RSL Ch 52

“Great job, everyone.”

“Yes, you too, Captain. Would you like to go out and have lunch?”

“Oh, sorry, I have an appointment.”

“Okay. Next time, then.”

After the A350’s security check at Gimpo Airport, I was about to leave the cockpit when Co-pilot Jeon Seong-wook offered me lunch. Normally, I would have been happy to accept, but today, unfortunately, I couldn’t. We landed 10 minutes later than expected. I returned the logbook and headed to the parking lot without changing my uniform. I hurriedly started the car and drove out of Gimpo Airport.

[Have you arrived? I’m on my way to Incheon, can you wait?]

During a brief stop at a red light, I quickly sent him a message. The Frankfurt flight I checked before departure had arrived on time without delay. Shortly after, Han Jae-yi replied.

[I already got on the bus.]

Damn. I regretted not messaging him earlier. I immediately called him.

“When did you get on?”

-About ten minutes ago. I just got on because I hadn’t heard from you, but I guess I should have waited.

“You’re heading straight to Gimpo, right?”

-Yeah, I guess so.

I had memorized the route because it was a bus I had taken many times myself. I could see where I would be if I had left ten minutes ago. In an instant, a map of the highway and the city of Seoul appeared in my mind, and I calculated the exact intersection of his bus route and the direction I needed to go. I immediately changed lanes and made a U-turn.

Before I knew it, I realized I was driving like a madman, even more recklessly than a taxi driver. I checked my watch as I changed lanes for the umpteenth time. Luckily, it’s a weekday, so I don’t get stuck in traffic. I immediately thought about why I was doing this. I had all sorts of excuses, but to be honest, I just wanted to see him sooner, even if it was just for a minute.

My calculated guess was spot on. Up ahead, I spotted the large airport bus stopped at a red light. I hoped he was sitting on the right side. As soon as the light turned green, I pulled into the adjacent lane and slowly scanned the passengers from the back.

It didn’t take long to spot his familiar silhouette. He was looking down, seemingly reading something, not paying attention to the outside. I called him and told him to look to his side.

His head swiveled to the left and right with his phone to his ear, until he spotted me following him in the next lane and burst out laughing.

-You’re pretty cool, Woo Seo-jin.

Han Jae-yi rested his chin on his hand, gazing at me. I hoped this wild gesture would make a good impression on him. Since I was driving, I couldn’t keep my eyes on him for long. We exchanged glances now and then, and even that small interaction made me incredibly happy.

-How did you catch up?

“Just talent.”

I was looking ahead, but I could feel his gaze. I adjusted my speed to keep his gaze, but I was already getting honked at by the car behind me. A few bus passengers noticed the clackety-clack sound and began to glance over. They seemed to find it amusing and wanted to know who was chasing me. My time seemed to be up. I stomped on the accelerator and sped away.

The call was still connected, so I could hear the announcement of the first stop over the car’s speakers. I heard the name of the stop and tried to remember where it was.

-I’ll get off here.

With those last words, Han Jae-yi hung up the phone.

I slowed down to find a place to stop near the subway station. It was a busy street, so there was nowhere to go. I pulled into the parking lot of a bank building, a long way from the stop, and got out. I could see an airport bus dropping off passengers in front of me.

He was the last to step off, putting on sunglasses and looking around with one hand in his pocket. Unable to call out to him, I walked quickly. Or rather, ran. Sweat soon dripped down my face. He spotted me and the corner of his mouth lifted. He stood there, arms crossed, watching me approach.

“Why did you run in this heat?”

Han Jae-yi’s appearance was, to say the least, laid-back enough to make me wonder if he had flown eleven hours. His shirt, slacks, and even his hair were neatly styled. It made me wonder if he had been hiding somewhere in Seoul all along. I can’t deny that I’m just expressing how perfect he looked to me.

He reached out and straightened the crooked wings on my uniform. He also wiped my name tag clean and patted my chest as if to say, “There, all set.” Though it wasn’t anything extraordinary, I stood there, unable to say a word, while people passing by stopped and stared.

The 3 p.m. subway station was crowded, even on a weekday. Han Jae-yi stepped back as more stares began to fall on him than he could ignore. He put his hands back in his pockets and smiled bitterly. I couldn’t even give him a greeting hug. As much as our emotions took a step forward, outwardly we had to take another step back.

“If I’m going to live here, it’s going to be uncomfortable.”

“It’s the uniform. I get stares just standing there.”

“I know, I know. I have that fantasy about you, too.”

I knew what it meant. I felt my face heat up as a troubling image raced through my head. He continued to smile, and with his eyes hidden behind sunglasses, I couldn’t see his expression. Another airport bus pulled up to the stop. The doors opened noisily and people got off. Some even made their way across the aisle between us.

Let’s go home. He said as we walked toward my parked car. As we walked side by side, casual conversation ensued. I asked him how his flight was, and he laughed and asked me how yours was. For me, it was work, just long and boring, I replied, and he nodded in agreement. So did I. It was longer and more boring than ever.

He continued, “I was anxious throughout the flight, worried I might be overreacting. But all that disappeared when I saw your face. Watching you chase the bus, and then run to me, I wanted to pat myself on the back.”

“Thanks, for the warm welcome.”

