Chapter 64
Chapter 64
Crash, bang—!
Thunder and lightning struck again, and Jae-gyu quickly covered Bom with the box. Then he held Bom close in a princess carry.
“Bom, could you just hold Bom-sik tight?”
“Yes, I understand.”
This position wasn't unsettling. Thanks to the size difference with Jae-gyu, she was securely enveloped in his arms, feeling stable. But given the weather, Bom was gripped by anxiety.
‘Will we be okay...?’
The sound of the front door opening, then closing, followed by the tumultuous rain, echoed one after another.
Raindrops, sharp enough to sting, poured onto her calves, which weren't covered by the box. She felt them descending the stairs, and Bom-sik remained quiet.
Soon, the car door opened, and the box was removed.
“Hoo, it’s really coming down. Let’s get in now.”
As Bom got in, the passenger door closed, and Jae-gyu quickly circled around to the driver's seat. The car immediately reversed, swiftly exited the alley, and crossed the Stone Bridge.
There was no time to catch their breath. Bom wiped her calves with the microfiber towel Jae-gyu handed her, and her eyes widened as she looked outside.
“The Stone Bridge is submerged.”
The swollen water had turned ochre and was surging.
She truly grasped how dangerous the situation was. Jae-gyu gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands, driving while constantly scanning the road ahead through the pouring rain.
It was the first time she'd seen him so tense, so Bom also found herself scanning the road ahead.
“Bom. You know there’s a mountain behind your house, right?”
Jae-gyu spoke when they had exited Cheongseol-eup and entered the main road.
“They say that place collapses whenever a typhoon this big hits. I heard it from Gu Philip on my way here. You saw how the Stone Bridge swelled. That place floods regularly too.”
“What? Is that why the siren went off?”
“That’s probably an evacuation siren, a signal to gather at the village hall. It’ll be packed with people right now.”
In that case, going to Jae-gyu's house felt more reassuring than the village hall. The car's windshield was so full of pouring rain that the wipers' movements seemed meaningless.
The radio Jae-gyu had on was continuously broadcasting typhoon updates.
It was reported as the strongest typhoon in history; though it had veered towards Japan, keeping Seoul's rain at a moderate level, the Yeongnam region was suffering severe damage. And with tonight being the peak, tension mounted.
“Don’t worry too much.”
“...This is the first typhoon this strong I’ve ever experienced.”
“When your mind’s in a whirl, this is the best...”
Jae-gyu said subtly, glancing at the ‘Dream Cacao 97%’ in the cup holder.
“Want to try one? Just one.”
“...Okay.”
What is this taste? Bom was seized by a shock that numbed her tongue. To think he gifted her this. He even bought her six, and then brought her six more, making it twelve boxes in total.
“...”
Bom's face crumpled as she rolled the bitter chocolate ball in her mouth. Jae-gyu chuckled, stealing glances at her.
“Bom-Bom, that’ll wake you right up, won’t it?”
“Ha, I’m really, truly sorry. I thought it would be slightly less sweet and a bit bitter, but this is seriously intense.”
“I can’t drive without that now.”
She’d only eaten one, but just as Jae-gyu said, it jolted her awake.
The car cut through the water-filled roads and arrived at Jae-gyu's house in Shinsu-eup. Her anxious heart had largely settled, and Bom-sik, too, was no longer trembling, but whining that he was hungry.
“Oh, there’s a car I haven’t seen before?”
In the private garage, large enough to park four big cars, there was a van and a compact car in addition to Jae-gyu's pickup truck.
“Ah, looks like they’re already here. It’s completely flooded here too, so I told people from low-lying areas to evacuate here.”
“Through that village group chat?”
“Yeah. It’ll be a bit crowded, so let’s go upstairs. Or my room.”
Hearing that even the neighbors had gathered made the emergency situation feel real all over again. Bom followed Jae-gyu inside for now.
The garage was connected to the back door of the kitchen, which was convenient as they didn't have to get wet.
“Oh my, the homeowner’s here!”
Entering the house, it was noisy. Stepping into the connected living room, she saw quite a few people seated.
Just as Jae-gyu had said about having the best windows installed, the living room windows were sturdy, and the sound of the storm outside was inaudible, making it seem safe. The roughly fifteen or more people seemed to be of various age groups. One of them greeted Bom warmly.
“Teacher Bom!”
“Oh, Vice Principal?”
Vice Principal Seok Gwan-su was standing with his hands clasped behind his back in front of the living room bookshelf. Jae-gyu explained to Bom, who was bewildered as to why the Vice Principal was here alone.
“His wife and son went to America, so he moved into a monthly rental room downstairs. His house flooded right after he moved in, so it’s a tough situation.”
Ah, I see. She vaguely remembered hearing that he had become a ‘wild goose father’. As Bom approached, the Vice Principal’s eyes widened, and his lips twitched.
“Teacher Bom, did you get a dog?”
“Ah, yes... Not long ago.”
The Vice Principal’s rough hand was firmly bitten by Bom-sik, who had started teething. Even though the Vice Principal looked quite pained, he asked with a wide smile.
“What’s the dog’s name?”
“Bom-sik.”
“Oh my, Bom-sik-ssi! Did the typhoon scare you?”
“...?”
