I Hope This Wind Never Stops

After the two sat down, Yoshie used tongs to put some ice cubes into two glasses, then poured in the shochu.

"Su-san, try it."

"Okay." Su Yang agreed, picked up his glass, and swirled it to let the alcohol and ice mix thoroughly.

A few seconds later, he tilted his head back and downed it in one gulp. "Mm! Not bad!"

"Really? Can you drink it okay?"

"Of course. I’d even say it tastes pretty good."

"That’s good to hear."

The two sat close together. Because they were so near, Su Yang could catch a faint hint of her perfume. The scent, combined with the alcohol’s constant stimulation, was starting to get to him a little.

Whether on purpose or not, Yoshie kept shifting slightly, leaning into Su Yang. In the dim firelight, he could see her flushed face and her captivating eyes.

Su Yang swallowed hard, his heartbeat racing involuntarily.

They drank and chatted as they went along. Once they’d had enough to drink, they opened up about pretty much everything, and somehow the topic of Yoshie’s ex-husband came up again.

Because she’d had quite a bit to drink, Yoshie spoke without holding anything back. She didn’t even wait for Su Yang to ask; she started talking on her own. "Su-san, do you know why I got divorced?"

"Huh? Should I be hearing this?"

"It’s fine. I just want to tell you right now."

"Alright, go ahead."

Yoshie reminisced about the past but first refilled her glass before speaking. "He was actually pretty handsome. A few years ago, we met while working as colleagues at a publishing house. We got closer over time, had feelings for each other, and started dating."

"We got married about half a year later."

Su Yang didn’t ask anything else, just listened quietly.

Yoshie continued. "Right after we got married, he was still as kind and attentive to me as when we were dating. But as we spent more and more time together, his attitude slowly started to change. He became distant and often didn’t come home."

"Honestly, I could’ve put up with all that. But the thing I couldn’t accept was how lazy he was. Not long after we got married, he quit his job, and then he just loafed around all day, hanging out, gambling, going to nightclubs. Before long, he’d blown through all the money we’d saved together."

"In the end, I thought living like that was too painful, so I divorced him."

After hearing this, Su Yang patted Yoshie on the shoulder. "It’s okay, sis. Leaving a guy like that is how your life gets better. You’ll definitely meet someone better in the future."

Yoshie turned to look at Su Yang. "Could that someone be you?"

Hearing this, Su Yang was taken aback and didn’t know how to answer for a moment.

Yoshie gave a slight smile. "Su-san, I’m kidding."

"Haha, you’re quite a joker, sis. Come on, let’s drink."

"Actually, there was another key reason that made me divorce my ex-husband."

"What?" Su Yang asked.

"He... wasn’t good enough..."

"Are you serious? Is that something you can just say?" Su Yang looked at Yoshie, a bit dumbfounded.

Honestly, the moment she said it, Yoshie regretted it. Her whole body felt hot, and she had no idea why she was telling these things to a stranger she’d only just met. But since she’d already said it, she couldn’t take it back.

"He had some issues, so we couldn’t have kids for over a year of marriage."

"Then divorcing him was definitely the right call. Setting everything else aside, just the way he squandered your savings means you had to leave."

"Sis, is anyone pursuing you now?"

Hearing this, Yoshie thought Su Yang was hinting at something. She gave a shy smile and lowered her head slightly. "A few have, but I didn’t say yes to any of them."

"Why? You don’t like them?"

"Mm-hmm..." Yoshie replied softly, then lifted her head again to stare at Su Yang.

The dim firelight flickered across both their faces.

Their eyes met. Yoshie’s heart pounded violently, and her breathing grew heavier.

The man in front of her was just too handsome. He hit every single one of her aesthetic preferences, and he was so manly too.

To a woman who had been divorced and single for a long time, this was nothing short of fatal.

She bit her lip lightly, her body moving uncontrollably closer to Su Yang.

Whoosh! Su Yang took a deep breath and slowly leaned in toward Yoshie as well.

Just as they were about to close the last few centimeters between them, Yoshie spoke softly, "Su-san, don’t leave tonight, okay?"

"Leave? With this huge typhoon outside and my clothes still wet, where would I go?"

"Oh, right. I’m a bit dizzy from the alcohol and forgot there’s a typhoon outside."

