he couldn’t bring himself to disturb him, and before waking him, he had decided to make breakfast for both of them. Tae pointed toward the dining table.

“Sit down.”

“Let’s have a nice breakfast.”

Tae had made white-sauce pasta.

Yun took a cautious bite.

Then another.

His eyes slowly widened.

It was warm, rich, and unbelievably good.

He couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten something that tasted this comforting, and because the taste was so good, his eyes nearly filled with tears. Tae simply smiled.

“Get ready after eating.”

“I’ll come and pick you up.”

After saying that, Tae went home to get ready. Yun remained sitting there for a few minutes before finally getting up and going to take a shower. For the first time in a long while. He actually felt excited for the day. After showering, he searched through his closet for nice clothes. He didn’t really own anything special. Most of his life had simply been college, work, and home. He rarely went outside for fun. So, in the end, he simply wore a plain white T-shirt and blue jeans. While looking at himself in the mirror, Yun quietly lowered his eyes.

“…Tae might get disappointed after seeing me.”

Still...He waited outside for Tae. A black car slowly stopped nearby. And the moment Tae stepped out...

Yun completely forgot how to breathe. Tae looked unreal. Like someone who had walked straight out of a movie scene. The black clothes perfectly matched his sharp appearance, while the loose strands of hair near his eyes made him look effortlessly attractive. Tae calmly walked toward him before opening the car door.

Yun got inside and sat beside the driver’s seat while Tae closed the door afterward. Tae entered from the other side and started the car. The moment the engine started. Silence slowly filled the space between them. Meanwhile, Yun sat quietly while staring outside the window.

For some reason`~`

Being beside Tae today made him feel strangely uncomfortable. Tae noticed that Yun was uncomfortable and strangely silent. He also noticed Yun nervously catching his clothes with his hands, looking down at his own clothes and then at Tae’s clothes without saying a word. Tae pressed his foot harder against the accelerator and drove faster.

After a few minutes. He stopped near a mall. Yun looked at him in confusion.

“Why did you stop near the mall?”

Tae simply replied,

“We still have some time.”

So he took Yun into the mall to look around for a while, without Yun knowing that Tae had actually brought him there to buy clothes. Before going into the store, Tae took him to a coffee shop so they could shop while drinking coffee. Tae ordered his usual coffee with extra sugar and whipped cream. Yun ordered an espresso. After finishing their drinks, Tae slowly took Yun into the store. Yun thought Tae was buying clothes for himself. But Tae was actually picking clothes for Yun. After choosing several pieces, Tae handed them to Yun.

“It’s just a trial.”

Yun went to try them on.

When Tae finally saw Yun wearing those clothes. He was shocked by how beautiful Yun looked. For a moment, he genuinely had no words. Before Yun could say anything, Tae paid for all of the clothes. Only after realizing that the clothes had actually been bought for him did Yun become uncomfortable.

He didn’t like the idea that Tae had bought them.

He thought Tae had done it out of pity.

Yun looked at Tae with uncertainty written across his face.

“Did you buy these clothes out of pity?”

When Tae heard that, he didn’t know how to react. If he stayed silent, he knew Yun might get the wrong idea. So he placed his hands on Yun’s shoulders and quietly said,

“It’s not because of pity.”

“It’s because I’m interested in you.”

For the amusement park, Yun ended up wearing a half-white sweatshirt layered with a half-white long jacket, half-white pants, and white sneakers. Tae had unknowingly picked matching colors for himself too.

But Yun didn’t notice it at all.

Tae pulled out his phone and stood beside Yun in front of a mirror.

Before Yun could react...

Tae casually placed one arm around his shoulder and took a picture.

Click.

Yun immediately became embarrassed. But Tae looked weirdly satisfied. The two of them finally arrived at the amusement park.

People immediately started staring.

Because honestly they looked less like normal people and more like celebrities or models. At one point, a random guy even approached Tae nervously for scouting.

Tae immediately became cold and turned him down, saying,

“We came here just to enjoy ourselves.”

The guy awkwardly apologized before leaving irritably. Meanwhile, Tae casually bought matching headbands for both of them.

Yun immediately looked embarrassed. Tae happily took another picture of them together.

The entire day~

They went on rides together.

Played games together.

Won prizes together.

Tae even bought matching keychains that strangely looked similar to them.

And he even bought a teddy bear that looked like Yun.

By nighttime...Only one ride remained. The Ferris wheel.

Both of them quietly entered together.

The wheel carried them higher and higher above the city lights.

It slowly rose into the night sky, leaving the noise of the amusement park farther and farther below them until the lights of the city spread beneath the glass like countless stars.

It stopped at the very top. The beautiful lights reflected inside Yun’s eyes. For a moment, he simply stared outside in silence. His heart felt strangely full. He wanted to thank Tae for making his day so beautiful and so much fun. He wanted to thank him from the bottom of his heart. Yun slowly turned toward Tae. But before he could say anything...

Tae was already moving closer.

Yun’s eyes widened slightly.

Before Yun could speak...

Tae kissed him on the lips.