Chapter 30: A Promise Called Forever

Haesu was left stunned by how differently things were unfolding from what he had expected.

No words came to mind.

In the end, he said nothing at all.

Seeing the speechless Haesu, Kwon Seha lowered his head onto the steering wheel and cried pathetically.

Even after being rejected twice, Kwon Seha was still the kind of person who immediately offered up a next time.

“So my first impression really was terrible, huh. This question probably sounds pathetic too.”

“No, it’s not. W-wait, are you crying? Why are you crying….”

Haesu remained completely flustered.

What kind of person was this?

For someone inexperienced not only in dating but even in forming relationships with people, Seha was far too difficult a type to handle.

Did someone really need to be this honest and reckless?

He needed to think carefully.

If he wasn’t careful, he felt like he would get swept away.

A response that wouldn’t hurt this person, something that would let both of them end things cleanly….

But before he could finish thinking, Kwon Seha shamelessly began forcing his way into Haesu’s thoughts.

Seha turned his head toward Haesu, who sat biting only his lips in the passenger seat.

His forehead still rested against the steering wheel, but his large eyes — shimmering pitifully with tears — met Haesu’s.

Somehow, Haesu began feeling uneasy.

It felt like he was being hypnotized by those eyes desperately trying to look miserable.

“I like you, Haesu-ssi.”

“……”

“I like you enough to ask whether you’ll meet me again tomorrow even after rejecting me today….”

Then he turned his head away again.

Avoiding Haesu’s gaze completely now, he stared out the driver’s side window instead.

Watching him like that, laughter eventually escaped Haesu.

It was a reaction completely separate from his own will.

The sound of laughter slipped foolishly into the silence and refused to stop.

A warmth he had forgotten while living alone and exhausted by life spread faintly beneath his chest.

Kwon Seha truly was a lovable person.

A mercilessly unpredictable one.

Someone who barged carelessly into Choi Haesu’s life.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t laughing at you….”

“……”

“This is kind of like what you worried about the first time, Seha-ssi. I really wasn’t angry back then either…. Anyway, stop crying. Who cries over something like this? You’re an adult.”

“…Then wipe my tears for me.”

Strangely enough, at that moment, Haesu felt a kind of love he couldn’t explain while looking at Seha crying.

Seha himself would later shudder remembering it, but the truth was that his tears had played a huge role in the beginning of their relationship.

“…What?”

No answer came after Haesu asked again.

Instead, Seha closed his eyes and gently brought Haesu’s hand closer to his face.

Then, without hesitation, he held Haesu’s hand and rubbed his face against it repeatedly.

It looked almost like the behavior of someone already certain of victory.

“So… will you meet me again tomorrow?”

“……”

“Should we meet again tomorrow?”

Was this how it felt to encounter a suspicious fox while wandering somewhere lost?

Whether in fairy tales or movies, he had seen countless protagonists fall in love after meeting someone who smiled like this.

“Let’s get out of the car and continue talking. Hurry up and come out. I’m really good at kneeling, you know.”

“Ha, this is insane, seriously….”

Lost in childish thoughts, Haesu felt as if he had been bewitched by a fox.

Otherwise, there was no explanation for why his hand was still trapped inside Seha’s grasp.

There was a time when Haesu visited the columbarium where Seha’s parents rested while holding Seha’s hand.

The conversation they shared on the way there had been unexpectedly heavy.

Because Kwon Seha had finally begun revealing things he’d never been able to say before.

“In front of his mom and dad, even the great Kwon Seha can’t lie.”

“Haesu, just bear with him this once, okay…?”

After learning Seha came from an incredibly wealthy family, Haesu had admittedly felt a little betrayed remembering how Seha once introduced himself as an ordinary intern.

But because Kwon Seha wasn’t someone unfamiliar with loneliness either, Haesu never truly became angry.

Even after entering the memorial hall, Seha continued smiling, but he didn’t bother hiding his sadness.

That part was almost a relief.

“Oh. That’s a picture of little Kwon Seha.”

“I was cute, right?”

“Our baby looks like he drooled a lot.”

“That’s harsh.”

Haesu stood there looking at the same things Seha did.

He didn’t greet the framed photos aloud or anything.

Doing that in such a quiet space felt a little embarrassing, and Seha didn’t seem to want that either.

Instead, he simply stared at one particular frame for a long time.

Inside it stood a smiling couple and a child, all looking unbearably happy.

“What are you looking at?”

“…Your family photo. You all look happy.”

“Yeah. I was happy back then.”

“You wouldn’t even remember. You were a baby.”

Tilting his head curiously, Haesu looked up at Seha.

Seha gazed back at him with smiling eyes before lowering his lips onto Haesu’s round pale forehead.

Haesu nearly jumped in shock, horrified that Seha had no shame kissing him in front of his parents.

Seha clearly knew what the problem was, yet the only thing remaining on his face was wounded unfairness.

Looking at that dejected expression, Haesu couldn’t bring himself to stay angry.

At least not with Kwon Seha.

Sometimes even Haesu found himself bewildered by it.

As if admitting defeat, he softly brushed Seha’s hair back.

At that, Seha’s protruding lips finally returned to normal.

The face pretending to be miserable recovered quickly.

