He is at a complete loss. He starts to pace to and fro the room again. He tries to think, to rationalise. He attempts, in his hardest efforts, to block the numerous undesirable possibilities that are running wild in his mind. Miane, lovely. He plans to press the last received call on her phone to check if he can trace where she is now, and if she is okay. But her phone is password locked.

As the grains of sand fall through the hourglass of time, angst and fear propagate within him.

He broke out in cold sweat and yelled hysterically, very much internally, “Where are you?”

…

Meanwhile, Young is stuck in Seoul as there are some complications with the new rental agreement of her inherited apartment which the agent and real estate advisor need to discuss with her and get it resolved it immediately. In her rush this morning, she left her phone at home.  She tried to call Park and Kwang from a borrowed line but both their lines are always engaged.

Upon concluding the details of rental agreement, she tried to call a cab urgently to get home but to no avail. Her agent noted her nervousness and offered to ask his fellow colleague who lives reasonably near to her district to drive her home. She is thankful for that as the chances of getting a cab is seriously grim in the impending storm and peak hour traffic.

The sky gives way and bigger droplets starts to fall on Earth, creating some splatters on the roof.

She gives directions to the driver, who is less familiar with this part of the town. On the car radio, the weatherman updated the listeners that the storm will pass by their town in the early wee hours that night.

She will reach home after the coming turn. Her mind relaxes slightly. Hope she did not get home too late. Did Park manage to get home too? She caught a glimpse of her place in the drizzle and got momentarily distracted by the lights in her living room. All of a sudden, she yelled, “Sorry, pl STOPPP.. here. Thank you. (She toned down the volume of her voice.) Sorry for the last-minute notice.” The sedan overshot her gate by a little.

He heard a car screeched to a stop near her gate.  He sprinted out and saw her alighting from an automobile. It was dark. The female driver said something to her. She nodded and said thanks.

Park meets her midway to her door. They are both somewhat wet from the drizzle. There is nothing else in his dark almond coloured pupils except her. He receives her with wild, open arms. She is safe and sound. Holding her assures him that she is back, that she is back to him. His anxiety evaporated. Dismissed.

Wet misty eyes met each other. Neither is sure if the moisture is from the drizzle or their eyes.

“Where have you been for the whole day?”

“Miane. There has been an emergency. It’s settled now. Miane.”

[His thoughts] She is back. She is safe. That’s all that matters.

[Her thoughts] Sorry for the wait. Miane.

(Source: Screen capture from SWDBS)

“Sorry, I did laundry for you yesterday but your things are wet from the rain. Here, take my t-shirt. Change or you’ll catch a cold.” She pushes him into the washroom to get changed.

She has changed in her room and is making hot chocolate as he walks out of the washroom.

Similar to him, her hair is still damp from the rain.

Her t-shirt stuck onto him like a second layer of skin. He heard her giggle. “Yes, I know.”

“This is in trend. Skin tight. Body hugging”. He tried to make a lame joke by doing a classic body builder pose.

“That’s indecently tight!” She continued giggling.

He couldn’t stand it anymore! “Is it that funny?”

Without any warning, he strides purposefully towards her. He reached her within steps and started to tickle her. She fidgeted and laughed louder.

“Help! … Arraso! I won’t laugh! I am still making hot chocolate!”

His face is barely centimetres away from hers, alarmingly close but not touching. Their gazes locked.   The light gust of his warm breath tousled her damp hair as his long fingers gently caressed her cheeks.  Both are wound up by each’s nearness.

Her wet look is simply alluring. His hands fell from her waist. Her wriggling stopped. Hot chocolate forgotten.

His eyes resemble the simmering firewood in the hearth, heated, intense and penetrating through her.  She didn’t look away. She seemed to welcome it.

Time literally froze.

Thunder clapped at a distance but no one seemed to register it.

They only have eyes for each other.

His heart thudded loudly as her pulse sped up.

He enveloped her tightly in his arms.  She didn’t budge. Instead, she shut her eyes and felt his heart, that is hammering hard against his chest.

Her light feminine scent, just below his chin, is like the lavender, intoxicating and intensifying his senses. Having her in his arms felt so right.

