The Pavilion in the Rain
The mountain valley showers were impossible to predict. In the brief moment it took them to reach the pavilion, rain poured down so hard they couldn't see a thing in front of them.
“Haah… haah.”
The two of them arrived beneath the pavilion and caught their breath, staring out at the ferocious sheets of rain.
“Will we be all right?”
Soaked to the bone and looking for all the world like a drowned rabbit, Dajeong hugged her arms tightly around herself and shivered.
Taekyung glanced around, then stretched an arm up toward the ceiling and flicked the light on with a soft click.
The bare bulb, strung up with a single clumsy wire, crackled and sputtered as it cast a faint orange glow.
“Too much luggage. It’s cramped.”
The pavilion seemed to be storage space for the chicken soup house; menu boards and low tables were stacked in a messy pile.
“Still, we’re lucky there’s somewhere to get out of the rain.”
Dajeong sat down against the plastic-covered luggage, drawing her knees up. The space was barely big enough for two or three people to sit squeezed together, and with a man of his size beside her it felt even tighter, so she curled herself into as small a ball as possible.
“We’re going to need something to cover up with.”
Taekyung looked this way and that, but nothing useful was in sight.
“Are you cold?”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re shivering, Dr. Yu Dajeong.”
“…….”
He was right. It was summer, but after drinking and getting soaked she was starting to feel a bone-deep chill. Even so, Dajeong squared her shoulders with stubborn composure and straightened her posture.
“It’s localized heavy rain. It should stop soon.”
After checking the weather forecast on his phone, Taekyung cast his gaze outside. Dajeong followed his line of sight and suddenly cried out.
“The stepping stones are underwater!”
Unbelievable. Something she had only ever seen on the news was happening right in front of her. The valley stream had swollen with terrifying speed, roaring and surging until it completely swallowed the stepping stones the two of them had crossed only moments earlier.
“Will we be able to get back safely…?”
“We have to. Once the rain stops the water level will drop. We’ll be fine.”
“What if the valley water rises all the way up here?”
“Negative fantasies aren’t particularly helpful for solving problems.”
“……!”
Couldn’t she even worry out loud? Dajeong’s lips pouted after the sharp reprimand. Taekyung dropped down and settled himself firmly on her right side.
Secretary Kim had already been sent back to Seoul. In a real emergency they could call 119, but the forecast said the rain would stop soon, so for now they simply had to wait it out.
Having finished his rational calculations, Taekyung stared silently up at the dark night sky. Dajeong likewise held her trembling body tightly and kept quiet.
Only the terrifying drum of rain against the pavilion roof and the deep roar of the massive current cut through the chilly air.
“…….”
Isolated by a sudden downpour. Alone with CEO Jang Taekyung, no less.
Even in this urgent situation she was uncomfortably aware of the man beside her. Whenever she was near him, her solar plexus would tighten out of habit and her throat would seize shut.
Ahem. Dajeong cleared her throat for no good reason and fidgeted with her fingernails.
How much time passed like that?
The rain showed no intention of letting up.
“They’re not answering.”
She tried calling Lee Suhui and her other colleagues, but whether they were too busy having fun or not, no one picked up and no one replied to her messages either.
On top of that—
I’m so sleepy…
Her oblivious instincts kept trying to drag her eyelids shut. After drinking for the first time in ages on a body that still hadn’t recovered from fatigue, and then getting soaked on top of it, the result was only natural.
But she absolutely could not fall asleep. The angle was perfect for her head to tip right onto Taekyung’s shoulder if she wasn’t careful.
To stay awake, she decided she might as well make conversation.
What topic would work? Dajeong fought her drooping eyelids and tried hard to think of something. Should she bring up the small clash they’d had earlier at the outdoor faucet—the part that had been bothering her?
While she was still turning it over in her mind—
“The new head of Pediatrics will be appointed in two days.”
The man’s clean-cut lips opened first, his tone calm and matter-of-fact.
“I’ve already ordered them to minimize any gaps in the professors’ work, so talk over whatever paper or whatever it is with the new department head when they arrive.”
Dajeong blinked for a moment, then dipped her head in a small bow.
“Yes. Thank you.”
“As for the overseas training, I don’t particularly feel like helping with that.”
…When had she ever asked him for help?
She tilted her head in confusion, and the corner of Taekyung’s mouth curved slightly.
“But. Are you going for overseas training? Where to?”
