Snippets of De_Hana #4
While I have this imminent sense of doom which I cannot shake off...
Have a Happy New Year~ ^O^
And a bit of Taec meat... *evil*
(DE_HANA?)
CHRONOLOGY
1. Nuna Appeal
2. Dilemma
3. Take Me
4. This one :)
-4-
“Maybe I should drive,” he says and the next moment he realizes he’s made a mistake judging from the look she sends him.
“죽을래?”
“I suppose not,” Taec folds his big arms across his chest, his coat creaking in protest, and leans back in the passenger’s seat.
It’s snowing tons, it’s dark and they’re terribly late. Actually, they can’t complain, because it was their idea to celebrate Christmas Eve with the whole extended family out of town, or more like - some 400 kilometres away from home at a Jinyo mansion close to the national park, at an extremely mountainous area. It’s just that it’s already past 8pm and their land-rover is muddling along the hilly road at some ridiculous 30km/h, because it’s virtually impossible to go any faster. Wipers can barely keep up with the snow that comes crashing onto the front window, and even despite the anti-fog lights the visibility is no more than some 10 metres ahead. Perfect conditions for driving really. And they’re still some 200 km away from their destination. Great.
It’s not that Taec doesn’t trust her driving skills - he knows she wouldn’t do anything reckless, but she’s been driving around ever since early morning and she must be tired and… but he knows better than to ask again, so he just sulks in his seat, thinking that they really messed up. They were supposed to leave yesterday, just like everybody else, but noooo… he was the one to stay behind to finish some unfinished business, and she found some papers which Sohee had forgotten to send out, and naturally, she decided to fill everything in and send it herself.
This whole procrastination left them 12 hours behind the whole family schedule, yet no one worried much, because there still was some time left. But of course, they didn’t take into consideration the blizzard. By the time they left the city the sky was still cloudless except for some smog germs, however, once they were in the country side the hell broke loose.
“I thought shit like this happens only in my country,” she grumbled bypassing a huge lump of snow drift on the road.
“That’s cuz you’ve never been this far up north in December,” Taec pointed out.
“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” she jeered back when her phone vibrated, lying next to the transmission box. Taec reached out to answer it. “If it’s Woo again,” she said totally focused on the road. “Tell him we’re gonna be there in like… 5 hours.”
Taec stared at the display.
“Nah, it’s hyung…”
She stopped the car abruptly in the middle of the road and Taec would’ve lurched forwards if it weren’t for the seatbelt. Lina took the phone from him without a second glance.
“Yeah?”
“Hey, how is it going?” his distinctive, low and slightly raspy voice made her realize how much she wanted to be over there in a warm mansion with everybody right now, but then again his question sounded like some sort of a mockery.
“Currently at 0 km/h. Though I think our average is some 25km/h, and we’re just half way there.”
“Ah, damn,” he sounded disappointed. “I called the county office and they said their snow-blower brigades are gonna be out only at 9am in the morning, really sorry about that, hun.”
“Well, it’s not like one can raise one’s hand and clean everything in one swipe, you know,” she rubbed her eyes; driving in such conditions had really exhausted her. “We’ll get there eventually, but I suppose you should start the dinner without us, don’t waste the food.”
“Are you sure?” he sounded reluctant, but Lina could swear she heard his stomach rumble even through the phone.
“Yes, I’m sure,” she nodded and Taec snorted in the light of this useless action which earned him yet another sharp jab in the arm. “We have diet bars and low-fat yogurt, perfect Christmas Eve dinner, woohoo~”
“ㅋㅋㅋㅋ…” he chuckled. “Well, if you say so, but I’ll stay up waiting for you. Just so you know.”
She wanted to go all “d’awwwww” because it really melted her heart, but by doing that she would risk turning on Taec’s mockery machine and Lina really didn’t want to deal with that on Christmas Eve, so instead she just asked:
“How’s Khan?”
“Oh, he’s fine,” Hoon’s voice was light and kind-hearted. “Keeps asking about you though. I think we’re just gonna put him to bed soon…”
There was a distinctive poking into her 3rd rib and she knew the cue.
“And what about Seolli?”
“Same. Playing with Woo’s kids. We’ve put them all into this big ring kind of thing, so they wouldn’t wander off. The mansion isn’t too suitable for kids, you know.”