"It’s normal to feel dizzy after drinking."

"Su-san, I don’t want to think about anything else anymore. Even if you’re not the one for me in the long run, tonight I just want to let go of everything..."

"Shh, don’t talk. You’re already drunk. How about I help you wind down?"

"Okay."

As the last word fell, they could no longer hold back. They embraced.

......

Fifty minutes later, they lay on the floor, staring at the dim ceiling.

Yoshie lay beside Su Yang, her face bright red, and whispered, "Su-san, you..."

"Stop. I know what you’re going to say. No need to say it out loud. Just feel it."

"Alright. Do you want to take a shower?"

"Is the water still on?"

"Probably. There should still be some hot water left in the water heater for a rinse."

"Okay, I’ll go wash up quickly."

"I’ll show you the way." They both stood up and headed toward the bathroom.

Inside the bathroom, Yoshie turned on the light, stepped in first, and tested the showerhead. Sure enough, there was still some warm water around thirty to forty degrees — more than enough for a rinse in this weather.

She turned to look at Su Yang. "It’s ready, Su-san."

"Okay." Su Yang said as he walked over. Yoshie moved toward the bathroom door.

Thump! The bathroom door closed. Su Yang thought she had left, but Yoshie hadn’t gone anywhere. She quickly ran back behind him and wrapped her arms around him.

......

After spending half an hour washing up, the two went to the bedroom on the second floor.

It was now 1:30 in the morning. Outside the window, the rain poured down and the wind howled without stopping.

Yoshie’s room was about twenty square meters. Though not big, it was kept very clean and tidy, with a faint, pleasant scent lingering in the air.

Even though it was time to sleep, after showering, they were both wide awake and couldn’t fall asleep.

Su Yang walked over to the sliding door leading to the balcony and looked outside. Out there, it was like the apocalypse; inside, it was a paradise.

Being in a foreign country, this feeling was oddly intriguing.

[Ding, detected that the host is thoroughly enjoying the present moment. Reward: 5 million.]

"Su-san, what are you looking at?" Yoshie came over to the window and asked.

"Nothing. I was just checking if the wind has died down."

Yoshie also turned to look outside. Two seconds later, she said in a soft voice, "I hope this wind never stops."

Su Yang smiled. "At least let it not stop tonight. Otherwise, with all this rain, your house might get flooded."

"But tonight has gone by so fast. I wish time would slow down."

"Just enjoy the moment. We’ll worry about everything else later."

Yoshie nodded and burrowed back into Su Yang’s arms.

Since I couldn't sleep anyway and had nothing better to do, I figured we might as well chat a bit more and get to know each other better.

It's true that the more people talk, the closer they become.

Around four in the morning, Yoshie finally started to feel drowsy and couldn't hold on any longer. Su Yang stopped talking. They lay on the bed, listening to the pouring rain outside the window, and quietly fell asleep.

Sleeping during a heavy rainstorm is the most comfortable thing. Before long, they were both fast asleep.

When they opened their eyes again, it was already nine in the morning. The sky outside was still covered with dark clouds, looking gray and gloomy.

The wind and rain seemed to have eased a bit, but it still wasn't possible to go out yet.

Su Yang pulled out his phone and glanced at it—still no signal.

Yoshie lay beside him and whispered, "Su-san, what time is it?"

"Nine."

"So late? Let me get up and make you breakfast."

She said this, threw off the covers, put on her clothes, and quickly walked out of the room.

Su Yang watched her figure disappear as he sat up and leaned against the headboard. "This woman is truly virtuous. And she's really tough too. Not bad."

"I wonder if this rain will stop today."

His phone battery was almost dead too—only forty percent left.

Su Yang leaned against the headboard for a few minutes, then wrapped a bath towel around himself and headed downstairs.

Yoshie was busy in the kitchen. Though the electricity was out, there was still gas.

Su Yang walked into the kitchen, leaned against the doorframe, and smiled. "What are you planning to make?"

"I'll cook some rice, fry two fish, and make two servings of miso soup. Is that okay?"

"Perfect!" Su Yang gave her a thumbs-up.

Yoshie turned to look at Su Yang, suddenly put down what she was holding, walked over, and stood on her tiptoes.

"Turn off the stove first."

......