US 05

Chapter 5

Same, freed from the jacket that had been draped over her, hurriedly ran under the eaves.

It was a village library, renovated from an abandoned hanok. The town office had built it with the hope of brightening up this neglected hillside neighborhood, but it seldom saw any visitors, so the doors were often closed.

Seeing that the lights were off, it seemed today was no different.

Same stepped onto the wooden porch, set down her bag, and first peeled off the white T-shirt that was clinging wetly to her body. She had been holding it like that on purpose to keep her underwear from showing through.

Soon, he too came under the eaves, dusting off his jacket.

Same glanced sideways at the man. She had been somewhat shielded by her jacket, but he had come all the way through the downpour completely exposed. He must have been quite flustered, yet his face showed no sign of it.

Cha Tae-mok loosened his tie as if it were nothing and sat down on the porch. After hesitating for a moment, Same also sat down a little distance away.

As expected, the rain showed no sign of letting up.

The pouring rain beat fiercely against the jangdokdae (traditional clay pot stand) in the garden, making a loud clanging sound.

It was a low voice that finally broke the silence that had gone on for a while.

“Han Same.”

It was strange.

Was it because they were isolated in the rain?

Just the sound of her name made her nerves tense up. Same swallowed dryly and slowly turned her gaze.

The first thing she saw was his upper body, his wet shirt sticking to him with a stubborn grip.

The movement of him sweeping his hair back made his solid silhouette even more pronounced. With every small motion, the sharply defined ridges of his muscles rose and fell fiercely. The glimpses of bare skin made her gaze wander aimlessly.

The back of her neck, which had been cool until just moments ago, suddenly grew hot. Then, she accidentally met his eyes and had no choice but to quickly look away. A short, soft laugh scattered in the air.

Feeling like she was being made fun of, Same frowned and was about to snap her head back around.

That was when the man, who had stood up from the porch, folded his large frame down in front of her.

Same noticed his bent knees a beat too late and flinched.

“What are you doing?”

Even when she pushed his shoulder, the man didn’t budge.

Cha Tae-mok picked up one of her feet resting on the stepping stone and held it firmly. Guessing why, Same hurriedly tried to pull her leg back, but it was useless. The handkerchief was already approaching.

Then, as he carefully brushed away the mud, her throat suddenly tightened.

“You…”

His own sleek dress shoes were in a far worse state than hers.

“You, right now…”

Her throat ached. It felt as if the feelings that had been pooled in a corner of her heart were overflowing and beginning to boil.

It hurt so much.

Because he overlapped with that kid who used to brush the dirt off her shoes so nonchalantly. The tears flooding up inside her wouldn’t go down easily.

“…Cha Tae-mok.”

With each wipe of his hand, clumps of dirty mud fell to the floor. He acted as if none of it mattered. For someone who had probably never once gotten dirt on his hands in his entire life.

That kid was like that. He could never just ignore the dirt on her sneakers.

Before she knew it, the mud was being wiped off her other sneaker too. Watching the residue fall, thud, thud, Same had to clench her teeth hard. Because in the end, the tears clinging to her eyelashes spilled over.

Soon, a pair of dark eyes lifted into the air.

“Then and now, Same-ah. You’re the only one who can see the top of my head.”

Casually tossing the handkerchief aside, Cha Tae-mok bent his knees and planted his arms on either side of her.

“……!”

But more than the fact that she was trapped by him, the fact that their eyes were now level frightened her more. So did the breath that burned hotly against her face.

“It probably pisses you off, but that’s the truth.”

Amused by something, Cha Tae-mok smiled lazily and lowered his gaze.

“So I figured, what other choice do I have?”

Her lips, pierced by his low, scorching gaze, felt like they were about to burn. Just as she was painfully moistening her parched mouth, a large hand gently gripped the back of her neck.

His body heat traveled down her spine and eventually occupied her heart. Her pulse, barely under control, pounded wildly—thump, thump.

Her reason grew hazy, and her eyelids kept closing.

