“What’s the rain got to do with it?”
Liu said indifferently as he opened the main gate and walked out. The driver, who was loading the luggage of the others who had arrived first, quickly came over and took Liu’s Boston bag.
The artworks and pieces for the art fair had already been sent ahead as cargo, so everyone just needed to pack their personal belongings. They were all dressed comfortably. Because of that, they looked more like a group of friends going on a trip than people on a business trip.
“There’s a squall in the forecast. If it starts pouring, the traffic will be bad.”
Yuni replied curtly, exchanged goodbyes with Yeehyeon, and got into the van first.
The driver was still loading the luggage. There was enough time for one more farewell.
Liu held Yeehyeon’s hand with one of his and caressed his cheek with the other.
“If anything happens, contact the neighbors right away.”
“What could possibly happen?”
“This is your first time staying here alone. When you’re alone, even small things can be flustering.”
“Iiiif anything happens, I won’t be foolish about it and will call the neighbors right away.”
“And me.”
“Yes, and I’ll call you too, Kun.”
“If you don’t tell me because you think I’ll worry….”
“I know. That would just make you worry more, right?”
A series of perfect answers. Liu had to admit there was nothing for him to worry about. He relaxed, smiled, and opened his arms toward Yeehyeon.
“Come here. Let’s have one last hug.”
Wrapping his arms around the waist of Yeehyeon, who had walked closer, Liu leaned his back against the passenger door of the van with a soft thud. Pleasantly feeling Yeehyeon’s body heat against his lower abdomen, he kissed his brow and the bridge of his nose, then moved lower for a short kiss on his upper lip.
Zzzing.
The window of the second row rolled down, and Yuni’s bitter-looking face appeared. Resting her arm on the windowsill, she tapped the body of the van with her palm and said.
“Excuse me, newlyweds. Let’s keep it reasonable.”
Yeehyeon tried to push against Liu’s chest to break free from his embrace, but the attempt failed.
Liu rubbed his nose against Yeehyeon’s and spoke to Yuni without looking at her.
“He’s still loading the luggage.”
“If you’re talking about our driver, he’s already finished loading and is sitting in the driver’s seat.”
“……”
Only then did Liu glance inside the vehicle. Just as Yuni said, the van was ready for departure.
Scowling deeply despite the lack of sunlight, Liu spoke to Yeehyeon in a voice tinged with bitterness.
“I have to go.”
“Okay, have a safe trip.”
After getting into the passenger seat, Liu rolled down the window and waved. Stepping back to make it easier for the van to move, Yeehyeon waved back. Then he slowly followed the van as it backed out of the open lot.
The van merged onto the road and immediately drove straight without delay. It stopped at a red light at the first intersection, about 30 meters away. Standing in front of the gallery, Yeehyeon stared at the rear of the van with his hands tucked into the back pockets of his jeans.
Suddenly, a long arm shot out of the passenger window and waved. It was Liu. Yeehyeon chuckled and shook his head.
Soon the light changed, and the van disappeared from view. Yeehyeon rubbed the back of his neck and slowly turned around.
In the several months since their wedding, they had never spent a single day apart. There was no way Yeehyeon felt nothing about this separation either. But thanks to Liu first exaggerating his own feelings of disappointment and sadness, Yeehyeon’s emotions were kept from overflowing. Thanks to Liu’s direct complaints about not wanting to go, the feeling actually became lighter, making him laugh instead. Just as it had always been.
He had gone through countless farewells sending Liu, who had come to Paris, back to Seoul. Now, they had rings on their left ring fingers and were legal spouses. He was confident he wouldn’t be weakened by being apart for about five nights and six days.
『Whether it’s mentally or physically, when things are tough, it’s best to try and maintain your usual routine as much as possible.』
It was Liu’s advice, which he had repeated to himself like a mantra and followed whenever he felt like he was about to collapse, ever since his Paris days. He wouldn’t think too deeply about other things. He would just quietly do what he could for the day. In this house where he had started his married life with him, all he had to do was firmly hold his ground, as always.
After going inside the gate and making sure the door was secure, Yeehyeon headed straight for the atelier.
He prepared for his work according to his usual routine. The day’s work always began with him sitting at the window-side table, warming up his hands with a drawing. It was Yeehyeon’s own method for reviving and continuing the emotions and immersion of the previous day’s work.