“Yeah… so listen, I’ll call when we…” she was about to hang up, when throughout the whole tapping of snow onto the car roof and hood and the howling of the wind she heard something else. It was a low rumble, then it grew louder and louder and with Taec’s disappointed “Oh Shit, God hell no…” the road in front of them became a big white wall - the rocky hill on the right side of the road had just “endowed” them with a considerable avalanche.
“Ah crap…” she cursed.
“Lina?” Hoon sounded worried. “Lina, what happened?”
“I think our road’s just disappeared…” she looked at the rear view mirrors. “And judging from weather conditions… I guess we’re stuck in the car for the night until those snow-blowers come at what…? 9am?”
“Damn,” he was really disappointed. “I can hop in one of our land cruisers and get over to you quick…”
“And die trying… no seriously, stay put Hoon, it’s enough we’re stuck here,” something beeped and Lina decided it’s best to end the conversation quick. “Look, we won’t starve, and the car battery is full enough to keep us warm through the night, don’t worry. I’ve gotta hang up now, cuz my phone’s battery on the other hand is low, so…”
“Yeah, I get it… see you tomorrow then, stay warm and safe.”
“You too.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
Taec waited. And waited. And waited. But nothing came. She was just staring dumbly and the dashboard, clenching the phone in her hand.
“Damn,” she sighed eventually.
“Whoah…” Taec unfastened his seatbelt. “And I thought you were about to go ballistic…”
“Trust me,” Lina murmured; her forehead on the wheel. “I’m so mad right now I could just break you in half.”
*gasp*
“Why me T.T” Taec pouted. “I didn’t do any of this.”
“Just because you’re here.”
“Oh wow, so much for being kind and keeping you company.”
“You had no other way,” she pointed out the obvious.
“I feel so loved T^T,” Taec still continued with his drama queen act. Lina turned off the headlights, as the snow just kept falling and falling and falling…
“I just hope Hoonie breaks the news to his cousin as careful as possible…” she said.
“What news?” Taec frowned.
“That you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere with me.”
“Why?” he sounded totally innocent and clueless. Lina looked up at him with an incredulous look in her eyes.
“ㅉ… Because your wife hates me, THAT’S why. If you haven’t noticed, she’s been convinced for the past 8 years that we’re having an affair.”
“Really? I just thought she used to have threesome fantasies of you, me and Woo.”
…
…
…
“I would slap you if I weren’t this tired,” Lina declared. Taec just grinned his toothy grin. And her phone vibrated again. It was Woo’s number this time. She groaned and answered with: “Look, I’ve told Hoon already that…”
“아니오, 언니, 나야…” there was a soft female voice, one you could never forget once you’ve heard it.
“Sunhye?” Lina blinked.
“Eonni, I know you’re low on battery, so I’ll be quick, but just in case, oppa also has his phone right?” Sunhye sounded really eager and Lina glanced at Taec, who was in the middle of fishing his phone from his pocket, but just as he did, he opened the door and left the car with a terrible gust of wind and snow. “Err… I think he just went out to answer a call from Diva, so you’d better be quick, Sunhye-ya.”
“Ok,” she breathed in and Lina could already see her putting an “I can do this” expression on her pretty face. “Eonni, Hoonie-oppa said you’re stuck somewhere half way right?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know the exact kilometre?”
“Umm… the last road sign said 204 km to the National Park… that was like a mile ago, why?”
Sunhye just mumbled something under her breath as if counting.
“Then you’re close! Eonni~” Lina could swear she was beaming. “At that road sign you’ve mentioned, there’s a turn to the left and some 2 km up the road, my oppa has an escape house.”
“JeJe has whut?” Lina went O.o
“An escape house,” Sunhye repeated. “It’s a small house at the top of a hill where he sometimes goes to relax and just escape from everything. It doesn’t have a TV, radio or internet, but it’s fully equipped with heated floor and electricity and even has a big food vault.”
“Well, that’s JeJe for you…” uttered Lina suddenly feeling optimistic at the prospect of warm floor and decent food on Christmas Eve.
“Think you can make it?” Sunhye asked.
