Chapter 2: Drive Home

Silence reigned in the car during the drive back, both in their own thoughts. Saeng kept yawning and inclined his body more comfortably on his seat, tilt his head on his right side towards the window and closed his eyes. He felt completely exhausted. Though Joong may have felt the same way and was yawning a few times, too, but he was fighting sleep and exhaustion to be able to drive both of them safely home.

He tried to focus and concentrate on his driving, but he can’t help glance to his right at Saeng from time to time. When he noticed him falling asleep, he parked the car on the side road to fix the seat on a more inclined position so he would be more comfortable, before he continued on with his driving. A few times after moving the gear-shift, he would touch Saeng by the knee and his hand stayed there for a few minutes before returning it back to the steering wheel or gear shift, and that’s how he did his driving.

At that time when they were sitting at the beach, after the sudden hard pour, the rain became a drizzle again, and then after awhile stopped altogether. The mist went away, the sky was clearer with the white clouds replacing the gray clouds that shrouded them awhile ago, but with the soft breeze coming from the sea were blowing at them made their soaked clothes colder and gave them chills.

It was so peaceful, the only sound were the small waves as they touch the shore. No one was there, but the two of them.

Both of them with their dried eyes were gazing at the sea with Saeng seated between Joong’s knees and both their knees were bent.  Joong had his arms around him by the shoulders, his arms and hands above his arms and hands, and his hands held his hands.  After a while, Joong cleared his throat and spoke at last and whispered, “Darling, we’ve been here so long, I think we better change clothes, before we catch a cold.”

Saeng spoke, but as if in a daze, “hmmm What? Oh, yeah...I guess you are right.” He tried to get up, but could only move sluggishly.

Joong moved to rise up, but still kept his support to his shoulders, and he half rose before helping him to get up. Moving in front of him, and while keeping his left hand on his right shoulder, he reached for his right hand with his own right hand to help him up.

Looked up at his face for a second and looked at their joint hands before Saeng looked up again to his shoulder and lifted his left hand to grab at his right shoulder to get up.  

Joong balanced both of them and moved his left hand to his back to better support him as he got up. Their right hand still between them as they stand, he grabbed him closer for a hug, Saeng’s left hand went to his waist, and then Joong whispered, “I think, we both could use a drink. I have bottled water in the back in our bags.” He moved away a little, while trying to look at his face trying to evaluate his condition, and again he said, “We better change clothes, too.”

His head bent he did not answer and just remained quiet.

Guiding him he turned him around and placed his left arm around his waist, and led him to walk towards their car. Saeng walked with his right arm around his waist.

As they reached the car, Joong got his car keys from his pocket and remote-clicked opened the driver’s door. He opened the door, got in and pushed a button to open the other doors, and pushed another button to open the back compartment. He then got out again, opened the back door, and  started to look at their bags for the bottled water. He found one in the first bag, opened it and gave it to Saeng, who took it from him and just held it.

“Come on, drink.” Held his hand with the bottle and guided the bottle to his lips for him to drink.

At first, after taking only a sip Saeng then slowly drank from the bottle. Joong watched him drink., and after seeing him gulped down a few times, only then did he let go of the bottle. Saeng gulped a few more times and passed the bottle back to him, and without saying a word gestured for him to drink, too. Satisfied that he did drink, he took the bottle and he too drank from the bottle. As the water was passing through his throat he only then felt how he was really thirsty. He stopped drinking and looked at the bottle, and it was almost gone. He looked at Saeng with an apologetic face, “Sorry, I almost finished it off. Drink some more.” He offered the bottle.

A half smile, and gesturing for Joong to drink, “You can finish this one, I think we still have another one. We’ll just buy another bottle somewhere.” With the same token half smile in return, he raised the bottle, as if in a toss, before drinking all of it down, and then he closed the bottle. He turned to put in down and opened the other bag and found another bottled water.

