Chapter 26

Was rain in the forecast tonight?

As the first heavy drops spattered across the windshield—pitter, patter—Si-woon tried to recall the weather report he had checked before leaving home. I’m sure the precipitation probability was low. Still, midsummer weather was notoriously fickle, and a sudden localized squall was hardly unheard of.

“…This is getting bad,” he murmured under his breath.

Within minutes, the scattered drops had thickened into a blinding sheet of water that hammered against the roof and all but erased the highway ahead. Along this unlit two-lane stretch of road, the headlights barely pierced the curtain of rain, and the painted lane dividers vanished beneath standing water. Feeling the tension knot across his shoulders, Si-woon signaled carefully, eased into the right lane, and let his speed drop to a crawl.

“…”

Once the speedometer needle settled lower, he could finally make out the curve of the asphalt again and released a slow breath. In the passenger seat beside him, Je-hee’s breathing remained deep and undisturbed; thankfully, he had slept straight through the worst of the cloudburst.

Resigning from his office job and moving in with Je-hee hadn’t changed this particular habit of theirs: whenever Je-hee had a late out-of-town dinner, Si-woon still came out to drive him home. At first, Je-hee had protested vehemently, insisting that Si-woon had spent enough nights of his life behind a steering wheel. Si-woon, however, had refused to budge. Unlike the old days when a late call meant dragging himself from one grueling shift straight into another, coming out to pick up Je-hee felt like an evening drive—and after spending his days relaxing around the apartment, he genuinely enjoyed having a way to look after his partner. Even if they got back late, he could sleep in as long as he liked the next morning.

I really should start looking for a new job soon, though. Stealing a brief glance at Je-hee’s sleeping profile, Si-woon felt a familiar twinge of conscience. His remaining savings were more than enough to cover his share of expenses for now, and Je-hee never missed a chance to tell him not to rush back to work. Perhaps that was the real issue: after working nonstop since his teens, waking up when the sun was high, taking afternoon walks, and never once having to break a promise to Do-gyeom still felt almost too good to be allowed.

Originally, he had planned to start sending out résumés once spring ended, only for Je-hee to campaign earnestly for an extension—arguing that three months was nowhere near enough to recover from eleven years of overwork, and that job-hunting in the sweltering middle of summer was miserable anyway, so why not wait until autumn cooled the air? Remembering the radiant grin that had broken across Je-hee’s face the moment Si-woon relented made a quiet smile tug at Si-woon’s mouth even now.

More than anything, Je-hee seemed to dread the prospect of Si-woon taking a job that required overtime—and the reason he loved having Si-woon well-rested at home every evening was… well. Heat crept up the backs of Si-woon’s ears. Even after months under the same roof, Je-hee never seemed to tire of touching him, and what embarrassed Si-woon even more was how rarely he wanted to say no.

“…!”

A massive freight truck thundered past in the left lane, flinging a solid wall of spray across the windshield that made the entire sedan shudder. Jolting out of his thoughts, Si-woon tightened both hands on the wheel. Eyes on the road. Je-hee was sleeping peacefully beside him because he trusted Si-woon’s driving implicitly; letting his mind wander in a downpour like this was inexcusable.

“Mmm…” Fabric rustled in the passenger seat as the buffet of wind from the passing truck roused Je-hee from sleep.

“Did that wake you?” Si-woon asked, keeping his gaze fixed on the blurred taillights far ahead.

“Yeah… It’s really pouring out there.” Rubbing his eyes half-asleep, Je-hee peered through the streaming glass. Ever since they cleared the last mountain tunnel, the sky had looked as though a reservoir had burst directly overhead. “Si-woon-ssi.”

“Yes?”

Drumming his fingers lightly against the door armrest—tap, tap—Je-hee frowned at the road. “I think we should pull off somewhere until the worst of this passes.”

“That would definitely be safer.” Si-woon agreed at once; creeping along with his hazard lights flashing when he could barely see ten meters ahead was asking for trouble. “According to the navigation screen, though, the next highway rest area is still thirty kilometers away, and stopping on the shoulder in zero visibility is too dangerous.”

Leaning toward the dashboard display, Je-hee tapped an upcoming interchange icon. “What if we take this exit onto the local road and find a parking lot?”

Following the ramp off the expressway a few minutes later, Si-woon guided the car along a deserted provincial road until the illuminated sign of a municipal sports complex appeared through the rain. Aside from two dark tour buses parked at the far end of the grounds, the sprawling outdoor lot was completely empty. Pulling into a quiet corner spot away from the street, Si-woon shifted into park and slumped back against the headrest with a long sigh.

“First that freak blizzard in the winter, and now a summer monsoon,” Je-hee remarked dryly as rain drummed a deafening tattoo against the roof.

