Work Text:
Rain
~Reckless Noona~
Ha-ri excused herself from work early that day. She’d been anxious ever since she saw the hovering dark clouds in the morning – and she was out of her office the second she saw the first raindrops hitting the window.
She rushed upstairs, waving to Secretary Cha in the hallway – he looked a little hesitant but nodded back. She didn’t even knock as she entered the President’s office, finding herself face to face with Kang Tae-moo and a couple of foreigners sitting on the sofa. He raised an eyebrow at her arrival, since she was still clad in her white lab coat and slippers.
“Uh,” she said, trying to think of something. This was not the time to introduce herself or explain the reason why she rushed here. “Good morning?”
The foreigners looked at her, and then looked back at him. A moment passed, and then he broke into a chuckle.
“That’s the lead scientist that has been working on European localization of this product,” he said – introducing her in a professional capacity. Ha-ri sighed in relief.
“And my wife,” he added after a pause, grinning. ‘This man.'
The men turned towards her, greeting her. They invited her to sit with them, which she refused. She smiled politely and bowed, trying to make a hasty exit.
However, the older of the two gentlemen noted her impatience. “Seems like you have an important appointment, Mr. Kang. We should continue tomorrow.”
Kang Tae-moo agreed and got up – seeing them off at the door. He also put an arm around her. As soon as they left, Ha-ri exclaimed, “You didn’t have to tell them that!”
“Why not?” He asked, and pulled her closer. “Come on.” He said, bringing her to the small couch in front of the window instead of where he was sitting before.
“Because I clearly don’t look like the president’s wife right now,” she replied, “I am not well dressed, I smell of kimchi, and my hair is all messy, I am still wearing slippers – I could have just pretended I lost my way instead.” She continued, as he pulled her next to himself.
“What Is this president’s wife look you are talking about?” He asked, willing to humor her, as he slid his arm behind her neck.
“I mean – more put together –maybe a bit of make-up, formal shoes, manicured nails, a pretty dress- “ She sat upright and animatedly described the look pointing at herself.
“My wife rarely dresses like that though.”
“That is because you married a researcher,” she answered - frustrated, now leaning back and making a pillow out of his arm. The quiet drizzle had made the view hazy. “No level of manicure or makeup can survive hours in the food lab, and my feet will not survive if I wear heels either.”
“Then that’s the president’s wife look in this company,” he replied with a chuckle. He bent forward to look at her directly. “My wife is as dedicated to our company as I am, she works hard to make the best possible products, and she is extremely good at what she does. Isn’t that the best wife any president of any company ever could ask for?”
Shin Ha-ri blushed. Usually, it would be difficult for her to answer, and she would just stare at him for a bit and lean forward for a kiss (which is why he had positioned himself in this way in the first place), but today she was feeling awfully talkative.
“That’s one amazing wife you snagged, President,” she giggled. “I wonder why such a lovely lady ended up marrying you?”
“I once told her that I was good at everything,” Tae-moo said, emphasizing the last word. “Even lazing around with my wife at work.”
At that moment, there was a lightning strike nearby, which startled both of them. The rain had intensified.
“I hope the kids are doing fine,” Ha-ri said, after a pause, worried. “They might catch a flu.”
“Don’t worry, grandpa would be keeping them busy indoors,” he answered. “He did that for me often. That’s why he started watching dramas, after all.”
“Really?” She didn’t know that. He turned to observe the rain, leaning back himself. Shin Ha-ri took the opportunity to huddle closer, putting her arm around his waist, half-burying her face in his chest.
“When I was a child, I used to cry even when I saw rain through the window. Then grandpa would shut all the doors and curtains, and we would sit together and watch repeat telecasts of old dramas.”
Characteristically, being Shin Ha-ri, instead of praising his grandpa or sympathizing – which would have made him dwell on the sadness of those circumstances, she replied, "It must have been boring watching all those cliché dramas as a young kid, no? Grandpa could have put on cartoons or something.”
He laughed. “After a while, I just used to pretend to doze off so he didn’t discuss them with me.”
Shin Ha-ri would normally let the conversation die down, but she still felt the urge to say something again. “What about the people you were meeting right now? How is the collaboration going?”
Silence. She turned, looking at him with a questioning gaze. “Hmm?” She asked. Tae-moo looked at her – his expression not revealing anything. He simply stared at her in awe.
Receiving no reply, but stubbornly wanting to keep the conversation flowing, she remarked. “I heard the American expansion is doing well. Will you be going abroad? Not too soon, right? It is dreadfully boring at home when you leave, and the children miss you so much – last time you left for a week, I had to call Young-seo to come and stay with me, which was such a problem because she never clea-“
At that moment, he cut her off with a kiss, leaving her silent. He then held her hand with his other hand, which was not being used as a pillow. He entwined their fingers, placing them in her lap.
“You know it has been ten years since you have been doing this, right?” He asked her in a concerned voice. “You don’t have to do it anymore – I am not as nervous about rain as before.”
“That’s because I am always here with you!” She chirped playfully pointing towards herself. Kang Tae-moo smiled softly, and continued.
“Now that I think about it – so many wonderful moments of my life also occurred on rainy days. Our daughter's first steps, our son calling me appa for the first time... and having my wife always rush to my side to spend hours with me, or to sit with me all night..as we wait for the rain to stop."
Ha-ri glanced at him with an understanding smile – she wanted to say something, but she couldn’t put her feelings into words. She pulled their intertwined hands to her lips, kissing the back of his hand in reply.
This time, Tae-moo broke the silence for her.
“I don’t remember when I stopped waiting for the rain to end, and started waiting for it to come again instead."