At the End of That Memory

Chapter 21

I could hear the sound of rain tapping on the quiet car. It was the sound of drizzling rain bouncing off the car window. I placed my hands neatly on my thighs and stared at the rainy scenery in the distance.

On the peaceful road, not a single car passed by. It was late and raining outside. The car headlights were extended out, and the falling rain split up small fragments of light.

Ah, this is very strange.

With that in mind, I glanced at Kwon Yido. He was sitting in the driver’s seat, staring straight ahead in silence. He lightly gripped the steering wheel, showing moderately prominent veins on his hand.

‘…Do you like being in the rain?’

Things that happened with him a little while ago came to mind. Our slow breathing, Kwon Yido’s pheromones hovering at the tip of my nose, and soft lips approaching under the shadow of a tilted umbrella.

How long have you been waiting for me? His lips felt slightly cool. No, maybe it was because he was a person with a low body temperature to begin with. It was the same with the hand that later cupped my cheek.

He rubbed the corners of my cheeks very slowly. He carefully traced the edge of my ear with his index finger, as if he was touching a breakable object. His large hand, large enough to cover his entire face, slowly moved down and caressed the nape of my neck.

It was definitely a cold hand, but I felt hot every time he touched it. Feeling dizzy enough to shake my neck, I grabbed Kwon Yido’s hand as if I were holding a rope. He gently bit my lower lip and pulled his lips away from me as slowly as he came.

‘Let’s go home.’

I couldn’t figure out why I felt so ashamed by his words. Perhaps it was because my body craved Kwon Yido after only one kiss. Perhaps it was because I was filled with remorse for an unspoken conduct.

Regardless, I followed Kwon Yido to his car. There was no one in the car, so Kwon Yido slid into the driver’s seat with ease. When I questioned if he drove himself, he smiled and replied:

‘Sometimes it’s easier to not have a driver.’

I didn’t realize what that meant until I was in the passenger seat. I became unusually conscious of Kwon Yido the instant the car door closed and the sounds outside were muffled.

To clarify, this was not our first kiss. When the heat cycle arrived, we mingled our tongues even more densely. It was an impatient act, like quenching a dry throat, and it was an impatient act that drove me insane.

But why is this trivial kiss more nerve-wracking than the kiss back then?

He started the car and drove down a lonely lane. The atmosphere was so awkward that it was difficult to put into words. Kwon Yido’s pheromones were all over the car, so much so that I was aware of him even when staring out the window.

Yeah, I’m glad there’s no driver. If that were the case, I would have had to worry about not only Kwon Yido but also his innocent driver.

“…It’s late, but thank you for the wine. Thanks to you, I enjoyed it very much.”

I managed to come up with something to talk about to lighten the mood. It wasn’t a bad topic choice, but Kwon Yido wasn’t very proactive.

“Your lips didn’t taste like wine.”

“…”

It took me a moment to understand what he was saying. When I belatedly turned around with a puzzled look on his face, he raised the corner of his mouth cheerfully.