“We really do have terrible luck with weather on the road.” Si-woon was just about to suggest they look for an inn nearby rather than sit in a cramped car all night when Je-hee turned toward him with a solemn expression.

“Si-woon-ah.”

“…?”

“I’m bored.”

“Oh, then should we—”

“So… couldn’t you give me a kiss to pass the time?”

“Pardon?” Having braced himself for a practical discussion about finding lodging, Si-woon blinked at him. A kiss? Since that was the easiest request in the world to grant, he leaned across the center console and pressed a quick, obedient peck to Je-hee’s lips. “…There. Less bored now?”

Their mouths had touched for barely half a second. Running the tip of his tongue slowly across his lower lip, Je-hee looked at him with an expression of profound dissatisfaction that Si-woon recognized all too well. That wasn’t enough for him? Of course it wasn’t.

Before Si-woon could decide whether to laugh or lean back, Je-hee reached across the console, slipped both arms around his shoulders, and drew him into a real kiss. “No, not even close.”

“Hnngh, ah—”

As Je-hee’s warm palm stroked the sensitive skin at the nape of his neck and his tongue coaxed Si-woon’s lips apart in a slow, lingering sweep, a shiver ran straight down Si-woon’s spine. Wait—we’re still parked in a public lot… Opening his eyes a crack to glance nervously toward the rain-lashed windows, Si-woon saw nothing but sheets of water cascading down the glass. Even if the complex was deserted at this hour, what if a security guard happened to walk past?

“Mm… focus on me, Si-woon-ah,” Je-hee murmured, brushing the tip of his nose affectionately against Si-woon’s with half-shut eyes.

Sly man. Si-woon knew he was helpless against that look. Telling himself that nobody could possibly see through a downpour this thick in the dead of night, he closed his eyes and leaned back in, parting his lips to welcome the slick, insistent slide of Je-hee’s tongue.

“Mmgh, nnh, hah… ah, that… ngh, feels so good.”

Within moments, the steady roar of the storm on the roof faded behind the wet sounds of their mouths and the ragged hitch of their breathing in the enclosed cabin. Trying to match Je-hee’s intensity, Si-woon angled his head deeper—only to flinch as Je-hee’s free hand slipped up beneath the hem of his thin summer shirt while a fingertip brushed lightly behind his ear.

“Ah—! You keep… hic, touching… ngh, right there.”

“Hmm? Touching where?”

“…My chest.”

“I’m not brushing against it by accident—I’m touching it on purpose.” Pressing his thumb more firmly over the stiffening bud through the damp fabric, Je-hee smiled against his jaw as Si-woon’s breath caught on a high gasp. Then, reaching down to the lever at the side of his seat, Je-hee reclined the backrest all the way down and looked up at him with bright, unrepentant eyes. “I should probably make a confession, actually. I’ve wanted to try doing it with you in the car at least once.”

Staring down at him as the passenger seat leveled out, Si-woon felt his ears burn. “Wh-why bring that up out of nowhere—”

“It’s a little cramped up front with the steering wheel, though. Shall we climb into the back seat?”

How could one man propose having sex in a parked car in the exact same tone of voice he used to suggest ordering dumplings? Worse than Je-hee’s shamelessness, however, was the fact that Si-woon’s own pulse had just leaped in anticipation. Living with Kwon Je-hee was clearly corrupting his common sense.

“I won’t ask to go for hours—just until the storm lets up,” Je-hee coaxed gently, gesturing toward the opaque, rain-blurred windows. “Look at the glass, Si-woon-ah. No one outside could see a thing even if they stood two feet away, and with the rain pounding this loud on the roof, nobody could hear us, either.”

Looking at the solid curtain of water sealing them off from the world, Si-woon swallowed his last hesitation and pressed a hand lightly against Je-hee’s chest. “…Let’s move to the back seat, then.” If they were really going to do this, trying to contort themselves over the center console was out of the question.

Once they scrambled into the rear seat, they came back together almost instantly, mouths tangling in the warm, humid dimness until Si-woon lost track of who had reached for whom first. Wrapping his arms around Je-hee’s neck as he breathed in the clean, familiar scent of his skin, Si-woon chased Je-hee’s lips when he drew back an inch for air. “I want more…”

“Hnnh… ah.”

Impatience overriding his usual shyness, Si-woon fumbled Je-hee’s belt buckle open and slipped a hand inside his trousers, his palm already slick with the pre-cum beading at the tip as he stroked the heavy shaft. “I can… ngh, touch you like this too, right?”

“Haah, ah—! Si-woon-ah, hngh, hold on just a second.”

With the engine and air conditioning off, their mingled body heat quickly fogged every window in the sedan until beads of condensation trickled down the inside of the glass. Catching Si-woon’s moving wrist before he lost control in his hand, Je-hee reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket discarded on the seat and drew out two foil packets.