“I have Taec, he’s as good as a personal pilot-engine,” Lina shrugged, as her answer sent the girl at the other end giggling. “Thanks Sunhye.”
“Anytime, I suppose it’s better than staying in a car through the night ^__^.”
“Yeah, tha-“ her battery died. “--nk you…”
She put her dead phone in her pocket reaching out for her bag on the back seat, as Taec came back from the outside, resembling a very well-built snowman.
“Well?” she cocked an eyebrow.
“She told me to sleep in the passenger’s seat and let you occupy the back seat,” he reported shaking off the snow.
“Figures,” Lina rolled her eyes, opening her door. “Get your stuff and out. We’re saved,” and she got into the freezing hell.
This “we’re saved” was a very relative phrase, because they had to go down the road they’ve come up before some 2 km, then find a road sign (Taec almost bumped his forehead into it, because cell phones were NOT decent flashlights), take a turn left and then up the hill for another 3 km. Add darkness, snow, wind, freeze and tiredness to this all, and you have an almost 2 hour-long walk.
By the time they actually reached the escape house - which was a western type wooden 2-storey house comfortably perched on a hilltop, it was close to 11pm already, and they both were completely cold, tired, wired, exhausted and suffering from sore throats, because talking in such weather clearly hadn’t been a good idea. But they couldn’t stay shut. That’s what Lina and Taec were all about really - talking. Even if it meant losing one’s voice in the process.
As they stood at the entrance to the house, they realized no one had the key. Or knew the code. But, as Lina pointed out, with daehans it was easy. The house didn’t need a key in the first place, because the door had a code lock, and as usual the code was the owner’s birthday. They made it right only on the second time, though. Damn you daehans and your habit of registering your kids whenever, Lina grumbled punching in the second try, and luckily, with February the 4th the door clicked opened.
“Open Sesame…” Taec raised his arms up, as if to sing another verse of “Halleluiah” and they both trod inside.
They kicked off their wet shoes and left soaked coats in the lobby, throwing their bags aside and charging in to explore the house like little kids. They switched on the lights immediately and Taec found the floor heating and turned it on. The whole interior was very… wooden. Almost like that of a small house on a prairie, the ones you see in old movies. It had soft dark and light brown tones and the whole ground floor was a huge room with a fire place and an open kitchen, and big windows from floor to ceiling, looking out into the mountainous landscape. It was very clean. And even smelled nice. It was really Jeje’s place. But…
“Is it just me or this is not just your average escape house?” Lina said looking around and then heading towards the kitchen. Sunhye said there was a food vault, but she was too tired to go and deal with kimchi and what not right now. She just hoped for some water and perhaps instant noodles.
“Yeah…” Taec scratched his head. “It kinda looks like JeJe-hyung’s love nest or something…”
“My thoughts exactly,” she spotted an electric kettle and heaved a sigh of relief inwardly.
“Whom do you think he brings here? Men or women?” Taec’s question was random, but not completely unexpected.
“… … …” she really pondered it. “… … both?”
Taec couldn’t help but snort and clap, and nod, indicating they shared a similar trail of thought.
“Oh yay, we have ramyeon,” Lina announced going through the cupboards. “Lots and lots of ramyeon and…” she opened the silvery fridge with lion paw prints on it. “Oh.My.Gawd.” she gasped.
Taec ran to her. He was there in no time keeping in mind his stupid long legs. He stood next to her and eyed the contents of the fridge. Alcohol. Lots of alcohol. All kinds of alcohol. Wine, beer, soju, sake, vodka, scotch, whiskey, liqueur, cider and even…
“SHIT!!” Lina reached out for something on the side rack on the fridge door. She pulled out a bottle full of green liquid and turned to Taec with her mouth gaping open.
“JeJe-hyung sure knows his liquor,” he whistled.
“You do realize I haven’t had any alcohol since 2 years ago?” Lina said eyeing the green liquid greedily.
“Because of Khan?”
“Yeah…”
“You know what this means right?” he wiggled his eyebrows looking down at her.
Lina took a deep breath.
“PARTY PEOPLE~!!”
