By Zephyria 
It had been raining heavily for days. Though it was midday, the outside was as dark as dawn, and the rain pouring against the sturdy glass windows made the mansion noisy all day long. Pie, who had been running around the house instead of taking walks, had also lost his energy at some point due to the endless downpour and was now sprawled out on the living room sofa.
Ha-jin, who had been lying down using Pie’s back as a pillow, slowly got up. A savory smell stimulated his sense of smell as he headed to the kitchen. When he arrived, Eden was placing a bowl of porridge on the bar table.
“Come and sit down. It’s all ready.”
Ha-jin’s eyes widened at the unexpected menu choice.
“Porridge?”
“You said you wanted it.”
“I did?”
“You were singing about it in your sleep.”
He had strangely wanted to eat porridge for a few days, but he never dreamed he would talk about it in his sleep. Ha-jin quickly became cheerful and sat down on the stool at the table.
“I’ll enjoy it, thank you.”
Eden smiled contentedly at the affectionate greeting that was always present at mealtimes and pushed the side dish bowls closer. The bowls contained kimchi, pickled cucumbers, and braised eggs that he had gotten from the neighbors.
Ha-jin stopped stirring his spoon to cool the porridge and suddenly stopped moving.
“Wait a minute, is this beef?”
There were bumpy brown speckles scattered throughout the white porridge. When he stirred it as if scraping the bottom of the bowl, a slightly thicker chunk of beef suddenly came up.
Eden, who was sitting across from him stirring his spoon, looked up.
“I added it because I happened to have the ingredients. Why, don’t you like beef porridge?”
“No, it’s not that…”
Ha-jin stared intently at the porridge dripping from his spoon and muttered to himself.
“It looks too fancy.”
He slowly opened his mouth and took a spoonful of porridge, and a sweet and savory taste spread wonderfully throughout his mouth. But it was still difficult to recall the simple vegetable porridge he had eaten in Korea. The taste of the rice porridge he had eaten with tears in Misan Garden and in his shabby apartment was nowhere to be found.
Eden, who had been intently observing Ha-jin’s reaction, shook his head with a firm expression.
“Forget about the porridge you ate in Korea.”
Ha-jin’s eyebrows twisted crookedly at the shocking statement.
“Why?”
“I won’t be making that nutritionally lacking porridge anymore. The only ingredients were leeks and onions that were about to rot.”
“But it was delicious.”
“Anything tastes good when you’re starving for days. Even if I recreate it exactly, it won’t taste the same as it did then.”
He couldn’t think of anything to say in response to the valid point, but he couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of regret. Ha-jin recalled the taste of the porridge he had eaten when he was in an extreme situation and diligently stirred the spoon in his hand.
‘I’ll just make it myself later.’
After quickly resigning himself to his fate, he finished his meal as if inhaling it. The savory taste of the porridge, perhaps because it was made with broth, was so unique that he kept savoring the aftertaste.
Eden wiped his mouth with a napkin and asked.
“Why are you smiling?”
At that, Ha-jin realized that he was grinning like an idiot. He pressed his thumb against the bulging area around his cheekbones and blinked.
“I didn’t think I would miss that time. It’s like saying I miss army food.”
He was so taken aback by what he said that he almost burst out laughing again. Eden twitched his straight eyebrows.
“Miss army food, huh… Well, you certainly sound crazy.”
Ha-jin chuckled at Eden’s reaction, which expressed both sympathy and disgust.
“I’ll do the dishes since you cooked. Sit down and rest.”
“Let’s do it together.”
“It’s okay, I just have to put them in the dishwasher.”
Eden got up and followed Ha-jin, who was trying to stop him.
While Ha-jin was washing the dishes he had collected in the sink and putting them in the dishwasher, Eden wrapped his arms around his waist from behind. Ha-jin turned his head and gave a short kiss to Eden’s temple, who had placed his chin on his shoulder.
It was an extremely natural expression of affection that did not involve any calculation or sentimentality. Until a few months ago, he would blush at the awkwardness of exchanging skinship that he used to only do with his girlfriend, but as the amount of time they spent together increased, he surprisingly adapted easily.