He outlined the shape of her face, eyes, nose and lips with his fingers.  

The madeleine moments or floodgates of memories from an entire day of rush, worry and pent up emotions in his search for her and weeks of missing her opened and inundated his mind. Ravenous.

His lips crashed into her waiting one. He tasted her hungrily and frantically. His hands roamed recklessly down her shoulders and back, while hers found the way to the prickly slope on the back of his head, pulling him close. He flushed her body against his, permitting her to feel his heat.

He carried her up. Her bedroom door is slammed close. His Goddess has been placed on her bed. He eradicated any space that came in between them.

…

He looked at her sleeping form, her breathings calm and regular. He ghosted his hands over her angelic face… moved a few vigilant strands away..

He kissed her forehead, got dressed and walked into the street. Medium level of precipitation is still failing from the sky. There are some big puddles along the street. He hit a nearby 24 hours convenience store, reached for a cold beer and downed half a can in a gulp… the mind freezing beer was what he needed.

He shoved half a dozen of beer into his basket and joined the queue. He casually threw some random stuff that were on display near the counter into his basket while the cashier updated his purchases into the cash register.

He returned to her house, put the almost empty can of beer on the bed side table and slipped back into her bed quietly.

She seemed to be still sleeping.

Her eyes fluttered open, “You are back.. where did you go?” she asked sleepily and snugged closer to him.

“To get some cold beer..”

“May I have some too?”

“I’ll take a can for you..” he took a gulp while trying to stand up…

Her, in her purest form, raised, brushed against his frame and pulled him down onto his pillow gently. She kissed him avidly, seemingly not to spare any remnants of the beer which are lingering on his lips.

To him, her alone is adequate to render him defend-less. Not to mention that now, as she deepens the kiss and is so close to him .. he finds himself responding instinctively, heatedly towards her.. again..

All the time and effort taken to cool himself in the rain could disappear into the thin air.. he has gone too far, to let go..

Their bodies take over. Temperature started to climb, hands roaming, ..

She tried to remove his shirt but it was trapped under his chin.  He shifted his head to assist her.

Crazy and electrified sensations flashed right down to their feet and curled their toes as his bare skin and body inched steadily against hers.

She is moving restlessly. She is not sure if he said something or anything at all. Or was there a storm outside or inside the house?

For she is all feel, all sensations, all tinkering, all over.  She is adored by a man whom she loves wholeheartedly and loves her.

She tried… but she was too nervous earlier.. could be nature that she is usually tense…

She heard him say he was sorry, but she don’t want him to be sorry as he shouldn’t be, she felt him slipped away.. Love that returns belongs to me, he said that before… and came back .. she encouraged herself to be brave. Can she?

Hands intertwined, he felt that that she is increasing her grip on his hand, squeezing... tightening...

…

Earlier, he was completely caught by surprise. He is seldom so impulsive. For her loveliness, charms, .. thoroughly broke down whatever pathetic will that he tried hard to assemble painstakingly. Desire has won hands down.

She is just too tense.. could be her nature, could be them being amateurish..  that they can’t complete the puzzle. He wants that to be perfect for her. He can’t bear to intensify her pain. He wants her to relax and enjoy.

Gasping in her arms, he touches her cheeks, that look in his eyes, so primal and raw with emotions, “Hush, love. Don’t cry..”

Nuzzling her neck, whispering his apologies in her ears, repeating that he was too rash. She hugged him firmly, explaining softly that he doesn’t need to be sorry. For she is sorry for her nervousness.

“We can always try again.. “, he cloaked her deep in his arms, comforting her.

When she finally slept, he left to get some air.

…

Now, their breathes are short again.. they look at each other, reading each other while their bodies tremble with much longing and yearning. It is there, they saw, the love and consent mirrored in each other’s eyes.

In her arms, he can easily lose his absolute self absolutely.  “How are you feeling? Comfortable?” he breathed out the few words, not without much effort and restraint.

“Yes.”

He vowed to go slower this time. He mounted hills, serenaded valleys, trekked plains, engaged curves, negotiated corners ..  Showering kisses, touches, caresses and gentle touches along the way...

At times, he uses his stubbles to tenderly rub against the valleys, at the curves, enhancing the mood and heightening her senses.