Somehow they found some music. And flashy lights. And karaoke machine. This was JeJe of the Dobs’ house after all. And they boiled various sorts of ramyeon and had it seated on the floor but not before they had laid various bed covers, blankets and pillows on it, because they kept on insisting that they’re old and their crappy bones need cushions even though she’s barely 30 and Taec’s still freaking 27, with 2 days away from his 28th birthday.
They turn off the lights save just for the colourful flashy lights which would look a lot better on a Christmas tree than on the fireplace, and there’s a light coming from the outside because it’s just so white out there. And they sing and dance, and eat, and drink, and then do it all over again. And they keep on wondering when they’re gonna throw up, but Lina just dances and sweats the alcohol out, while Taec can eat as much as Chan when he tries, so they just continue goofing around and having a really non-Christian Christmas Eve, more like… some upgraded MT party just for 2, until they have tried all the drinks, and eventually they just settle down on soju, just to be safe, and Taec figures he should check the time. He gasps. It’s almost 2 am.
“Shit,” he rubs his face and looks at her. “Merry Christmas.”
Lina opens her eyes wide and sets her bottle of soju aside as she assaults him, takes his face into her hands and places a juicy kiss on his right cheek.
“Merry Christmas,” she declares happily and goes back to her happy place, playing with the bottle of soju in one hand and a karaoke microphone in the other.
Taec blinks a few times like a nonplussed teen and touches his cheek. His brain is a bit clouded due to all the alcohol consumed, but he’s just too big (and had way too much of ramen) to be completely drunk, so he’s still capable of logic reasoning and he knows, he just KNOWS she’s not too drunk as well. She just feels herself around him, and he knows she’s sometimes prone to hit-and-run deeds, when she does something before thinking, just because she feels like it. And he suddenly wonders if he should just try and run after her this time.
“리나…”
“응?” she’s as responsive as ever.
“난 안되겠니?”
She stretches her back slowly, because that sounds vaguely familiar, and turns her head at him with one of her eyes closed.
“Are you trying to truth or dare me?” she asks.
“You’ve never answered,” he’s looking at her with his head lowered, and the look on his face turns out to be rather fierce with his black hair slightly dishevelled and a bit damp around the edges because he’s sweating. His cheekbones sharp against the flashy lights and his jaw set.
“Because I don’t know the answer,” she shakes her head.
“I dare you,” his low voice rumbles and even with all the alcohol consumed she suddenly feels nervous.
“Eh,” she gathers her legs together and gets up to her feet, ready to throw an empty bottle away. “That would never work, Taec, and you know it.”
She’s just half way there to the kitchen, when he catches up with her and pins her to the wall. She gasps and lets the bottle go. It falls on the wooden floor, but doesn’t shatter, because the glass is thick enough, so it just rolls down towards the fireplace.
“It’s Christmas,” he towers above her and she realizes he’s actually taller than Hoon. “Miracles happen,” he grips her wrists.
“Miracles end at dawn,” she doesn’t try to get away, because she’s not scared of him, it’s just… different and new. There’s his trademark smirk playing on the corner of his lips.
“I suppose we still have an hour or two,” he leans closer. “Or three or four…” his breath reeks of noodles, alcohol and hot spices, but she’s pretty sure she smells the same so she doesn’t shudder when he kisses her, she just waits for him to pull back, because really, it’s Taec. The one she’s known since the age of 7. How in the world it could…
But something clicks when she opens her mouth to breathe in an absent-minded fashion and it deepens the kiss, and he opens his eyes alarmed and pulls back away flushed, his ears going so red, they are redder than the red flashy lights on the fireplace.
“Shit,” he covers his mouth, looking at her with frantic eyes. He pants heavily.
“Damn,” she scratches her head and slaps self, because it actually freaking works. It works with all the butterflies and snakes in the pit of your stomach, and pounding hearts and blood pressure going off the roof.
It works so well he’s all over her again the next second and he growls as he tears her clothes off, and her hands slips underneath his shirt and it leads to her nails clawing into his back as he bites her, and it’s not your average way to spend Christmas, but shit happens. Miracles too.
---------------------------------------------------------
* 죽을래? - Jugeullae? - Wanna die?
* ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ - Kkkkkk...
* 아니오, 언니, 나야 - Anio, eonni, naya, - No, eonni, it's me.
* 리아... 응? 난 안 되겠니? - Lina... Eung? Nan an dwaegenni? - Lina... Hm? Can't it be me?
