* * *

Even as he stepped outside, Yoontae casually rubbed his shoulder against the doorframe.

Jeongseo, staring at him, finally asked, “Are you itchy or something? Why are you rubbing against everything?”

Yoontae stopped in his tracks, looked at Jeongseo, but didn’t answer.

Instead, he simply smiled and acted as though nothing had happened.

Sitting down on the wooden veranda, he tapped the spot next to him.

So he’s not itchy? Could it be that my cooking was off? Jeongseo wondered.

As Jeongseo joined him on the veranda, a faint, pleasant scent wafted from where Yoontae had passed.

Despite the sweltering summer, it was reminiscent of a snowy winter day, cooling the air just a little.

Jeongseo instinctively leaned toward the wall to sniff closer, but then caught Yoontae’s intense gaze and quickly turned away.

Yoontae’s lips curled into a subtle smirk.

Feeling like he’d been caught doing something odd, Jeongseo averted his eyes.

Struggling to change the subject, an idea suddenly popped into his head.

Since the weather was so hot and his house didn’t have air conditioning, the best way to cool off was clear.

“There’s a stream nearby… Do you like streams?”

Then he remembered—cats usually don’t like water.

But before he could rethink his suggestion, Yoontae chuckled.

“If I hated water, how would I shower?”

“Let’s go to the stream,” Yoontae said, getting up from the veranda.

Excited, Jeongseo quickly slipped on his sandals and fastened Seobok’s leash.

“Is it okay if Seobok comes too?”

Yoontae glanced at Seobok and gave a casual nod.

They walked about five minutes into the forest behind Jeongseo’s house, the sound of rushing water growing louder with each step.

Jeongseo’s pace quickened, and soon, a wide-open stream appeared, free of any trees blocking the view.

Jeongseo leapt onto a large rock by the water.

“This is a stream only my family knows about!”

No one else even knows it exists.

Few people visited their secluded village, and Jeongseo’s house was even farther out, making this stream practically a private spot for the Seo family.

Yoontae climbed up onto the rock, quietly impressed.

For a “stream nearby,” it was bigger than he’d expected.

Water flowed down from the mountains, crashing against rocks before pooling below, clear enough to see the bottom.

“What do you think?”

“Not bad,” Yoontae replied casually, then dove straight into the water.

The splash was so big that water reached Jeongseo on the rock.

As Jeongseo stumbled back, shielding his face, Yoontae’s lips curled mischievously.

Before Jeongseo could retreat further, Yoontae scooped water with his hands and splashed it at him.

“Ah!”

Soaked, Jeongseo shook his head to fling off the water and jumped into the stream after him.

Seobok, who had been watching quietly, plunged in as well, paddling along.

Laughing brightly, Jeongseo splashed water at Yoontae, their playful commotion echoing across the stream.

Some time later, Yoontae stretched out under the warm sun, his legs dangling into the water.

His drenched clothes left dark patches where he sat. He wrung out his shirt and glanced at the stream.

Jeongseo, still floating on his back, lazily drifted with Seobok paddling behind him.

Suddenly, Jeongseo flipped over and dove, moving swiftly underwater.

“Didn’t know weasels were good swimmers…” Yoontae muttered.

Watching Jeongseo glide effortlessly, he realized the kid was naturally good at anything physical.

While Yoontae was lost in thought, Jeongseo resurfaced right in front of him, startling him.

“Look at this!” Jeongseo called, splashing through the water.

He cupped his hands together and held them out, revealing a small, round object.

“Holy—!”

Yoontae leapt back with a shout, his ears and tail suddenly popping out.

His black tail, puffed up, swished furiously.

In Jeongseo’s hands was a frog—brown with dark spots, far from the cute green kind.

The creature stared up at Yoontae, whose breathing grew ragged.

Seeing his reaction, Jeongseo burst into laughter. “Yoontae, you’re so scared!”

Even as Jeongseo shook with laughter, the frog remained still.

Yoontae, meanwhile, didn’t dare go near it, scowling deeply.

“Is it poisonous? Why does it look like that?”

“Don’t be mean. Frogs have feelings too!” Jeongseo said, placing the frog gently by the water’s edge.

It finally leapt away, disappearing into the stream.

As Jeongseo turned back, Yoontae still had his ears and tail out, his face sullen.

He didn’t seem pleased about being startled.

Usually, Yoontae was the one pulling pranks, so Jeongseo found this moment immensely satisfying.