While holding the bottle and opening it, he turned to pass the bottle,  “Here, drink some more, you might be dehydrated.”

“I think we both are.” He felt the cold air blew on his skin, and chills run through him. He lifted his shoulder and hugged himself. “Oh, that was cold.”

“Yeah, I felt that, too. We better get out of these wet clothes. First, here, drink some more water, while I go through our bags.” He passed the bottled to him. “Get in the back seat of the car and I’ll give you your change of clothes.”

Saeng got in and sat in the back seat and drank some more water, while he waited for Joong to give him his clothes. Side turned and turned his head to the back to talk with Joong, “Hey, why don’t you bring our clothes and you can join me back here, and we’ll change clothes at the same time. You’re as wet as me.”

“Don’t worry about me, there are no people around, so I think it’s safe to change clothes out here.”

“You don’t know that. Somebody might just come along and see you. And then you’ll be pressed for indecent exposure in a public place.”

Smiling sheepishly and eyes twinkling,  “Yeah, you wouldn’t want that, me on the news and newspapers with my on the front page.” Laughing and teasing Saeng.

He could only roll his eyes at him.

Joong still with a hint of smile moved to the opened back seat door and gave Saeng his change of clothes and a towel. “Here dry yourself and change clothes.” He then closed the door and went back to the back of the car to get his own change of clothes. After searching and finding clothes he was looking for and a towel, he then took them out of the bag, and then proceeded to take his shirt off and placed it in the bag for dirty clothes. He quickly patted himself dry and quickly put a gray sweatshirt on. He bent and loosened his shoelaces, took his shoes and socks off, and then picked them up and placed them near the dirty clothes. He took the towel and proceeded to wrap the towel around him. He then ed, ped and pulled his pants off, along with his underwear and then placed them in the bag with the shirt. He took his dry underwear and put it on and then took his gray sweatpants and put it on.

At the same time, Saeng proceeded to change his wet clothes in the back seat of the car.  He took his wet shirt of first and patted himself dry with the towel and tried to dry his hair a little before putting on the dry blue gray sweatshirt. He looked around first through the window if there was anyone out there, and seeing no one he placed the towel on top of his lap and bent down to loosened his shoelaces, took his shoes and socks off, and then sat upright and proceeded to take his pants and underwear off. He dried himself with the towel, and then took his underwear and put it on, and then took his blue gray sweatpants and put it on.

Even though both of them were already wearing dry clothes they still felt cold for being rained on for a long time.

After getting dressed, Joong walked to the side of the car and looked in on Saeng through the window and see how he was doing. After seeing that he had finished getting dressed, too, he opened the door to get the wet clothes, and spoke, “Pass me your wet clothes and I’ll put them all in the back. Give me your wet shoes and socks as well.”

“I’m a little cold, don’t we have extra socks in the bags and jackets?”

“Yeah, I found some, luckily we had our gym bags that we have extra clothes and rubber shoes. Let me get them, when I put your things back there. I’ll put the heater on in a little while. Let me just finish-up on this.” Joong took the wet clothes, towel, socks and shoes, then closed the door, and then carried them to the back of the car. He placed the clothes with his own wet clothes and put the shoes beside his own. He looked for the two pairs of socks, jackets and rubber shoes, and when he found them he took Saeng’s things first and brought them to him before he came back for his own. He put on the jacket and carried the socks and rubber shoes, and then closed the back door and walked to the driver’s seat to put them on. He sat down, wiped the sand off his feet with his hand before putting on his socks.

After putting on his jacket, socks and rubber shoes Saeng got out of the car, closed the door and transferred to the passenger’s side. He watched him as he was putting on his rubber shoes.

When he was done, he straightened in his seat, pulled the door closed, and looked at Saeng, and asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

After switching the car on, Joong turned the heater on as well. After a few minutes he started to back the car from the parking lot and then started the drive home.  On the way, he stopped in  a store to buy some bottled water and some food.