Chapter 65
The candle I was holding fell alone into the pit.
“Doyun?”
I was dumbfounded. I’d been trying not to look at Kim Doyun’s face… but I was so surprised that I stared up at him with wide eyes. Kim Doyun was looking down at me with a stiff expression. He seemed angry, or perhaps upset. Or was it confusion? I couldn’t get a read on his expression.
The wind blew. My ears became noisy with the wind rushing fiercely through the forest. The sound of leaves colliding was like the cry of a downpour, making it feel as if I were standing in the middle of a heavy rain. Perhaps Kim Doyun’s expressionless face made it feel even more so. A chill swept from the top of my head to my toes, like being hit by cold, vast water. I wished he would say something, but his tightly closed mouth showed no signs of opening.
I swallowed hard. I tried to stay calm, but my mind went blank.
“Doyun, I…”
“…”
“I made a verbal mistake…”
I stammered, trying to string words together before hanging my head low. Kim Doyun was uncomfortable. No, perhaps he found it revolting. Whatever it was, one thing was clear: Kim Doyun’s reaction wasn’t good. I shouldn’t have said it, shouldn’t even have thought it… Belated regret washed over me.
Looking down at the ground, I could see Kim Doyun’s feet and mine. Unlike the ground beneath Kim Doyun’s feet, the area under mine was chaotic with footprints. The messy footprints and broken branches scattered about resembled my current mental state and situation, making me feel even more miserable.
“…Just forget it. More importantly, we need to find the supplies.”
My voice lacked strength as I answered. Kim Doyun still didn’t respond, but the hand gripping my arm remained. Was he choosing his words? I gently removed his hand and bent down to pick up the candle in the pit. Thanks to the L-shaped entrance, finding the candle was easy, but to retrieve it, I’d need to put my body into the hole. It was also a good way to avoid Kim Doyun, so without thinking further, I tried to enter the pit. This time, both my arms were grabbed.
“…Doyun?”
His still silent face was frighteningly serious. The grip on my arms was so strong that I couldn’t break free. As I anxiously tried to read his expression, Kim Doyun quietly spoke.
“What misunderstanding did you have?”
“Uh…”
No matter how I heard it, his voice wasn’t angry. The seriousness on Kim Doyun’s face was gradually being replaced with a smile. I doubted even a masterpiece by a famous artist could move me as deeply as this sight. Those lips drawing gentle curves and eyes narrowing slightly. His fallen bangs swaying gently in the wind.
Thump-thump.
My heart pounded in my eyes, ears, and stomach. My mind grew hazy from the most intense trembling I’d ever experienced in my life.
“Answer me. What misunderstanding did you have?”
“…Th-that…”
I hesitated without answering. Though he was smiling like that, I worried what if he said my words made him uncomfortable. I had to act like a coward. After all, I was the only one feeling the butterflies and pounding heart.
Unaware of my concerns, Kim Doyun stared at me intently and interlaced his fingers with mine. My heart rattled again. Answer me. Kim Doyun whispered, looking at my flushed, stiff face. After hesitating, I stammered out a response.
“…You’re too kind.”
“Yes.”
“I hadn’t thought of you… in that way.”
“Yes.”
“When I see you… I feel strange. It might be a misunderstanding…”
But in the end, I couldn’t be completely honest. Not wanting Kim Doyun to dislike me, I left room for it to be a misunderstanding. So that if he showed signs of being upset, I could laugh it off saying it was just a misunderstanding.
“How so?”
But Kim Doyun wouldn’t let it go. He persistently asked what misunderstanding I had, what my misconception was. Unable to answer, I kept my head down, staring at my feet. My restless toes made the footprints even messier. Meanwhile, our firmly entwined fingers tightened without any gaps. I couldn’t tell if it was Kim Doyun’s hand applying pressure, or my own. As I half-turned my body, wanting to break free, a low voice dropped.
“I’d like it if your misunderstanding was what I’m thinking.”
My eyes widened. As oblivious as I might be, I understood what Kim Doyun’s words meant.
“…What are you thinking?”
I asked back in a hoarse voice, stumbling like a fool. Kim Doyun didn’t answer immediately, just smiled and gazed at me. His remaining hand caught my other one. With both hands tightly entwined, I could no longer escape or avoid him. Looking at my hands with satisfaction, Kim Doyun bent his waist. I tried to back away from his face coming closer, but my firmly held hands prevented it.
This was the first time I’d seen Kim Doyun’s face this close. Spotless clean skin, coolly extended eyebrows, and the straight nose beneath them, and those neat lips holding a smile… As I unconsciously moistened my parched lips, something warm touched the tip of my nose.
