In hindsight, Yeon Joo doesn't know why she agreed to this in the first place. He did ask nicely enough, yet there was something about his eyes…the way they seemed to be undressing her in every possible way, sizing her up and liking what they saw, that made her burn from head to toe. He didn't expect her to say yes, she knew that. Maybe she said it just because of that. Maybe it was because of the catch in his voice this time that gave the words more meaning (not too long ago he'd been sure he would never have this chance).
The raw want in his eyes has been there a long while, and though it makes her nervous, part of her revels in it.
Maybe it's that after all this time, all the variables they'd countered and now hard they fought to get to this point, it seemed foolish to waste any more time pretending to take things slow. He is hers in all but deed, he makes sure she knows that with even the most casual of touches, and she's been his in her soul for so long now. There is something in her that will always ache for him. Now, having finally beaten the odds…they have catching up to do, as Chul said. But this…
It starts slow. Love is a patient thing, but ultimately Chul is not, and she knows it, and she loves him for it as she loves him for all the things he is. Her unconditional acceptance is met with curiosity and a lively interest, coupled with tenderness, trust, and a sweet protective streak, all overlaid with a strong physical attraction that he never lets her forget. He's always touching her in small ways, buckling her seatbelt for her when they go driving, brushing a hand through her hair, kissing her forehead in quiet moments (he often needs reassurance, she finds, that she is still there and breathing and warm to the touch). All in all, a good recipe for a lasting relationship, but not the best combination for "taking it slow," as he once put it, not in the long term.
In the end, it all comes together. They don't plan it. They gravitate. Two worlds colliding.
It's the most mundane sort of occasion that makes Chul realize. They're just in the studio as usual after work, and Yeon Joo is discussing her last surgery with him and he's pretending to understand (in the end, though they both require fine engineering, human beings work nothing like computers). He nods and takes stock of the things she says and makes a mental note to research the terms she uses later so he's not confused on the difference between arrhythmia and arteriosus. She asks him if he wants ramyeon.
He realizes then that he can't live around these things anymore. He can't let these moments pass, can't let her go another moment without knowing how much he adores her, how beautiful she is, how he could listen to her talk all day. How she is his life, and he couldn't imagine an ending happier than this. He can't think of the words to phrase these things because so much of it is beyond words and he knows, perhaps somewhat cynically, that so much of it is the mood. The warm sunlight of the studio and the first heady rush of love, so new to someone like him. He goes with it, though. He wants to be with her a long, long time. He wants to be old and still feel these things.
Yeon Joo trails off mid-sentence, noticing his silence and interpreting it as the lovestruck daze it is.
"What?" she asks.
She already knows what. He can clearly sense the satisfaction in the word, that birdlike tilt of her head that he loves and the quirk of her lips.
He kisses her. He doesn't ask first and she doesn't seem to mind, leaning in eagerly to the touch and looping her arms around his neck in a way that feels right, feels more than familiar. The studio is quiet and has a cozy, deserted feel to it.
Kissing Chul is something you can get lost in, Yeon Joo reflects. He is all soft lips and hypnotic motion and his hands cup her face with such gentleness, his right thumb tracing lazy circles against her skin. Chul's in no hurry; he's enjoying the intimacy and the empty studio and the little noises she makes when he positions her closer, his hands drifting downwards to rest warm against her hips. She feels brave suddenly, tingly all over and drunk on the feel of his lips. He's good at everything, honestly, but the way he kisses…
She barely notices her hands moving until they're threaded through his soft hair, tugging a little on the strands to access a new angle of his mouth. Chul seems to like this, because he breathes in sharply through his nose and suddenly he's backing her up until her knees hit a solid surface and he's pressed full length against her, sliding a knee between hers to prop her up against the kitchen counter and oh, they're in new territory now for certain. He seems almost elated by this, a sort of triumph over his old self.
Therefore it may or may not be deliberate, the way he abandons the kiss for a moment in favor of taking her lower lip gently between his teeth, catching and tugging on it softly. This produces a sound from Yeon Joo that's somewhere between a gasp and a whimper (the old Chul may have seen her nude, but this one is the first to elicit such a noise, he notes with deep satisfaction). He'd always wondered what would happen if he did that, and the result is more than gratifying. Her head tips back and his follows, and now she's almost limp-bodied between him and the counter.
Yeon Joo doesn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed when his hold on her loosens and he falls still. They separate, both breathing heavily from a combination of oxygen loss and and heady excitement, and she thinks the way he pants is nothing short of glorious.
In the aftermath of the kiss, they stay inhabiting the same space. The same small universe. They hold one another as they calm down, her hands stroking up and down his back, his head resting against the crook of her neck and shoulder, the ends of his hair tickling her cheek pleasantly. He smells like soap and the slightest hint of that expensive cologne he likes. The result is spicy-fresh and more than nice, in Yeon Joo's opinion. She always enjoys these little touches, almost more than she enjoys the kissing itself. It seems even more intimate, somehow sacred.
Unknown to Yeon Joo, Chul vows then and there not to rest until he's learned the full range of sounds she can make, has learned every inch of her inside and out. In time, though. For now he smiles, half at the ridiculousness of being in love and drunk on sunlight and kisses, and the relief that he's allowed this at last, and half at the knowledge that there is much, much more to come. She just doesn't know it yet.
She leaves soon afterward, after one last kiss to the forehead and promises to meet tomorrow for another coffee date, or possibly at home (as much as it makes them feel like a pair of naughty teenagers, it all depends on whether her mother is home or not). As much as they enjoy one other's company, Yeon Joo is never one to stay long in her father's studio, especially not after dark. Chul knows why. He himself often wished, on the nights after he got out of prison, that he had another place to go besides his own house. Whether that would have made things significantly better or not, he couldn't say. At any rate, Yeon Joo only seems to stop by long enough to see him whenever she gets off work, and perhaps snatch a kiss or two in their moments alone (their total has hit twelve now; he's been counting). Tonight she's gone before the sun starts to get low, leaving Chul alone to contemplate how he's going to stage this.
On the one hand, she's been much less shy recently. He's been doing research, if you could call it that, in his spare time, and there's been plenty of it. For the moment he has neither work nor any significant hobby besides learning as much as he can and planning for their future, and it's starting to make him itch a little. He wills himself to be patient. There's plenty he's eager to see and do with her, after all, but he doesn't want to rush or make her uncomfortable. Rather, he wants to be as good as he can to her. As himself, as her husband. It's the least he can do to make up for everything they've lost. It's been months, and he's ready for a change, but in the end the impetus will have to come from her. But…how?
Chul taps his fingers against his lower lip, considering. Suddenly he straightens - smiles to himself. There's a thought blossoming at the back of his mind and he's optimistic - no, certain - it will work. It has to. Ideas, after all, have always been his forte.
계속 (to be continued.)
a/n: the actual title of this work is "Worlds Collide." unfortunately, I had to rename it so it would show more easily on search results, since W fic is more or less a precious commodity.