Glitch | 김 석진

Eight

Jin woke with a start, the morning sun blinding him and making him cover his eyes with the back of his hand. He figured he must have fallen asleep in his truck. But at least the rain was gone. In fact, there were no raindrops on his windshield. There were no traces of any water at all.

Was the sun really that hot? The question faded into the back of his mind as he sat up straight and cracked his neck, relieving the pressure built up from his awkward sleeping position.

To his relief, the awful feeling in the pit of his stomach, the sadness that felt like a hot ball of led—it was gone. A sense of calm had washed over him as he rested his arms on his steering wheel and watched the sun fully rise over the skyscrapers.

Jin needed a sunrise. He was tired of the sunset.

The sound of someone trying to open his car door startled him. But not as much as when he turned to see the face of a happy-looking Victoria waving and motioning for him to unlock the door. She looked normal, short hair falling in messy waves around her face as if she had slept in the car with him. There was no scar on her face, no bags or dark circles under her eyes—no unhappiness.

Without realizing it, his fingers fumbled around his controls as he continued to stare at her. The doors unlocked with a click and she wasted no time opening the passenger one and climbing in with a plastic bag full of convenience store snacks.

She closed the door and leaned over to peck his lips lightly. Jin only sat there—still as a rock. He didn't change anything. He hadn't wished for anything except starting over. What was going on?

"Sorry you woke up without me," she apologized before pulling out a few snowballs. "I went to the Seven Eleven down the street for some breakfast." He still said nothing, completely entranced by her beauty and the glow in the way she did everything. He knew what the glow was. She was happy. "I know, I know," she continued at his silence and opened one of the snowball packages. "It's all carbs and super fattening. But we can get fat together and open a bed and breakfast on Jeju."

As she finished her little joke with a smile, Victoria tore a piece of the cake—ignoring how a few pieces of pink coconut fell to the floor of Jin's car—and raised it toward his mouth, intending to feed him.

Jin genuinely smiled for what felt like the first time in years before he reached over to grip the back of her neck and pull her lips toward his. With a surprised squeak, she dropped the piece that smeared cream on the gear shift. But he didn't give a shit about his truck.

All he could focus on was the way Victoria's mouth moved against his perfectly, the way her hands tugged at his hair slightly while they struggled to get as close as physically possible.

He didn't care what was going on. He finally had her back. The real her. He had made her happy with him again. Of course the state of his boys mattered to him just as much, but it was hard to focus on that with Victoria's tongue in his mouth.

It was difficult, but he pulled away slowly, noticing her cheeks reddening at the sound their lips made with the last kiss.
"What was that for?" she asked quietly, smiling as he pressed their foreheads together.

He shook his head slightly and kissed her nose. "I just love you."

She softened and reached up to smooth his messy hair back. "I just love you, too."

"I love you so much," he stressed, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. "I'm never letting you go again."

Victoria tilted her head in confusion. "When have you ever let me go?"

Jin smiled and rubbed circles under her eye with his thumb. "Don't worry about it, baby."

She mirrored his expression and covered his large hand with her small one, bringing it to her lips. "I don't want to leave, but everyone's waiting for us."

"They are?" he asked, heart fluttering with hope. Were they all alive and well?

"Yeah. At the beach."

"The beach," he murmured, sitting back against his seat and furrowing his eyebrows. The beach held many good and bad memories. But none of them remembered, so what was the harm? Even with his logic, anxiety gnawed at his nerves.

Victoria leaned over and ran her hand along his thigh. "What's wrong?"

He only looked at her and smiled, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "Nothing. Let's go."