"I can never say no to you, Haru-ya."

"You're very cute when you smile like that.". Hair ruffle. "I checked my email today. Apparently people have managed to be invested in your previous partnership. Somehow."

"...huh?"

"I got among other mostly nicer things hate mail from people who think I stole you and should give you back to what's-his-face. There were linguistic pretenses that the letter writer was his little sister in one of them."

"—someone called him oppa?"

"Yeah, I don't actually know exactly how weird that is but it seemed weird."

"It's a—parasocial fan thing. Picture teenage girls going to K-pop concerts and hoping that the cute boy from the boy band she likes will fall in love with her as soon as he signs an autograph, as if he isn't fucking the bandmate right next to him. ...or, in this case, I suppose they must be fujoshi."

"I take it you do not approve."

"I'm not—in this to be a celebrity. Nor am I in love with people I'll never have anything to do with having opinions about me and Wo Do-in. And the fact that they think he could ever possibly hold a candle to you is just adding insult to injury."

"Well, some people also registered their approval. With in one case surprisingly comprehensive background in drawing from life."

"...as in, someone drew a... portrait or something?"

"They drew porn."

He chokes on his spit and starts coughing. "Of us?"

Snicker. "Yes. There was also fanfiction but I couldn't read it at the time so I don't know if it's any good."

"You know, now that my brain is no longer splattered on the wall of that idea, it's..."

"It's?"

"I'm curious. It could be inspiring."

"I'll forward it to you.". He collects his pants and the phone therein to do this. "Also we did successfully inspire a Malaysian gay to optimism."

"...really?"

"Yeah, I can send you that too. It was sweet."

"Yeah, I'd... like that."

Send.

He's not actually tearing up because he's not the type to but if he were the type to he would be. "Oh."

"I usually don't reply to stuff but I answered that one. And the one that was really for Cricket but he dictated."

He pulls Haru into a hug again. "I am having some unexpected feelings about the idea of having had a positive impact on someone's life like that."