When Haesu lightly patted his butt and told him to introduce him properly to his parents already, Seha immediately accepted the peace offering and nodded eagerly.

“No. I remember. You can tell just by their expressions.”

Then he lifted the item he’d been holding in his free hand — the hand not intertwined with Haesu’s.

It was another photograph.

Unlike the family photos surrounding them, this one contained only Haesu and Seha together.

When had he even brought that?

No, more importantly, why had he brought it at all?

This sly bastard was once again trying to mark Haesu as his own.

Introducing him to his parents so boldly that Haesu could never take back his words afterward.

Haesu’s eyes widened as they followed the movement of Seha’s hand.

Before he could even think further, Seha placed their photograph beside his parents’ and began speaking.

“Compare the expressions here. I really grew up exactly the same.”

“You’re right. It’s actually identical.”

Haesu completely forgot about scolding him and focused instead on Seha’s words.

He compared the young boy in the photograph to the grown man beside him now, both wearing the exact same expression of happiness while standing beside someone they loved.

“I was really happy with you back then too, Haesu. See? The smile’s exactly the same as when I was little. So….”

So I was happy then too.

Do people really make expressions like that when they’re happy?

Haesu didn’t even need to ask.

Seha’s eyes curved into smiles while looking at him.

Those beautifully lifted lips were something Haesu adored endlessly.

Before leaving, Seha looked at his parents one last time.

Then he took Haesu’s hand again and turned away from the memorial hall.

He walked while matching his pace to Haesu’s steps.

Outside, the weather had become bitterly cold, but the hand holding his remained warm.

Suddenly, Haesu remembered the day he first decided to love him.

In Seha’s arms, Haesu had once asked how many more times Seha would’ve kept trying before finally giving up on Choi Haesu.

With complete confidence, Kwon Seha answered: forever.

So Choi Haesu dared to challenge forever too.

As long as Kwon Seha continued living eternity beside him.

Early in the morning, thanks to catching a ride in Doyoon’s car, Haesu arrived at the hospital earlier than usual.

It was Haesu himself who readily agreed when Doyoon asked if he wanted to leave together.

Throughout the drive, Doyoon seemed unusually happy.

For ten whole minutes, Haesu sat blankly in the waiting room.

Jaeyoung, arriving at work looking exhausted, widened his eyes upon seeing him.

Then he asked why on earth Haesu had come so early today.

Haesu only smiled silently in response.

Dragged along by Jaeyoung’s hand, he entered the treatment room even before his scheduled appointment time.

Would finishing earlier mean ending earlier too?

That was what Haesu thought until he saw Jaeyoung return carrying two steaming cups.

As soon as he approached, a sweet scent filled the air.

The cups contained hot cocoa.

“Do you like chocolate? I forgot to ask before bringing it.”

“I do. Thank you.”

He didn’t actually like sweet things much, but he answered yes anyway.

No matter what drink it had been, he probably would’ve said the same.

One heavy sip lingered in his mouth for a long time.

He disliked the burning sensation of hot drinks sliding down his throat.

So he cooled it inside his mouth for quite a while before swallowing.

The flavor left behind on his tongue was both bitter and sweet.

“It’s good.”

“That’s a relief. By the way, what kind of wind blew you here this early today?”

What kind of wind blew him here….

To Haesu, it sounded suspiciously like: Aren’t you usually either late or just barely on time?

It made him a little embarrassed.

Watching Haesu cough awkwardly, Jaeyoung grinned broadly.

It seemed Haesu’s assumption wasn’t wrong after all.

Doyoon had simply started preparing for work, and naturally Haesu found himself coming out into the living room and moving around too.

Like always, Doyoon gently asked whether he’d slept well.

Haesu nodded and sat on the sofa like someone with nothing better to do, quietly watching Doyoon move around.

‘Why are you staring at me like that? Am I entertaining?’

Eventually, unable to pretend not to notice Haesu’s gaze any longer, Doyoon spoke first.

Haesu, who hadn’t even realized what exactly he’d been doing, stammered awkwardly before answering.

It was just strange, being in someone else’s home and spending mornings not alone for once.

After listening to him, Doyoon walked over to where Haesu sat on the sofa.

Then he asked:

‘Should we eat something delicious for dinner tonight?’

‘What kind of food?’

‘Something you like.’

‘I don’t really have favorites…. You choose, Doyoon-ssi.’

By the time Doyoon reached him, he had somehow already seated himself near Haesu’s feet, looking up at him.

Even when Haesu asked whether he wasn’t going to be late for work, Doyoon simply shook his head.

Even when told to hurry and get ready, he didn’t move.

‘When you go today, brag about finishing all your homework.’

‘Ah, okay. I will. I’m actually kind of proud of that….’

It had been a weekend spent with someone else.

For both Doyoon and Haesu, this week felt different from usual.

Even if the atmosphere itself hadn’t changed much from the days they’d spent together before.

Doyoon seemed satisfied simply by watching Haesu move around in front of him.

After keeping him close for several days, Haesu showed sides of himself completely different from the version Doyoon usually saw during brief meetings.

At the very least, Doyoon could tell Haesu had always tried very hard to keep himself composed in front of others.