During other moments, he carasses her rhythmically, left, right, left, right,.. up, down, up, down… like the free swinging of a pendulum.

He is proceeding smoothly till he suddenly pause.. for he encountered some dense, tense and difficult turns... He massaged, in circular motion, clockwise, applied a little pressure, anticlockwise, his fingers creating some unique and magical touches, back, fro, back, fro, ….  and kissed till the uneasiness fades. Until.. he awaits for the tenseness to ease.

With eyes closed, he uses his lips to feel his way around. His lips are sensitive, and picks up her slightest movements, arches. Like radar, like sensor, probing and nibbling the delicacy.

Led by the smoothness of her skin, he travelled further. Deeper. To those little nooks and crannies, and well-hidden sanctuaries. She shivered in anticipation.

His ears are sharp, he hears her moans and cries for him.  He is pleased.

He is not hurrying, not rushing.

He is taking his time, always moving, always busy, always touching, always .

Occasionally, he will raise his head up to take a deep breath and continues his study studiously.

At some junctures, he will halt, to unknot the tensions…

Under the cover of the almost acute darkness, he is moving slowly, to fully arouse her and awaken both their senses.

He is determined to let her feel, sense the joy, while he savours his subject.

He is taking his time, always moving, always busy, always touching, always .

Bridging and weaving emotional to physical closeness.. is a natural progression.. is an elevated level of connection. He, them, is something that she wants and is glorious to have.  She needs to be and is trying to be breathlessly daring.  Her hands started roaming.. touching.. feeling..

His touches push her to the edge to the cliffs where only he can save.. While his groans bestow immense power and courage for her to continue..

She squirms. She moves. She arches.

She is in perpetual motion, responding to him voluntarily. Touch to touch. Arch to arch. Almost, wherever possible.

They attempted in the decryption of their encrypted body codes together, figuring out how to gratify each other in the way, at the moment.. on they love it to be..

His fingers passed the baton to his lips, that continued the exploration around her dense curls, petals, persevered with the , massaging, caressing .. till her dam burst, releasing gushes of warm and slick sweetness that is so uniquely hers. He had a taste of the elixir, drew some of the harvest, and carried that back to his Queen, “Taste of you… made by you..” “Not without you…  " “You are extraordinarily sweet … ”  "Sweet because of you”..  She sealed their murmurs with a moist kiss on his lips.

His body felt her arches and quivers as his fingers took over the expedition, creating yearning, craving and havoc within her core. She held him so tightly, his prickly slope behind his head so hard against her palm. Her short nails almost embedded into his shoulder blades. His laboured and heavy breathings ringing and buzzing constantly in her ears. She moved, arched perpetually. Before she realised the significance of her primeval movements, he rolled over and slipped into her. Riding on the choppy waves of her body rhythm, he surfed and plunged into the great depths with her, into gravities which are exclusive to them.

They have finally become one, only separated by their own skin and a thin layer of latex. 

Bodies glittering, eyes moist, entwined on the creased sheets and damp pillows together... They want to cry out at the gloriousness and splendour that they have just experienced together. The fine concoction of love, made by pleasure, laced with ache.

Although incredibly tired, their hearts are amazingly full. Both felt bizarrely liberated and exceptionally contended.

Though covered in a screen of sweat, his face remains incredibly boyish, impossibly handsome. Recalling the intense dark almond eyes that seem to contain all the mysteries in the sky, physique like those Greek statutes that are carved in marble. She is mesmerised by each and every fine detail of him, those little lines, each texture. She has this extraordinary man ...

She rained light kisses on his earlobe. “I smell myself in you…” she blushed.

Eyes still closed, he chuckled in between his panting, “That’s disgusting... “, he punctuated with a kiss, “.. but I love it”. He felt the endless trails of kisses that she showered on his neck and smiled in contentment.

With his head looped between her arms, he glanced lovingly at his pulchritudinous lady, and they sealed the night with a deep, soothing kiss. He massaged her back and eliminated the virtually non-existent distance between them. Their legs placed cosily between each other. He whispered adoringly, “Sleep, my dazzling star”.

Snuggling close. They snoozed. Sleep welcomed them.