As he drew the empty chair placed opposite him, Yeehyeon would occasionally bite his lower lip hard or flick his wrist. He also tried shifting his posture in the chair.
It was a sign that something wasn’t going as he intended.
Feeling strangely stuffy, he checked the air conditioner’s temperature setting. It was the same temperature as always.
Of course, days like this were bound to happen. His work couldn’t possibly go smoothly every day. Still, if he patiently continued drawing for an hour or two, a moment would come when his feel for it would return. He had intended to quietly move his hand, waiting for that moment.
But it seemed it wouldn’t be easy today. In an instant, he felt the energy drain from the core of his body, a chill running down his spine. Sweat beaded on his temples. This was unusual.
It seemed it wasn’t just a day when his work wasn’t going well, but that he was physically unwell.
Yeehyeon put down his pencil.
He had reassured him not to worry, and now, no sooner had he left than he was in this state.
Normally, he would have ignored a sign like this. He would have taken some medicine and forced himself to work. But his promise to Liu not to overdo it and not to make him worry weighed on his mind. Whether Liu knew or not, he didn’t want to do anything that would make him worry and feel sad.
Pat, patter.
The sound of large raindrops falling one by one soon turned into a squall that blurred the world outside the window with a whoosh. It was instantaneous.
Yeehyeon closed his sketchbook. He took the umbrella that was always kept ready in the atelier and returned to the main house.
The house, now that Liu was gone, was silent. Originally, Yeehyeon had also been scheduled to accompany him to Hong Kong, so the housekeeper had been given a vacation to coincide with that time. For five nights and six days, Yeehyeon was completely alone.
He took a single dose of a combination cold medicine in the kitchen and went straight to the bedroom. He thought he would be fine after a good long nap. By the time Liu arrived in Hong Kong, he would have recovered and be able to answer the phone with a perfectly normal voice.
He headed to the dressing room to change into his pajamas. He took off his T-shirt, tossed it into the laundry basket, and turned to find his pajamas.
In that moment, a certain scent suddenly made Yeehyeon stop.
Forgetting for a moment that he was unwell, Yeehyeon approached the source of the scent. As if drawn by something unseen.
The dressing room was the place where he and Liu had their first heat together. Because it wasn’t the bed where they always had relations, the experience here was stored as a more intense memory.
While he craved sex with him, that ceaseless craving was so painful that Yeehyeon had fled to this place. But it was no use.
“Are you Hansel and Gretel?”
Liu had said, pushing aside the shirts on the hanger, tilting his head as he squatted down.
Yeehyeon clenched and unclenched his fists, feeling a tingling in his hands.
Liu’s shirts were hung densely on both the top and bottom racks of the hanger. Now, five of them were gone. Because he had taken them with him.
He fiddled with a clean white shirt, then grabbed the sleeve and brought it to his nose. It was an unconscious act.
It was then.
Gush.
A large amount of slick gushed from between his legs. As if it were literally being poured out.
Outside the window, the squall danced like a wave.
■ ■ ■
The waiting area near a gate at Ngurah Rai Airport.
Standing by the window, Liu stared at the ramp where the plane was waiting and the runway beyond it, his hands thrust into his pants pockets. A light drizzle, its force now much weaker, was falling on the glistening wet ground.
Not long after they left the house, the squall had begun to pour down, and just as Yuni had predicted, the traffic had become severe as they descended from Ubud and got closer to downtown. But since they had left with plenty of time to spare, they were able to arrive at the airport without any trouble.
He had worried the flight might be delayed, but fortunately, the rain had subsided in Denpasar, where the airport was located, whatever the situation was in other areas. There was no delay.
After taking a short break in the lounge, Liu’s group had just moved toward the gate in time for boarding.
The staff, excited about the overseas business trip, were chattering happily in the seats behind him. The conversation was mostly about famous restaurants or good pubs and clubs in Hong Kong. Talk about the major galleries participating in this fair was occasionally mixed in. Other than Yuni, it seemed everyone, including Michelle, was visiting Hong Kong for the first time, so their expectations were high. Half-listening to their stories, Liu smiled faintly.
The memory of visiting Hong Kong with Yeehyeon had come to mind.
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