Chapter 55
“Doyun-ssi?”
“I’m here.”
“Still, I should help a bit…”
“It’s fine. I can handle things like this on my own easily.”
Kim Doyun said this with a brief smile. But no, still, he’s someone who gathered precious items for us… I shook my head hurriedly.
“Come on, I should help. How can I let you do it alone? If I help, we can finish quickly, which is good, right?”
I tried to shake off his grip on my hand, but Kim Doyun wouldn’t budge. My eyebrows naturally furrowed. It gave me a headache how he always got like this when Jang Jae-gyeong was involved. As I was wondering how to approach this, Jang Jae-gyeong’s voice suddenly touched the nape of my neck from behind.
“Ignore him. He’s acting like that because he doesn’t want to share you.”
“?”
Jang Jae-gyeong had somehow approached us. He casually draped his arm over my shoulder, as naturally as flowing water. Then he started tapping Kim Doyun’s hand that was holding my arm with a stick he’d picked up from somewhere. Kim Doyun didn’t let go despite this… Only my arm, caught in the middle, hurt. But what was Jang Jae-gyeong talking about? It’s not like I was trying to choose sides between them, so what’s this about not wanting to share? My face naturally crumpled in annoyance.
“This is irritating.”
“Why are you getting annoyed now?”
“How could I not be annoyed?”
They don’t even tell me what’s going on between them, yet they put me in the middle—how could I not be irritated? When Jang Jae-gyeong pulled me closer and asked why I was annoyed, I glared at him. I tried to push him away by pressing my elbow into his side, but this guy’s strength was no joke, and he wouldn’t budge at all.
“Try to understand my position. You were like this at home, and now here too. What’s going on between you two anyway?”
“Ah~. So that’s why you’re annoyed?”
“You’ll just say I’ll find out later or something like that. If you’re not going to tell me, then don’t make it so obvious.”
When I snapped at him, Jang Jae-gyeong nodded and backed away.
“True. You have reason to be angry. Sorry, sorry.”
Then, in a tone that didn’t sound sorry at all, he patted my shoulder. The strange thing was, if someone else had acted this way, I would have been angry, but coming from Jang Jae-gyeong, I wasn’t that upset. Maybe because he’d been good to me all this time… I frowned at him, and Jang Jae-gyeong smiled and patted my head once. Then he returned to the trees and pulled something out.
I shook my head in irritation, thinking he was treating me like a child now. But I stopped being annoyed when I saw him pull out three large bundles. I’d thought he had hidden just one pack or so when he mentioned hiding things. How much had he prepared? As I craned my neck curiously, I felt a gentle tug. When I turned around, Kim Doyun was standing there looking somewhat dejected.
“I’m sorry.”
“Um…”
“I just… couldn’t help myself… I won’t act like that in front of you anymore, Seongho-ssi.”
With a genuinely apologetic face, he held my hand and then released it. His dimly visible face created a tremendous impact just by slightly lowering his eyebrows. The shock was doubled because someone who always acted so composed suddenly showed such vulnerability.
No, maybe it’s because I already have such strong feelings for Kim Doyun. While I was stuttering in surprise, Kim Doyun moved closer and gently began fixing my hair. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched him seriously arranging my hair right in front of me. It seemed like he thought words weren’t enough…
Come to think of it, Kim Doyun’s hair had grown quite a bit too. When we first met at the hospital, he was wearing an expensive suit with neatly combed hair, looking every bit the successful person. But look at us now. As I surveyed the state of Kim Doyun’s and my clothes, my cheerful smile turned bitter.
“…Don’t do that anymore in the future. It makes me feel uncomfortable…”
“I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”
Nodding, Kim Doyun gently stroked my face while continuing to fix my hair. At his light, fleeting touch, my eyes widened, and then I frowned as my temples began to tingle and burn. Static electricity? Feeling both embarrassed and bothered by the stinging sensation, I vigorously rubbed that area with my palm. Kim Doyun looked at my face for a while with a somewhat regretful expression before softly smiling.
“I wish time would pass quickly.”
Looking at Kim Doyun who mentioned time so unexpectedly, I slowly nodded. I assumed he meant he wanted time to fly by so we could move to a safer place or something like that. I sincerely replied that I too wished time would pass and things would work out well. At that, Kim Doyun stepped back two paces and stared at me intently.
When he was close, his face was at least visible thanks to the faint moonlight, but with just two steps, his face disappeared from view. Maybe it was because of our height difference and his large stride. As Kim Doyun stood there for a while with shadows cast all over his body, I found it strange and was about to call out to him. But Jang Jae-gyeong, who had been watching us from a distance, approached with a snort.