Both lay stay at last.

…

Little do they know, that the storm has moved on and the rain has gradually stopped in the darkest hour of the night.

Replacing that is the gentle golden rays, braving through the horizon, spreading warmth to the land.

Deep, verdant green covered the fields, numerous flowers awakened and blossomed, little animals emerged to play.

Gorgeous and mighty hummingbirds hover around their desired flora decorated in multiple colours, red, orange… drawing its thick and flavourful nectar affectionally, playfully and speedily.

In his backyard, an unique flower takes shape in a precious pot, which will greet the sun for the first time - a chrysanthemum with hue of purple and yellow, each colour taking half the bloom, an inimitable and harmonious mix of lavender and sunshine..… That’s nature’s gift, presented at its finest.

…

She stirred and opened her eyes.

“What would you like for breakfast?”

Her yawns and stretches caused the sheets to glide off her shoulders. He draped the sheets back around her and started to kiss the hollow of her neck. That breathed jitters down her spine. His lips and hands initiated its journey which was previously undertaken by the errant sheets.

“That’s itchy!” she commented in a drowsy tone.

“Catch me if you can!” he replied in a muffled voice.

She dived into the sheets to find her man.

He rewarded her with a full and poignant kiss when her lips found his.

They emerged from the rumpled sheets to gulp the much-needed air.

They lay silent for a while.

She pointed at the top of her bin, “You carry that with you?”

He wrapped her in his arms firmly, “I went out last night for air, for a beer to regain my composure. To think I might have hurt you scared the hell out of me ..  I almost, no, I know I would lose myself in you eventually, I simply couldn’t resist you. While medication disrupts your body rhythm, I also appreciate your hesitation towards the young.  I saw it in the convenience store, so I got it, to protect you.. as I treasure you, I love you, so much…”

He anticipated her needs, protected her before she actually realised that herself. She held and kissed his hands, “I hope that doesn’t affect your senses..” Wetness accumulated in her eyes again.

“.. Earlier last night, despite being uncomfortable, you found strength to help me find my release. Later, I sensed your courage and read your message that you wanted me too. It dawned on me that you have opened your heart to me, for me. I am on cloud ten .. I told you at the beach, I am repeating that now.. You are all I want and you have presented that to me. I can’t ask for anything else, anything more. Can I?”

“How? When did you know and read me so well? “

Here is her knight, who will go to any lengths for her.

Her dark brown eyes sparkling in tears, “Saranghanda.”

…

She happened to glance at the wall clock, “Don’t you have a doubles final to play this morning? You should wake up now.”

He captured her and showered kisses all over her face.

“Ya! You are going to be late!”

“I already got my Gold…!”

“You fought many matches to reach the finals… You have trained hard…”

“.. and I need you to help me with my warm up…”

They are totally non-remorseful although the competitor is late for his finals and the baker is late for her baking obligations.

…

“Hey, how’s your day? I got you Tteokbokki!” he strolled in with a goofy smile.

“How did the badminton doubles go? Where is Kwang? Yoon?”

He placed the pack of Tteokbokki on Pan ya’s counter and hugged her from behind ..

“Don’t indulge me like that. I’ll get fat.” She carasses his face that is resting on her shoulder tenderly.

He exhales slowly and deliberately on the back of her neck, “You are far from fat, not even close (he whispers into her ears as his fingers sneak under her t-shirt to carass her waist) and I know it.” Her face flushed instantly.

Young grabbed some water to calm her nerves.

“Hey! Stop being that lovely dovey, will you!” Kwang’s voice reached them from the door as he came storming in after parking his car.

“Young, you got to discipline him. He was not only late this morning and looked totally dishevelled! He insisted that he did warm up. But his below par performance today cost us the doubles Gold!”

Young almost choked at Kwang’s grumbles.

While both of them are privately amused by Kwang’s complaints, Kwang is carried away by his own irritation.

“You already clinched the singles Gold and … “ Park yelled at Kwang ..  “Don’t complain to Young about me, will you? We can still sign up for the next tournament .. ”

Young is expecting Yoon to walk in.. and Alas! She did, a few minutes after Kwang.. not long after, Kwang and Yoon started bickering on badminton techniques ….