Chapter 5: Rain on the Roof

It started to rain on the drive back, a hard autumn rain that turned the windshield into a moving sheet of silver.

Tae-hwan drove himself, both gloved hands tight on the wheel.

Seon-ho sat in the passenger seat with the long charcoal coat still around his shoulders and his arm still tingling.

Neither of them said a word.

At the first red light, Tae-hwan said, "I'll take you home."

"Sinchon's the other way."

"Then I'll turn around."

"You have a second hand," Seon-ho said. "I only did one."

The light turned green.

Tae-hwan did not move.

Behind them a taxi honked, and he finally pulled forward, and the car went up the hill to Mapo instead.

On the roof the rain was loud.

It drummed on the old tin awning over the iron stair and ran off the edge in ropes.

Inside the flat the lamp made a small yellow room out of the dark.

Tae-hwan stood by the door and did not take off his gloves.

"You should go," he said. "You bled in front of me today. I shouldn't have let it happen."

"It was an arm."

"It was an arm today."

"Tae-hwan." Seon-ho had walked up close without noticing. "I'm standing here. I'm fine. Nothing happened to me."

"Nothing happened yet."

"Then I'll tell you when something does."

Tae-hwan looked at him.

The rain made a curtain behind the window glass, and the lamp made his dark eyes look soft for the first time.

"I don't know how to do this," he said.

"I haven't let anyone near me in two years. I don't know what to do with my hands."

"Then don't do anything with them."

"That isn't how it works."

"Let me," Seon-ho said.

He put both hands on the front of the black shirt, flat and warm.

He felt the heartbeat jump under his palms.

Tae-hwan did not move.

Seon-ho went up on his toes, because the man was a head taller, and kissed him.

It was a small kiss, uncertain, a brush of the mouth.

For one second Tae-hwan went rigid.

Then he made a low sound in his throat.

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