* * *

Before the movie, Wonbeom had indirectly confessed his feelings, and afterward, a stranger had threatened them.

It was a spectacular day, one Jingyeom would never forget.

He fidgeted with his fingers, hesitant to bring up what had happened since he had never mentioned it to Soohyuk.

Instead, he glossed over the details and simply said the movie had been fun.

As he drove, Soohyuk kept glancing at Jingyeom, the face he had missed so much.

After their video call, the urge to see him in person had grown too strong, leading Soohyuk to finish work early just to be with him.

It had been a situation that usually required more time, but with everything happening to Jingyeom, he couldn’t afford to delay any longer.

Though it had cost him more, the matter had been handled cleanly.

Most of all, he couldn’t stand hearing more about the things happening around Jingyeom.

Reaching over, Soohyuk gently took Jingyeom’s hand.

“I was just jealous. Did you think about me a lot while I was gone?”

“We talked every day, didn’t we?”

“Then let me ask differently. Did you ever think of me when we weren’t talking?”

“…Sometimes.”

Though Jingyeom’s voice was small, it was enough to lift Soohyuk’s spirits.

Soohyuk had constantly expressed his feelings, and Jingyeom had never shown any signs of rejecting him.

That alone filled Soohyuk with growing confidence and anticipation.

“Wow. So those daily calls did have an effect.”

Soohyuk smiled brightly, and Jingyeom couldn’t help but smile back.

‘He’s so warm.’

Though the weather had fully turned to autumn and become chilly, Soohyuk’s hand was warm, enough to make Jingyeom’s hand, which had grown cold from sitting in the café, feel comfortably heated.

Jingyeom pressed gently on his healing scar.

“Does it still hurt?”

“No. It just itches sometimes.”

Jingyeom shook his head, and Soohyuk nodded along.

“Has anything major happened lately?”

There had been so many things that Jingyeom didn’t know where to start.

He couldn’t share everything, so he hesitated, unsure of what to say.

Soohyuk tightened his grip on Jingyeom’s hand.

“Something serious?”

“…No, nothing major.”

With an awkward smile, Jingyeom turned his head to look out the window.

But Soohyuk already knew everything through Cheongoh, who had been by Jingyeom’s side.

Every time Sanho had appeared, Cheongoh had been there, reporting back on what was said.

Soohyuk gripped the steering wheel tightly.

Although he didn’t plan to press further, he had asked because he wanted to hear it from Jingyeom himself.

If Jingyeom trusted him, he would’ve shared. But it seemed they weren’t quite there yet.

While he had been away, he knew Cheongoh had handled the punk who had threatened Jingyeom.

He also knew that apologies had been sent to those who had been wronged, and that the threatening messages had continued.

All of that had been dealt with by Wonbeom.

On top of that, the fact that Baek Jinwoo had asked Wonbeom to take care of those sending threatening messages to Jingyeom left an uneasy feeling.

What if it had been him here instead of Wonbeom…?

‘Damn it. I should just stick by his side. Every time I look away, something happens.’

It was almost amazing how these things kept happening.

Soohyuk, trying to change the atmosphere, brought up Jeong Sanho.

“That guy earlier, were you close with him?”

“Sanho? Apparently so, but I don’t remember much. I found some pictures of us together though, so I guess we were close. We used to talk on the phone a lot.”

“Do you still talk often?”

“No. We only reconnected recently.”

Jingyeom answered each of Soohyuk’s questions earnestly, and Soohyuk continued to observe him as they talked.

During the time they had been apart, Soohyuk fully realized his feelings were genuine.

He found himself constantly wondering what Jingyeom was up to, reaching out even while at work.

Eventually, Jingyeom even appeared in his dreams, making him realize just how deep his feelings went.

‘Should I just make it clear today?’

It seemed that Jingyeom had started to notice him a little, likely due to Soohyuk’s subtle hints.

But he had been careful not to rush things, fearing he might scare him off.

Slowly, gradually… that was his approach, but at this rate, someone else might get to Jingyeom’s heart first.

---

When they arrived at Eulwang-ri Beach, the two strolled along the white sand.

As his feet sank into the sand, Jingyeom was about to take off his shoes, but Soohyuk stopped him, making him continue walking in the gritty sneakers.