“Nothing’s confirmed. I just… wanted to go if the chance came up.”
That handsome face tilted a little further in her direction.
“I was thinking of SickKids Hospital in Canada—it’s a children’s hospital that treats more pediatric heart disease cases than anywhere else in the world—”
Those deep eyes studying her so intently seemed even more profound than usual today. Under that pouring gaze, Dajeong swallowed dryly.
Was it because the rain had left her wilted? Suddenly she wondered why she was telling this man her most private thoughts. Even the future ambitions she had never shared with her classmates.
But seeing Taekyung listening with unexpected attentiveness, she found herself chattering on at length without meaning to.
“……So for now, I’m just doing my best.”
“Canada. That’s far.”
It was a simple yet strangely odd reaction.
“Pardon? Ah, yes—Toronto, so even a direct flight takes about fourteen hours.”
Dajeong’s brow furrowed slightly. Just as she was starting to regret having spoken so seriously—
“Uh…”
A high-pitched ringing filled her ears and the world spun. Sudden dizziness crashed over her all at once.
Why was this happening?
“What’s wrong. Is the alcohol hitting you?”
Just as she swayed and was about to collapse, Taekyung caught her.
“You’re the high-maintenance type, I see.”
That wasn’t it. Something felt wrong—her stomach was churning as if something was off.
Without even the strength to make excuses, Dajeong simply gasped for breath, trying to steady her breathing.
Anemia? Why all of a sudden…
“I… I’m all right now.”
He slowly righted her body where it had tilted toward him—still keeping her trapped within the circle of his arm.
What is this. This is even more embarrassing…
Half-cradled against one of his arms, she met his eyes and saw a strange light flicker in them.
Through the cool, damp air, his hot breath felt even more vivid.
In other words—it was erotic. Intensely so.
She twisted, trying to free herself from his arm.
“……!”
Instead, Taekyung only tightened his hold and pulled her closer.
“……Normally,”
His voice had dropped into a low, rumbling growl.
“people kiss at times like this.”
His full lips looked especially red. Thump, thump, thump. Her heart felt ready to burst, making her dizzy.
“Y-You’re different from ordinary people, CEO…”
Every thought stopped. She spat out whatever came to mind without even knowing what she was saying, and those firm eyes curved into a lazy, languid smile.
“I’m not the type to miss an opportunity.”
His thumb brushed lightly over her lower lip before sliding down to her chin.
“So. Do you dislike it?”
“…….”
“I’m good at it. Kissing.”
He pressed lightly on her small chin, parting her lips. At the same time his hand tilted her face up with practiced skill.
The moment he lowered his head and closed the distance—
“I…!”
Dajeong managed to push his lips away with her hand at the last second and cried out almost pleadingly.
“I don’t kiss people I’m not even dating!”
“Ah. So you’re saying we should date right now.”
“What?”
How on earth did that logic work?
“I don’t date employees who work under me.”
The hand that tucked her damp hair behind her ear moved far too slowly.
Did hair even have nerves? The instant his fingers touched her, a tingling chill swept down her spine.
While his lips tossed out nothing but ambiguous words, his dark, cool eyes were boiling with undisguised heat.
That only made her more confused. She had no idea what meaning this man attached to the word “kiss.”
He was probably just getting swept up in the sultry atmosphere and acting on impulse.
But what if—just what if—there was even the tiniest bit of sincerity mixed in?
…Either way, it was equally problematic. In that brief moment every kind of thought tangled chaotically in her head.
As if he could see straight into her mind, the corner of his mouth lifted in a slanted smile.
“It’s just a kiss. There’s something I need to check.”
“W-What do you need to check—”
Exactly. Why did he keep wanting to swallow those soft, moving lips of hers? Fuck, he wasn’t some animal in heat.
Taekyung swallowed the curse rising in his throat.
He had always taken whatever he wanted and done whatever he felt like.
This should be the same—he could just do it and be done with it. Why was he bothering with all these explanations?
But he couldn’t say it honestly either.
Lately, every time he looked at Yu Dajeong something sharp had been quietly goading him, and of course it had chosen this exact moment—when the two of them were completely isolated—to show its true face.
If he honestly admitted he was checking whether that irritation came from her or whether he simply needed a temporary outlet for lust—
this proud, indifferent woman would slam up every wall she had and run.
“You’ll know if you cooperate.”
So there was no need to say anything more. Taekyung looked into her wavering eyes and cupped her small face in his hands.