In June’s high light she stood at the sink
With a glass of wine
And listened for the bobolink
And crushed garlic in late sunshine.
I watched her cooking, from my chair.
She pressed her lips
Together, reached for kitchenware,
And tasted sauce from fingertips.
“It’s ready now. Come on,” she said.
“You light the candle.”
We ate, and talked, and went to bed,
And slept. It was a miracle
gaon trailing into the kitchen of their shared apartment after a long day. yohan's already there, dressed in comfy robes and lit up by summer evening sunlight. he hands gaon a bowl with a kiss to gaon's forehead, says he's making something good and to eat this while waiting.
it's a light dish of gyeran bap. the egg is brilliantly hued and nestled lopsidedly in fragrantly steaming rice lined with roasted seaweed. he's even separated out the gochujang, the way gaon prefers. something flutters in gaon's throat. he's hungry and hungering.
with his back against the counter, gaon eats standing up. the food is fragrant and hot, sliding down into his belly and pooling into softness. how long has it been since someone cooked for gaon? kept a running tally of his food likes and dislikes? pulled up spring onions from the back garden and julienned carrots and cabbage to swirl in a mix of spices and thinly sliced beef? deft hands stirring, chopping, flavouring, and scooping some up for gaon standing there with his empty bowl to taste, loving.
gaon blinks slowly as he accepts the proffered meat from yohan's chopsticks. the bulgogi is tender. it's sweet with asian pear, juicy from being mixed with too many vegetables too early, a little less salty than normal. it's perfect. he tells yohan so, who turns back to the pan with a remark about gaon's quick work on the egg rice--he's almost done cooking, then gaon can eat properly.
elijah is likely on her way home, accompanied by her sparkling-eyed and calm friend. together, they'll eat the dinner yohan prepared.
yohan, whose go-to food was once ramyeon when he was starved. yohan, who ate only for sustenance and chewed without tasting. yohan, who returned to korea for gaon and who, on their second night together, surprised gaon with a simple cooked dinner, the product of painstaking effort over the months they were apart.
does yohan realize he's pressing kisses all along gaon's insides? filling gaon to the brim with his fumbling efforts at traditional foods and lovingly crafted meals? joining the list of people who loved gaon so much they fed him? meeting all of gaon's longing for home and care and carefully homemade meals with an affection that's tenfold?
gaon swallows, holds his body in check for the moments it takes to breathe through the tidal wave of his affection. there's time for that now. the front door opens with giggles and calls spilling into the hallway. gaon presses a kiss to yohan's hair and goes to set the table.