Have a Happy New Year~ ^O^
And a bit of Taec meat... *evil*
(DE_HANA?)
CHRONOLOGY
1. Nuna Appeal
2. Dilemma
3. Take Me
4. This one :)
-4-
“Maybe I should drive,” he says and the next moment he realizes he’s made a mistake judging from the look she sends him.
“죽을래?”
“I suppose not,” Taec folds his big arms across his chest, his coat creaking in protest, and leans back in the passenger’s seat.
It’s snowing tons, it’s dark and they’re terribly late. Actually, they can’t complain, because it was their idea to celebrate Christmas Eve with the whole extended family out of town, or more like - some 400 kilometres away from home at a Jinyo mansion close to the national park, at an extremely mountainous area. It’s just that it’s already past 8pm and their land-rover is muddling along the hilly road at some ridiculous 30km/h, because it’s virtually impossible to go any faster. Wipers can barely keep up with the snow that comes crashing onto the front window, and even despite the anti-fog lights the visibility is no more than some 10 metres ahead. Perfect conditions for driving really. And they’re still some 200 km away from their destination. Great.
It’s not that Taec doesn’t trust her driving skills - he knows she wouldn’t do anything reckless, but she’s been driving around ever since early morning and she must be tired and… but he knows better than to ask again, so he just sulks in his seat, thinking that they really messed up. They were supposed to leave yesterday, just like everybody else, but noooo… he was the one to stay behind to finish some unfinished business, and she found some papers which Sohee had forgotten to send out, and naturally, she decided to fill everything in and send it herself.
This whole procrastination left them 12 hours behind the whole family schedule, yet no one worried much, because there still was some time left. But of course, they didn’t take into consideration the blizzard. By the time they left the city the sky was still cloudless except for some smog germs, however, once they were in the country side the hell broke loose.
“I thought shit like this happens only in my country,” she grumbled bypassing a huge lump of snow drift on the road.
“That’s cuz you’ve never been this far up north in December,” Taec pointed out.
“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” she jeered back when her phone vibrated, lying next to the transmission box. Taec reached out to answer it. “If it’s Woo again,” she said totally focused on the road. “Tell him we’re gonna be there in like… 5 hours.”
Taec stared at the display.
“Nah, it’s hyung…”
She stopped the car abruptly in the middle of the road and Taec would’ve lurched forwards if it weren’t for the seatbelt. Lina took the phone from him without a second glance.
“Yeah?”
“Hey, how is it going?” his distinctive, low and slightly raspy voice made her realize how much she wanted to be over there in a warm mansion with everybody right now, but then again his question sounded like some sort of a mockery.
“Currently at 0 km/h. Though I think our average is some 25km/h, and we’re just half way there.”
“Ah, damn,” he sounded disappointed. “I called the county office and they said their snow-blower brigades are gonna be out only at 9am in the morning, really sorry about that, hun.”
“Well, it’s not like one can raise one’s hand and clean everything in one swipe, you know,” she rubbed her eyes; driving in such conditions had really exhausted her. “We’ll get there eventually, but I suppose you should start the dinner without us, don’t waste the food.”
“Are you sure?” he sounded reluctant, but Lina could swear she heard his stomach rumble even through the phone.
“Yes, I’m sure,” she nodded and Taec snorted in the light of this useless action which earned him yet another sharp jab in the arm. “We have diet bars and low-fat yogurt, perfect Christmas Eve dinner, woohoo~”
“ㅋㅋㅋㅋ…” he chuckled. “Well, if you say so, but I’ll stay up waiting for you. Just so you know.”
She wanted to go all “d’awwwww” because it really melted her heart, but by doing that she would risk turning on Taec’s mockery machine and Lina really didn’t want to deal with that on Christmas Eve, so instead she just asked:
“How’s Khan?”
“Oh, he’s fine,” Hoon’s voice was light and kind-hearted. “Keeps asking about you though. I think we’re just gonna put him to bed soon…”
There was a distinctive poking into her 3rd rib and she knew the cue.
“And what about Seolli?”
“Same. Playing with Woo’s kids. We’ve put them all into this big ring kind of thing, so they wouldn’t wander off. The mansion isn’t too suitable for kids, you know.”