Ha-jin whispered as he rinsed his hands in the running water.
“I’ve been having strange Korean dreams a lot lately. Yesterday, the people from the botanical garden appeared in my dream.”
Eden also gave Ha-jin a short kiss on the ear and stepped away. He crossed his arms and leaned against the sink.
“I have something to tell you anyway.”
Ha-jin dried his hands on a hand towel and turned to look at him.
“Remember the soldier we saw on the aircraft carrier before? The one we ran into as soon as we got off the helicopter.”
“Ah, yes. The one you were discussing business with?”
“I happened to get back in touch with him and I’m getting news in real time, and he said that the UN forces are sailing around with a fleet and gathering the last survivors in Asia.”
Ha-jin felt his heart beating abnormally fast for a moment. Of course, the faces of Hee-sung and the twin siblings came to mind.
“Last week it was Japan, and this week the survivor rescue operation is taking place in Korea. Today is the third day.”
“……”
“Just in case, I gave him the names of the people from the botanical garden in advance, and I got a call this morning. It seems that the three siblings are safe. The others were not on the list.”
“Ah…”
It was welcome news to hear, but he couldn’t be happy just yet because he didn’t know the fate of the botanical garden people other than the siblings. Ha-jin nodded, rubbing his stinging chest.
“I’m glad that at least the siblings are safe.”
“If they come to the United States, would you be willing to meet them again?”
Ha-jin couldn’t answer easily. Hesitation was evident in the fingertips that were operating the dishwasher buttons. After a long period of contemplation, he listened to the sound of the thunderstorm in the distance and parted his tightly closed lips.
“It would be enough to just hear that they have settled safely in the United States. …If fate allows, we’ll see each other again.”
He wanted to hold onto their welcoming faces and share the things that had happened in the meantime, but he couldn’t if he thought about Hee-sung. He continued to blame himself for Jun-seok’s death, and if he continued his relationship with Ha-jin after coming to the United States, his guilt would follow him forever like a scarlet letter.
Sometimes, it was best to let some relationships flow by as they were. Eden patted Ha-jin’s shoulder a few times as if he understood his feelings.
The two went to the living room together and played with Pie. Pie, who had been sulking because he couldn’t go for a walk, reluctantly ran around to the rhythm of the two. After releasing some energy, he fell asleep again, and Ha-jin and Eden washed their sweaty bodies and headed to the DVD room in the basement.
It was called a DVD room, but it was essentially a private movie theater. The soundproofing was so perfect that not even outside sounds could intrude. In a situation where something could happen at any moment, it was a bit much to be stuck in the basement watching a movie for hours, so they hadn’t dared to come here until now.
But things were different now that it had been raining heavily for days. There was no chance that zombies, who were afraid of water, would be wandering around outside, and no one would be visiting the mansion through the heavy thunderstorm.
Eden opened the heavy door and entered the movie theater, leading Ha-jin to the snack warehouse and mini wine cellar that he had filled in advance the day before.
“Pick what you want.”
Eden, who didn’t drink alcohol in case of an emergency, offered alcohol generously today. Ha-jin, who was excited, chose popcorn with cheese seasoning and red wine and sat down on the spacious leather sofa. The U-shaped sofa was wide and long enough for 10 people to sit comfortably.
In the meantime, Eden picked out a few of the many DVDs in the drawer and operated the screen. He skillfully operated the machine and approached Ha-jin. Of course, he was holding 『Dumb and Dumber』 series 1 and 2 in his hands.
‘One shelf in the study is all 『Dumb and Dumber』 DVDs. It’s a series that has been made since the 60s, and I’ve collected all the early scripts. Have you ever seen 『Dumb and Dumber』?’
‘Ah… no?’
‘I’ll show you when you come to America later.’
Eden’s voice, confidently promising the future under the dim candlelight, came to mind. Ha-jin looked at Eden, who was sitting next to him and operating the remote control, with new eyes.