Grinning, he crept closer.

“You were really scared, huh?”

Yoontae glared at him, then grabbed his face with one hand, squishing his cheeks.

Jeongseo’s wet shirt clung tightly to his body.

“Shut up.”

“Hey! Let me go!” Jeongseo protested, grabbing Yoontae’s wrist, but he couldn’t break free.

Only when his face flushed red did Yoontae release him and turn away.

Rubbing his tingling cheeks, Jeongseo glared at Yoontae’s back, but Yoontae said nothing, his nape tinged with a faint red under the sun.

°❀•°❀°•❀°

After a long day of playing in the water, the sun was beginning to set.

Jeongseo prepared a table with soft tofu stew and fried eggs, using ingredients he had bought yesterday.

His house had an old countryside tile-roofed structure, with a kitchen that wasn’t particularly spacious, so the dining table was also relatively small.

Jeongseo recalled how Yoontae’s large frame had seemed somewhat uncomfortable during lunch earlier.

After a moment of contemplation, Jeongseo left the kitchen, crossed the main floor, and entered the storage room at the end.

Yoontae, who had been sitting on the veranda, turned his head curiously.

Shortly afterward, Jeongseo came out, struggling to drag a folding table almost as big as himself.

Yoontae immediately stood up and grabbed the table.

“Oh, thanks! We can set it up on the veranda.”

The main floor of Jeongseo’s house was wide enough that, even with the table fully unfolded, there was still plenty of room.

While Yoontae wiped the table with a wet tissue, Jeongseo transferred bowls of soup and rice.

Once he brought over the side dishes and utensils, the perfect dinner table was ready.

As he noticed earlier, Jeongseo was an excellent cook.

The spicy aroma wafting from the stew was already making Yoontae’s mouth water.

Jeongseo sat down and was about to take a sip of soup with his spoon when Yoontae suddenly asked,

“So, do you have any thoughts about having kids?”

The question left Jeongseo blinking in confusion, unable to process it.

“Why… are you asking that all of a sudden?”

“No reason.”

Yoontae replied casually, as if it was just good information to know.

Jeongseo couldn’t fathom why Yoontae needed to know about his plans for children.

Was he joking?

He shot a glance at Yoontae, but the man, after stirring up Jeongseo’s thoughts, was casually eating the soft tofu stew.

“I… I don’t know.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

Despite Jeongseo’s awkward response, Yoontae remained unbothered.

Jeongseo, unsure whether his fried egg was entering his mouth or nose, cautiously continued eating.

Thankfully, the act of eating helped dissolve the tension.

After finishing their meal and cleaning up, Jeongseo called out from the kitchen.

“I’ll cut up some watermelon!”

“We just ate.”

“It’s dessert!”

“…Alright.”

Jeongseo took out a watermelon from the kimchi fridge, halved it, and stored the remaining half back inside.

Normally, they could finish an entire watermelon, but since they had eaten so much just now, half would suffice.

As Jeongseo returned with the watermelon and was about to fetch a fan from inside, Yoontae grabbed his wrist.

Though it was a casual gesture between them, Jeongseo flinched instinctively.

“W-what?”

“Where are you going?”

“To get the fan. It’s hot.”

Jeongseo tried shaking his hand free, but Yoontae’s grip didn’t loosen.

Instead, Yoontae stood up after a brief glance behind him.

“Sit down. I’ll get it.”

“Oh, okay. Thanks!”

Yoontae brought a fan along with an extension cord and set it up on the veranda.

He placed the fan next to Jeongseo and turned it on a medium setting.

The cool breeze ruffled Jeongseo’s brown hair, tickling his ears and making him shyly tuck his hair behind them.

Sitting beside Jeongseo again, Yoontae gazed out at the yard with him.

“Your house doesn’t feel that hot.”

Though it was nighttime, the training center had needed air conditioning all day long.

Here, even with just a fan, it felt pleasantly cool, which put Yoontae in a good mood.

Around them, only the chirping of insects and the faint hum of the fan could be heard, as if the two had been left in their own little world.

---

Later that night, Yoontae stirred awake, feeling stiff.

Perhaps he wasn’t used to sleeping anywhere but a bed.

Outside the window, the faint light of dawn suggested it was still early.

Turning to his side, Yoontae froze.

There, sprawled in the middle of the blanket, was a small creature with its belly exposed—a weasel with white fur and brown spots.

* * *