But his jet-black pupils caught even that. Pressing against her firmly, as if to fix her in place, she couldn’t look away. She couldn’t tell whether the thing bursting out of her was breath or a sob.

The moment the back of her head was pulled roughly forward, she even lost her gasping breath.

The thick smell of rain and a not-unfamiliar scent intertwined and seeped into her nose. Brushing lightly past her nose, his head slowly tilted as well. First, the sharp tip of his nose pressed deeply into her cheek.

Their lips met.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Same dug her fingernails into the floorboards. Then, pushed by the force, her body gradually leaned back. Moreover, the flesh clinging wetly to hers was so hot it felt like it might melt.

This was a disaster worse than the flooding. Because something she had been suppressing had finally pried open a corner.

Just a simple kiss.

Just this shallow contact.

It tore apart her heart, which she had locked with a bolt.

Of all places, because it was here.

Because this was the very place where she had first pressed her lips to that kid’s.

The night breeze that carried the scent of his shampoo, the sound of his heartbeat layered over the chirping of insects, the unfamiliar, soft sensation of their lips crushing together, the hand that had tightly intertwined its ten fingers with hers on the wooden porch. Those still vivid memories tormented her mind.

Soon, a rough breath crossed into her mouth. It was right after that when he muttered a curse and pulled back.

With their foreheads still touching, hesitation lingered in Cha Tae-mok’s eyes.

Are you feeling the same way?

The more force he applied with the hand gripping her cheek, the more tightly their foreheads pressed together. At the same time, she felt as if her twenty-eight years of age were shattering into pieces.

After looking back and forth between her eyes, he swallowed a bitter laugh.

The heavy shadow that fell over his face looked for a moment like defeat.

“This is why I…”

Can’t help it. Along with his low voice, his tongue pushed back in, and it was instantaneous.

“……!”

Crushing the tender flesh inside without mercy, he immediately snatched her tongue and ground against it. His tongue, not caring even about the mismatched rhythm, scraped against the deep inner walls.

Pushed back by the forceful onslaught, Same kept having to brace herself with her palms behind her back. Then Cha Tae-mok lifted her face with both hands and tilted his head to the other side.

Their crossed tongues played within a fierce suction. Between their continuously interlocking and parting lips, saliva grew abundant.

He was truly relentless.

Not caring even about the transparent strands stretching between them, he pushed his pointed tongue deeper, licking as if to grab hold of her uvula.

Their saliva mixed haphazardly, beading beneath her chin. The precarious sensation of it almost, but not quite, falling, kept jolting her awake.

“……!”

Opening her eyes too late, Same pushed against Tae-mok’s shoulder.

“…Ugh! Cha Tae…mok…!”

But he immediately caught her released tongue and bit it again, seemingly out of his mind. Even when she struck his shoulder, he merely gently gripped the back of her neck and blew out even hotter breath.

“Cha Tae-mok…!”

Why? Even as she answered, Cha Tae-mok didn’t budge.

Instead, he sucked on every corner of her gums, forcing her mouth open wider, and breathed out a soft sigh. The hand stroking the back of her head showed no intention of backing down.

In the end, the man shoved his tongue in once more and swallowed all the saliva pooled inside.

Moment by moment, their eyes met.

His darkly sunken eyes seemed to deny that this kiss was simply driven by lust.

As if it wasn’t something he was swept up in the moment.

As if it originated from a deeper, riper feeling.

Crushed by that heavy conclusion, Same shoved the man away with all her strength.

This time, he withdrew obediently.

“Hah… hah… hah.”

Gasping for breath, Same wiped her slick, wet lips. Quickly stepping onto the stepping stone, she grabbed her backpack that was sprawled on the porch.

“You dropped it. The orange juice.”

Thanks to that, she was briefly at eye level with him, standing below the stone step.

Same clutched her backpack straps even tighter.

“Don’t leave things like that lying around anymore.”

Glaring at the man, Same stepped down from the stone and left the shelter of the eaves.

She willingly stepped into the rain.

She even deliberately stepped in the mud.

So that the shoes he had cleaned for her would become a complete mess.