“Yeah… so listen, I’ll call when we…” she was about to hang up, when throughout the whole tapping of snow onto the car roof and hood and the howling of the wind she heard something else. It was a low rumble, then it grew louder and louder and with Taec’s disappointed “Oh Shit, God hell no…” the road in front of them became a big white wall - the rocky hill on the right side of the road had just “endowed” them with a considerable avalanche.
“Ah crap…” she cursed.
“Lina?” Hoon sounded worried. “Lina, what happened?”
“I think our road’s just disappeared…” she looked at the rear view mirrors. “And judging from weather conditions… I guess we’re stuck in the car for the night until those snow-blowers come at what…? 9am?”
“Damn,” he was really disappointed. “I can hop in one of our land cruisers and get over to you quick…”
“And die trying… no seriously, stay put Hoon, it’s enough we’re stuck here,” something beeped and Lina decided it’s best to end the conversation quick. “Look, we won’t starve, and the car battery is full enough to keep us warm through the night, don’t worry. I’ve gotta hang up now, cuz my phone’s battery on the other hand is low, so…”
“Yeah, I get it… see you tomorrow then, stay warm and safe.”
“You too.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
Taec waited. And waited. And waited. But nothing came. She was just staring dumbly and the dashboard, clenching the phone in her hand.
“Damn,” she sighed eventually.
“Whoah…” Taec unfastened his seatbelt. “And I thought you were about to go ballistic…”
“Trust me,” Lina murmured; her forehead on the wheel. “I’m so mad right now I could just break you in half.”
*gasp*
“Why me T.T” Taec pouted. “I didn’t do any of this.”
“Just because you’re here.”
“Oh wow, so much for being kind and keeping you company.”
“You had no other way,” she pointed out the obvious.
“I feel so loved T^T,” Taec still continued with his drama queen act. Lina turned off the headlights, as the snow just kept falling and falling and falling…
“I just hope Hoonie breaks the news to his cousin as careful as possible…” she said.
“What news?” Taec frowned.
“That you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere with me.”
“Why?” he sounded totally innocent and clueless. Lina looked up at him with an incredulous look in her eyes.
“ㅉ… Because your wife hates me, THAT’S why. If you haven’t noticed, she’s been convinced for the past 8 years that we’re having an affair.”
“Really? I just thought she used to have threesome fantasies of you, me and Woo.”
…
…
…
“I would slap you if I weren’t this tired,” Lina declared. Taec just grinned his toothy grin. And her phone vibrated again. It was Woo’s number this time. She groaned and answered with: “Look, I’ve told Hoon already that…”
“아니오, 언니, 나야…” there was a soft female voice, one you could never forget once you’ve heard it.
“Sunhye?” Lina blinked.
“Eonni, I know you’re low on battery, so I’ll be quick, but just in case, oppa also has his phone right?” Sunhye sounded really eager and Lina glanced at Taec, who was in the middle of fishing his phone from his pocket, but just as he did, he opened the door and left the car with a terrible gust of wind and snow. “Err… I think he just went out to answer a call from Diva, so you’d better be quick, Sunhye-ya.”
“Ok,” she breathed in and Lina could already see her putting an “I can do this” expression on her pretty face. “Eonni, Hoonie-oppa said you’re stuck somewhere half way right?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know the exact kilometre?”
“Umm… the last road sign said 204 km to the National Park… that was like a mile ago, why?”
Sunhye just mumbled something under her breath as if counting.
“Then you’re close! Eonni~” Lina could swear she was beaming. “At that road sign you’ve mentioned, there’s a turn to the left and some 2 km up the road, my oppa has an escape house.”
“JeJe has whut?” Lina went O.o
“An escape house,” Sunhye repeated. “It’s a small house at the top of a hill where he sometimes goes to relax and just escape from everything. It doesn’t have a TV, radio or internet, but it’s fully equipped with heated floor and electricity and even has a big food vault.”
“Well, that’s JeJe for you…” uttered Lina suddenly feeling optimistic at the prospect of warm floor and decent food on Christmas Eve.
“Think you can make it?” Sunhye asked.
“I have Taec, he’s as good as a personal pilot-engine,” Lina shrugged, as her answer sent the girl at the other end giggling. “Thanks Sunhye.”