“You could step on glass or a sharp rock. Keep your shoes on. If you hate it that much, I could carry you.”

“No!”

Soohyuk feigned disappointment, but Jingyeom was firm. His legs weren’t injured, and he didn’t want to be carried.

Even though it was a beach, it was fall, and the water was cold, so there were no swimmers.

A few people played in the water briefly but quickly came back out.

Jingyeom had wanted to at least dip his feet in the ocean, but with nothing to dry off with, he gave up on the idea.

Besides, with the chilly sea breeze brushing past, he was sure he’d catch a cold if he went in.

He quickly abandoned the thought.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind made Jingyeom shiver, and Soohyuk handed him his coat.

The wind was sharp, so Jingyeom took the coat without protest.

But seeing Soohyuk wearing only a thin turtleneck underneath made him look unbearably cold.

“Aren’t you cold, hyung?”

“I am.”

“Take this back!”

As Jingyeom tried to give the coat back, Soohyuk laughed and buttoned up Jingyeom’s coat for him.

“I’m warm like this.”

Soohyuk gently held Jingyeom’s small hand hidden in the oversized sleeves.

Jingyeom instinctively tried to pull his hand away but hesitated.

Soohyuk’s hand was big and warm—he figured it wouldn’t hurt to stay like this for a little while.

Earlier, Soohyuk had held his hand without hesitation at the café and in the car.

Pulling away now would feel strange.

Convincing himself that it was only because it was cold and the warmth was comforting, Jingyeom let his hand remain in Soohyuk’s.

They continued walking slowly along the sandy beach before deciding to sit and watch the ocean for a while.

Jingyeom, worried about getting his coat dirty, tried to take it off, but Soohyuk stopped him.

After helping Jingyeom sit, Soohyuk stood for a moment to check the direction of the wind, then sat down, positioning himself to block as much of the wind from Jingyeom as possible.

Jingyeom hugged his knees tightly.

The wind was strong today, and the waves were crashing loudly onto the shore.

He listened to the sounds of the sand being pulled by the waves and the crashing of the ocean, the unique symphony of the sea.

“…”

With his mouth slightly open, Jingyeom stared blankly at the ocean, completely lost in the scenery. In Seoul, you could see mountains but not the sea.

The closest thing was when he had visited Wolmido, but it wasn’t a beach like this.

Seeing an actual beach, like the ones he’d only seen on YouTube, made him feel unexpectedly sentimental.

Suddenly, remembering something, Jingyeom hurriedly took out his phone.

He had forgotten to text Jinwoo since he had been talking with Soohyuk the entire way here.

‘I should send him a message.’

Knowing Jinwoo had been busy lately and would probably respond late, Jingyeom decided to leave him a message.

He started typing that he was at the beach and would be back soon but ended up pocketing his phone before sending it, as Soohyuk kept talking. He decided to send it later.

Soohyuk, determined to keep Jingyeom’s attention, was talking non-stop. The sight of Jingyeom on his phone at the beach wasn’t to his liking.

Soohyuk recounted little things that had happened on his business trip, his hockey-playing days that Jingyeom had been fascinated by earlier, and his travels during school breaks.

He was pleased to see how engaged Jingyeom looked.

Every time they spoke, Soohyuk realized just how much he enjoyed talking to Jingyeom.

Even on their phone calls, Soohyuk did most of the talking. Jingyeom wasn’t exactly quiet, but he found all of Soohyuk’s stories so interesting that he preferred listening.

When Soohyuk mentioned the idea of going kayaking in a clear kayak where you could see the ocean floor, Jingyeom’s interest was piqued.

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Not really. Want to go together sometime?”

Jingyeom’s face lit up.

“All of us? I’m up for it, but… do you think Jinwoo and Wonbeom can find the time? Should we go during summer vacation? But that would be expensive…”

Jingyeom’s excitement faded as he looked at the sand, realizing it might be hard to coordinate such a trip with his friends, and even harder financially.

Even if they could go, they should prioritize paying off their debts.

Seeing the shadow fall over Jingyeom’s face, Soohyuk gently tapped Jingyeom’s hand resting on his knee, drawing his attention.

“Not everyone—just us.”

“…What?”

“Just the two of us. I don’t want to bring anyone else. I just need you.”

* * *