* * *

When I sleep, I habitually create a space completely cut off from the outside world. My job requires my body clock to function regardless of whether the sun is up or down, so night might be the only time I can sleep, and day the time to be awake.

Usually, I wake up to an alarm, the vibration of my phone, or at the end of a nightmare, but today was different. I woke up to the feeling of someone moving, breathing, and the touch of skin against mine.

This is home, and Han Jae-yi arrived in Korea yesterday.

He was hugging me from behind, burying his face in my hair. I could feel his chest rising and falling against my back. We couldn’t have slept like this all night. He must have woken up once or twice and embraced me again as he drifted back to sleep. I slowly turned over, relieved when his arms loosened, and looked at his sleeping face, partially buried in the pillow.

Alain had once asked, “What’s so great about him?” suggesting we exclude physical appearance, but I think it should count. Not that I wanted to praise his looks, but I didn’t want to make it sound like that was the only reason I liked him. 

I traced a finger over his well-groomed eyebrows. I particularly liked his eyebrows and eyes. I had always wanted to touch them since I was young. I trailed my finger down from the brow bone, over his cheekbones, and down to his clean-shaven chin. At that moment, he opened his eyes.

“Hey…”

His eyes were still half-closed, but Han Jae-yi smiled faintly as soon as he saw me. I wished him good morning. But I didn’t withdraw my hand from his face. I touched his upturned nose, and I touched his lips. Han Jae-yi remained motionless like a doll with his eyes open. He must have liked the affection.

“Coffee?”

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

I knew he was looking for coffee first thing in the morning, so I raised my upper body and stepped under the bed. It took me a moment to realize I wasn’t wearing anything. The room was strewn with discarded clothes and hardened wads of tissues. I quickly got up, grabbed a pair of pants from the closet, and put them on.

Ignoring Han Jae-yi’s gaze from behind, I went to the living room and turned on the coffee machine. The noisy grinding of beans began.

So, we ended up having s3x again yesterday.

We dropped all pretense of sophistication and dignity from the airport bus stop up to my house, and we both sought each other’s lips from the moment the front door closed, crashing and tangling. I had no intention of stopping at just kissing, so I pushed him toward the bedroom, planning to take the lead. But he quickly took control, pinning me down and taking the dominant position, almost mocking my attempt to take charge. Then…

“Don’t take it off.”

He stopped me from taking off my uniform.

He kissed me passionately through the loosened tie and the partially opened uniform, leaving red marks. Even as the buckle came undone and I climaxed, he insisted that I keep my top on. It seemed to excite him.

“Do you like this?”

“What.”

“This… doing it with clothes on.”

What was his answer to my question again? He said it felt thrilling, like touching someone untouchable. I chuckled as I grabbed a mug and poured the freshly brewed coffee.

We had sex nonstop from the afternoon into the night. It was a long seven hours, and by the end, I was embarrassed that I couldn’t keep up. I didn’t know that Han Jae-yi had such good stamina. Especially for someone who had just flown in on an 11-hour flight…

Toward the end, I had to convince him to stop because it looked like he was really going to pull an all-nighter. I was lying there, feeling dizzy from exhaustion, which showed how much I had pushed myself. That was how we ended up falling asleep, and now I was awake.

I snapped out of my thoughts and took the coffee-filled mug. Considering his preference for a lighter brew, I added some hot water. As I re-entered the room, I picked up the scattered clothes.

Han Jae-yi accepted the coffee and asked where mine was. When I said I was cutting back on caffeine, he incredulously nudged me lightly as I sat next to him. Then, he stroked my waist and suggestively ran his hand down my chest. Feeling that touch, only one thought flashed through my mind: No way. I couldn’t do it anymore.

To deter him, I brought the hot mug close to his cheek. He frowned but finally sat up properly.

“I feel dazed. Must be jet lag.”

I suspected it wasn’t jet lag but kept quiet.

“Get some more sleep, then.”

“It’s our first day living together; I don’t want to waste it by just sleeping.”

“So, what do you want to do? I’ve got another flight tomorrow.”

“Well, first, I want to do something incredibly…”

He paused, taking a sip of coffee, and then continued with a dramatic tone, as if making a grand announcement.

“…romantic.”

I laughed and pointed to the window. Seoul was drenched in rain, as if trying to cool off from yesterday’s heat. We leaned back on the bed, listening to the sound of the pouring rain. So, what should we do? The answer was simple. As always, we’d each write down our ideas and pick one. This time, we actually had a dartboard at home.

“It’s raining, so don’t go outdoors.”

I feared he might suggest another trip. We each grabbed five pieces of paper to write down our suggestions, and I added one more rule, just in case.

“And don’t even write sex.”

Han Jae-yi, who looked very disappointed by my words, flipped through the paper he had written. I frowned at his list, which was filled with sexual and erotic acts: bathing together and doing X, cooking in the kitchen and doing X, driving and doing X… 

“I didn’t know you were this frustrated.”

“Let’s say it’s a newfound desire.”

I showed him my list, and one of my suggestions seemed to catch his interest. However, he had a condition.

“Alright, let’s go see a movie. But I’ll buy the tickets.”

I left him to his insistence on buying the tickets and headed for the shower. And for his newfound frustrations, I made sure to lock the door behind me. As I thought before, it was nice to have a house with two bathrooms.