“Anytime, I suppose it’s better than staying in a car through the night ^__^.”
“Yeah, tha-“ her battery died. “--nk you…”
She put her dead phone in her pocket reaching out for her bag on the back seat, as Taec came back from the outside, resembling a very well-built snowman.
“Well?” she cocked an eyebrow.
“She told me to sleep in the passenger’s seat and let you occupy the back seat,” he reported shaking off the snow.
“Figures,” Lina rolled her eyes, opening her door. “Get your stuff and out. We’re saved,” and she got into the freezing hell.
This “we’re saved” was a very relative phrase, because they had to go down the road they’ve come up before some 2 km, then find a road sign (Taec almost bumped his forehead into it, because cell phones were NOT decent flashlights), take a turn left and then up the hill for another 3 km. Add darkness, snow, wind, freeze and tiredness to this all, and you have an almost 2 hour-long walk.
By the time they actually reached the escape house - which was a western type wooden 2-storey house comfortably perched on a hilltop, it was close to 11pm already, and they both were completely cold, tired, wired, exhausted and suffering from sore throats, because talking in such weather clearly hadn’t been a good idea. But they couldn’t stay shut. That’s what Lina and Taec were all about really - talking. Even if it meant losing one’s voice in the process.
As they stood at the entrance to the house, they realized no one had the key. Or knew the code. But, as Lina pointed out, with daehans it was easy. The house didn’t need a key in the first place, because the door had a code lock, and as usual the code was the owner’s birthday. They made it right only on the second time, though. Damn you daehans and your habit of registering your kids whenever, Lina grumbled punching in the second try, and luckily, with February the 4th the door clicked opened.
“Open Sesame…” Taec raised his arms up, as if to sing another verse of “Halleluiah” and they both trod inside.
They kicked off their wet shoes and left soaked coats in the lobby, throwing their bags aside and charging in to explore the house like little kids. They switched on the lights immediately and Taec found the floor heating and turned it on. The whole interior was very… wooden. Almost like that of a small house on a prairie, the ones you see in old movies. It had soft dark and light brown tones and the whole ground floor was a huge room with a fire place and an open kitchen, and big windows from floor to ceiling, looking out into the mountainous landscape. It was very clean. And even smelled nice. It was really Jeje’s place. But…
“Is it just me or this is not just your average escape house?” Lina said looking around and then heading towards the kitchen. Sunhye said there was a food vault, but she was too tired to go and deal with kimchi and what not right now. She just hoped for some water and perhaps instant noodles.
“Yeah…” Taec scratched his head. “It kinda looks like JeJe-hyung’s love nest or something…”
“My thoughts exactly,” she spotted an electric kettle and heaved a sigh of relief inwardly.
“Whom do you think he brings here? Men or women?” Taec’s question was random, but not completely unexpected.
“… … …” she really pondered it. “… … both?”
Taec couldn’t help but snort and clap, and nod, indicating they shared a similar trail of thought.
“Oh yay, we have ramyeon,” Lina announced going through the cupboards. “Lots and lots of ramyeon and…” she opened the silvery fridge with lion paw prints on it. “Oh.My.Gawd.” she gasped.
Taec ran to her. He was there in no time keeping in mind his stupid long legs. He stood next to her and eyed the contents of the fridge. Alcohol. Lots of alcohol. All kinds of alcohol. Wine, beer, soju, sake, vodka, scotch, whiskey, liqueur, cider and even…
“SHIT!!” Lina reached out for something on the side rack on the fridge door. She pulled out a bottle full of green liquid and turned to Taec with her mouth gaping open.
“JeJe-hyung sure knows his liquor,” he whistled.
“You do realize I haven’t had any alcohol since 2 years ago?” Lina said eyeing the green liquid greedily.
“Because of Khan?”
“Yeah…”
“You know what this means right?” he wiggled his eyebrows looking down at her.
Lina took a deep breath.
“PARTY PEOPLE~!!”
Somehow they found some music. And flashy lights. And karaoke machine. This was JeJe of the Dobs’ house after all. And they boiled various sorts of ramyeon and had it seated on the floor but not before they had laid various bed covers, blankets and pillows on it, because they kept on insisting that they’re old and their crappy bones need cushions even though she’s barely 30 and Taec’s still freaking 27, with 2 days away from his 28th birthday.