Startled, I turned my eyes to find my nose touching Kim Doyun’s, who had somehow moved even closer. We were close enough that our lips would touch if we moved just a bit closer. I couldn’t breathe, my chest swelling.
“This kind of thought?”
After hearing Kim Doyun’s answer, I gave up thinking altogether.
* * *
“Why are you so out of it?”
Jang Jae-gyeong bluntly questioned me as I sat dazed even after returning to the tree. But I wasn’t in a state to answer, unconsciously just shaking my head. Even in Seungwoo’s eyes, I must have seemed quite strange, as the child crawled over on his knees and tapped my cheeks.
“Uncle, did you meet a bad guy?”
“No…”
“Then did you meet a monster?”
“No…”
“Mister, I think Uncle is sick. His answers are weird. He’s completely lost his mind.”
Seungwoo said seriously, crossing his arms. Seeing that, Jang Jae-gyeong snickered, and I too managed to gather my wits somewhat and smiled. Nevertheless, whenever I stayed still, my mind still floated away. My head felt numb, as if I’d been slapped, making it terribly difficult to keep my senses.
“Tell me honestly.”
“Yes?”
Jang Jae-gyeong, crouched in front of me, asked while scrutinizing my face intently. His hand, which had been thoroughly checking if I was injured, firmly grabbed my head.
“That bastard didn’t do anything to you, did he?”
“…What?”
I was so shocked that my response was delayed. Hearing my answer, whatever Jang Jae-gyeong thought, his face became serious. The strength in his hand increased, making my head hurt, so I hurriedly hit his arm repeatedly. Despite hitting quite hard, Jang Jae-gyeong’s arm didn’t budge. After glaring at me with a coldly stiff face, he soon relaxed and rubbed my head.
“Sorry, sorry.”
“I thought my head was going to burst.”
When I exaggerated, Jang Jae-gyeong apologetically held my head and looked it over. Does it hurt here, there, is there a bruise? His examining touch became busy. This was the first time I’d seen him like this, making me chuckle unconsciously. Only then did Jang Jae-gyeong laugh too.
“Really sorry. But what did that guy do?”
“…He didn’t do anything.”
I rolled my eyes, looking at Kim Doyun. Junwoo was sitting between Kim Doyun’s legs, holding a twig, chattering enthusiastically that this one was daddy, this one was big sister, and this one was himself. Kim Doyun nodded attentively, entertaining the child who was swinging his little legs while talking. When Seungwoo approached from the side and scolded his brother not to bother the mister, Junwoo’s mouth dropped open in protest. Kim Doyun, who had been looking down at the child, raised his head and our eyes met. A smile bloomed on his previously calm face. The moment I saw that smile hanging from his half-folded eyes, I became embarrassed and vigorously rubbed my legs with my palms.
“Suspicious…”
I’d forgotten that Jang Jae-gyeong was sitting right in front of me. His eyes, which must have thoroughly observed my behavior, narrowed with suspicion. I swallowed hard and shook my head vigorously.
“Really, nothing happened. Actually… I was hungry so I did eat something.”
To be honest, I hadn’t eaten anything. I unconsciously lied, fearing Jang Jae-gyeong might question my suspicious reaction. Fortunately, I had some leftover chocolate in my pocket, which I subtly pulled out. It was what Seungwoo had given me for strength. Half had gone into Junwoo’s mouth, but I had eaten some too at the time. So it wasn’t completely a lie.
“Chocolate?”
“Yes, it was from the convenience store…”
“That’s what I gave you!”
Seungwoo, who had been commenting that this wasn’t daddy but uncle next to Junwoo, ran over and shouted. Given the situation, food was precious, and perhaps he had been scolded significantly by his parents for such matters. Seungwoo’s eyes moved busily between Jang Jae-gyeong and me. He seemed worried that I might get scolded.
“This isn’t something Uncle ate secretly, I gave it to him to eat. I said he could eat it as he pleased.”
“Is that so?”
But Jang Jae-gyeong wasn’t concerned about what food was eaten. What he cared about… I could see his gaze drifting toward Kim Doyun. After glaring at Kim Doyun with furrowed brows, he turned back to me with a face full of mischief.
“Seongho.”
“Yes.”
“I’ve been telling you all along, haven’t I?”
“What had Jang Jae-gyeong been telling me? As I pondered, trying to recall the memory, he emphasized his point, his hand moving from my head to my shoulder, applying pressure.
“Don’t trust just anyone. Don’t forget.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