“Let’s grab our stuff and climb up a tree. Things are starting to feel off.”
Then he thrust three sports bags into my arms. Surprised by the heavy weight that felt like my arms might fall off, I dropped one. Both surprised and delighted, I quickly sat down and opened the bag to check inside. Canned food, medicine, a knife, blankets, and other emergency items were packed tightly in the bag. And even toiletries! Where did these come from? I couldn’t close my mouth from joy.
In the village, we had cleaning tools and could wash with rainwater. But since each house was allocated just a finger-sized piece of soap, using it was always done with care. Each household had to use their collected rainwater for both drinking and washing, which was quite miserable. Laundry was done on rainy days using lye water. Somehow, the villagers managed to maintain some level of cleanliness.
Perhaps because we had been scrimping so much, seeing these items made me speechless with joy. Now I could really wash properly. No more brushing teeth with tree roots, and I could use soap freely. Although it was a bit heavy and might be a concern during our journey, the weight was worth the happiness it brought.
Since I hadn’t thought of sharing with Kim Doyun from the start, I picked out one bag and called him over. He had been standing apart but slowly moved to stand beside me.
“Here, one is for you, Doyun-ssi. Take it quickly.”
Although Kim Doyun seemed reluctant, probably because the items came from Jang Jae-gyeong, he slung the bag over one shoulder.
“Where did you even get these bags from?”
“While scavenging through collapsed buildings. There’s a lot buried under trees, more than you’d think.”
“This is amazing. You must be a god at finding things.”
“Are you that happy?”
“How could I not be? There’s even food!”
Jang Jae-gyeong laughed and tousled my hair. The hair that Kim Doyun had neatly arranged became a mess, but thinking of the bag in my arms, I couldn’t be annoyed and just smiled. However, Kim Doyun approached and pulled me toward him.
“Huh? What is it?”
“…”
Kim Doyun stared at me blankly before smiling slightly. Then he gently fixed my messy hair again. Unable to continue speaking, I fumbled with words, then turned my face away, pretending to wipe sweat, when I heard a snort from the side.
“Um, so… We’ve got our supplies. Let’s move quickly. What if monsters come?”
“True, they might be picking up our scent soon.”
Jang Jae-gyeong looked toward one part of the forest. After standing still with a frown as if concentrating, he nodded and started walking.
“It should be okay for now. Let’s hurry.”
“What’s okay? The monsters?”
As I hurriedly followed him, Kim Doyun, who had tried to grab my hand, missed. This was because Jang Jae-gyeong suddenly turned and wedged himself between us. I hope they’re not going to fight again. I frowned and glared at Jang Jae-gyeong. He smiled slightly and pressed my eyebrow with his thumb.
“We won’t fight.”
“…Really?”
“I promise.”
“I’ll believe you.”
“Good.”
Jang Jae-gyeong hummed a tune and nodded. What was making him so happy? After staring at him, I asked what I’d been curious about earlier. As I glanced back, I saw Kim Doyun slowly following us. Walking a bit separated from us, Kim Doyun appeared as a dark, flickering shadow that might be mistaken for a monster if not for the occasional glimpse of light. Feeling a bit scared, I gestured for him to come quickly, and his head moved slightly.
“But how do you know? Whether monsters will come or not?”
“I’ve got a sense for it, and I can hear really well.”
“What do you mean by a ‘sense’?”
Finding it ridiculous, I lightly punched him. Jang Jae-gyeong rubbed where I’d hit him and smiled.
“It’s true. How should I explain? I get this feeling that a monster is coming this way, and it’s usually right. Even without that, once they’re close enough, I can hear the monsters breathing…”
“Monster sounds? Their cries?”
“Not that, hmm… Like a growling sound when they breathe?”
“What? I’ve never heard anything besides their cries… How can you hear that? Do you have some device in your ear?”
Jang Jae-gyeong laughed loudly again. I was asking sincerely, but it seems he took it as a joke. When I frowned again, Jang Jae-gyeong came close and said with a smile:
“It’s true, really.”
“Hmm…”
“I’m serious. And… that guy is probably just like me?”
Jang Jae-gyeong whispered right next to my ear. What’s he talking about now? As I tried to turn my head, Jang Jae-gyeong firmly held my neck and chin with one hand, preventing me from looking away from him. Confused by the sudden struggle, I could only roll my eyes. When had he straightened up from his slouched position? I could only see around his jawline, not his face. The moonlight that had just passed by disappeared, and Jang Jae-gyeong’s face was also darkened by shadows.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