They turn off the lights save just for the colourful flashy lights which would look a lot better on a Christmas tree than on the fireplace, and there’s a light coming from the outside because it’s just so white out there. And they sing and dance, and eat, and drink, and then do it all over again. And they keep on wondering when they’re gonna throw up, but Lina just dances and sweats the alcohol out, while Taec can eat as much as Chan when he tries, so they just continue goofing around and having a really non-Christian Christmas Eve, more like… some upgraded MT party just for 2, until they have tried all the drinks, and eventually they just settle down on soju, just to be safe, and Taec figures he should check the time. He gasps. It’s almost 2 am.
“Shit,” he rubs his face and looks at her. “Merry Christmas.”
Lina opens her eyes wide and sets her bottle of soju aside as she assaults him, takes his face into her hands and places a juicy kiss on his right cheek.
“Merry Christmas,” she declares happily and goes back to her happy place, playing with the bottle of soju in one hand and a karaoke microphone in the other.
Taec blinks a few times like a nonplussed teen and touches his cheek. His brain is a bit clouded due to all the alcohol consumed, but he’s just too big (and had way too much of ramen) to be completely drunk, so he’s still capable of logic reasoning and he knows, he just KNOWS she’s not too drunk as well. She just feels herself around him, and he knows she’s sometimes prone to hit-and-run deeds, when she does something before thinking, just because she feels like it. And he suddenly wonders if he should just try and run after her this time.
“리나…”
“응?” she’s as responsive as ever.
“난 안되겠니?”
She stretches her back slowly, because that sounds vaguely familiar, and turns her head at him with one of her eyes closed.
“Are you trying to truth or dare me?” she asks.
“You’ve never answered,” he’s looking at her with his head lowered, and the look on his face turns out to be rather fierce with his black hair slightly dishevelled and a bit damp around the edges because he’s sweating. His cheekbones sharp against the flashy lights and his jaw set.
“Because I don’t know the answer,” she shakes her head.
“I dare you,” his low voice rumbles and even with all the alcohol consumed she suddenly feels nervous.
“Eh,” she gathers her legs together and gets up to her feet, ready to throw an empty bottle away. “That would never work, Taec, and you know it.”
She’s just half way there to the kitchen, when he catches up with her and pins her to the wall. She gasps and lets the bottle go. It falls on the wooden floor, but doesn’t shatter, because the glass is thick enough, so it just rolls down towards the fireplace.
“It’s Christmas,” he towers above her and she realizes he’s actually taller than Hoon. “Miracles happen,” he grips her wrists.
“Miracles end at dawn,” she doesn’t try to get away, because she’s not scared of him, it’s just… different and new. There’s his trademark smirk playing on the corner of his lips.
“I suppose we still have an hour or two,” he leans closer. “Or three or four…” his breath reeks of noodles, alcohol and hot spices, but she’s pretty sure she smells the same so she doesn’t shudder when he kisses her, she just waits for him to pull back, because really, it’s Taec. The one she’s known since the age of 7. How in the world it could…
But something clicks when she opens her mouth to breathe in an absent-minded fashion and it deepens the kiss, and he opens his eyes alarmed and pulls back away flushed, his ears going so red, they are redder than the red flashy lights on the fireplace.
“Shit,” he covers his mouth, looking at her with frantic eyes. He pants heavily.
“Damn,” she scratches her head and slaps self, because it actually freaking works. It works with all the butterflies and snakes in the pit of your stomach, and pounding hearts and blood pressure going off the roof.
It works so well he’s all over her again the next second and he growls as he tears her clothes off, and her hands slips underneath his shirt and it leads to her nails clawing into his back as he bites her, and it’s not your average way to spend Christmas, but shit happens. Miracles too.
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* 죽을래? - Jugeullae? - Wanna die?
* ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ - Kkkkkk...
* 아니오, 언니, 나야 - Anio, eonni, naya, - No, eonni, it's me.
* 리아... 응? 난 안 되겠니? - Lina... Eung? Nan an dwaegenni? - Lina... Hm? Can't it be me?