She hadn’t known the Vice Principal liked dogs this much. As Bom stood there, bewildered, the Vice Principal moistened his lips with his tongue and extended a hand.
“Could I hold him for a moment, Teacher Bom?”
“Bom-sik, want to go?”
Bom-sik, who had been wary for a moment, opened his heart to the Vice Principal’s fawning and began wagging his tail.
“Oh, right. Teacher Noh also evacuated here, but where did she go?”
“Teacher Noh too?”
“She’s our next-door neighbor, so she came with us, but she’s gone now.”
Teacher Noh was the one who had casually mentioned before that she’d be fine if it was Jae-gyu. Bom felt a little strange.
As she looked around, Teacher Noh happened to emerge from the restroom and approach Jae-gyu.
“If it weren’t for Han-gyeol’s uncle, it would have been a real disaster.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Nothing? Letting people into your home isn’t an ordinary decision. And during the Bazaar rice cake bomb incident, too, you’re truly amazing, aren’t you? At school, they call Han-gyeol’s uncle ‘Hero Jae-gyu’.”
“Ahem, hero...”
Bom, who had listened to the two of them chatting for a bit, went to a corner and squatted down.
Teacher Noh was the same age as Bom, and she had a sociable and generous side. From a distance, they looked quite good together.
‘They look like a couple.’
An ugly feeling was welling up in a corner of her heart. Bom tried to suppress her shrinking feelings, turning her gaze to the bustling living room scene.
Everyone was discussing, watching the live weather forecast on TV with worried eyes, and some were making calls to friends and acquaintances.
“Oh, Teacher.”
Just then, Han-gyeol came down from the second floor.
“You’re here. Uncle was really worried earlier. Where’s Bom-sik?”
“Over there...”
Seok Gwan-su was playing a strange game, putting Bom-sik’s paw in his mouth and then taking it out. Seeing the wide smile on his face, it seemed best to let them play a little longer.
“You should be with Uncle.”
“Ah, they’re talking.”
Han-gyeol followed Bom’s gaze, found Jae-gyu talking with Teacher Noh, and frowned.
Han-gyeol immediately went over, pulled Jae-gyu aside, and whispered something. Jae-gyu quickly approached Bom.
“Bom. Just a moment, I need to talk to you.”
Then he took Bom’s hand, led her into his room, which was set back a little from the living room, and firmly closed the door.
She had only caught a glimpse of it the day they left for Haechon Village last time, but this was her first time actually entering Jae-gyu’s room.
‘It’s clean?’
On the wide, super-king-sized bed, dark navy bedding was neatly arranged. Beside the bed was a large single armchair, and next to it, a table.
On the table was a framed photo of him with Han-gyeol, and then...
‘What’s that?’
A small black box was tied with a black ribbon, on which letters were embossed in gold foil. The gold letters on the ribbon only showed ‘GRA...’, so she couldn’t tell what it was, but it somehow caught her eye and piqued her curiosity.
“Bom.”
“Yes?”
Jae-gyu stood in front of Bom, who was leaning against the door. Because of him, her view was blocked, and she couldn’t look around the room anymore.
“Bom-ah...”
Jae-gyu pressed his body close, bent down, and gently kissed her ear.
“Ugh, what’s with this sudden... What are you doing?”
Perhaps because he was wet from the rain, his lips, still damp, were cooler than usual, lukewarm.
The lips that had pressed against her ear slowly devoured Bom’s lips.
“Mmm...”
Bom placed her hands on Jae-gyu’s white athletic shirt, which was wet and clung to his skin. A cold sensation mingled with a familiar feeling.
With a warm breath, Jae-gyu’s tongue swept up the inside of Bom’s mouth. Bom’s shoulders trembled slightly as she whispered softly.
“H-hmm... Jae-gyu, what if someone comes in...?”
Click.
Exhaling a low breath, Jae-gyu reached out and locked the door. The hand cupping her cheek, cool to the touch, caressed Bom’s face as he spoke.
“Bom... I was just talking to that teacher outside.”
Jae-gyu repeatedly touched and pulled away from her lips as he brought up a not-so-urgent topic. Bom, despite her bewilderment, listened intently.
“Teacher Noh?”
“I don’t know her name, but yeah. Anyway, her father wants to install solar panels on the roof of the country house he’s building.”
Bom’s eyes, which had been lightly biting Jae-gyu’s upper lip, widened slightly.
“Solar panels?”
“She asked how to apply and install them, so I just answered her questions.”
So that’s what they were talking about. She had wondered what they were discussing so animatedly, but it was business talk.
Jae-gyu pulled and sucked on Bom’s lower lip, which had bloomed with relief, and whispered.
“In my eyes, I only see my Bom-Bom. I only want to keep seeing my Bom-Bom...”
Bom didn’t know what to do with such embarrassing words. Outside, people were still talking loudly. Because of the drawn wooden blinds, the situation outside wasn’t visible.
In Jae-gyu’s room, she could only focus on Jae-gyu. Bom let out a small moan every time Jae-gyu sucked at her lips as if to devour them.
“Haa, Bom... It means I don’t look at other women.”
Jae-gyu’s body, which was still damp and hadn’t dried, opened his mouth again, rubbed his tongue against hers, and wrapped his arms around Bom’s waist, pulling her against him.
“Bom, have you thought about what I said...?”