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Chapter 23
Yeonwoo felt a lump in her throat at his straightforward words. When she met his black eyes, she glimpsed the warmth in his gaze toward her. That warmth was so intense it was almost frightening, and without realizing it, Yeonwoo loosened the emotional barriers she had raised toward Junha.
Unaware of how flushed her cheeks had become, Yeonwoo opened her mouth and muttered.
“…Don’t be scared either.”
“……”
“You’re at least thirty centimeters taller than the madam now.”
She was telling herself that they were no longer children who simply had to take the blows dealt to them.
“…Seo Yeonwoo, you’re smart.”
Junha’s gaze, fixed on Yeonwoo, was more than direct—it was blatant. Yeonwoo tried to meet his gaze as much as she could, but eventually, feeling warmth creeping from her earlobes to the base of her neck, she awkwardly averted her eyes. Her heartbeat thumped so loudly it seemed she could hear it in her own ears.
Junha, lowering his gaze from Yeonwoo’s forehead down along her nose, tightened his grip on the rock he was holding. It was now clear that the rock was not what he truly wanted to hold.
But fearing that taking one more step forward might push her away, their wandering hands eventually clutched the crevice of the rock.
Yeonwoo’s face burned bright red as one of her toes wiggled, teasing the spring breeze. Watching her hair flutter lightly, Junha blinked slowly.
Because one person’s load slowed both of them during the descent, their backs and chests pressed together in a way that felt awkward, but there was no real way around it.
“Sorry.”
“For what?”
“I thought it might be heavy.”
“Not really.”
Junha’s curt replies suggested he wasn’t even aware of how their bodies pressed together. As they continued down, Yeonwoo noticed his slightly reddened earlobes and the nape of his neck. A subtle urge to touch them rose within her.
Feeling strangely close, she fidgeted with her fingers and simply pressed his shoulder instead.
As they descended further, the base of the mountain came into view. In the distance were their teacher, looking pale, and the other children.
When Junha set Yeonwoo down on a bench, the teacher finally caught up.
“Seo Yeonwoo, Woo Junha!”
The stern voice rang out. At the same time, the teacher’s face darkened as he examined Yeonwoo’s disheveled appearance. Seeing her scratched and bruised cheeks, his expression grew even harsher.
“How did this happen?”
“We got lost.”
“Really… There were signs!”
Junha answered indifferently. The teacher’s expression twisted as if the short explanation was insufficient. It seemed he assumed the two had skipped class and gotten into an accident.
Having seen the teacher’s expressions many times, Yeonwoo quickly intervened.
“…The signs were strange. We took what was supposed to be the easy course, but it turned out to be the roughest part. We almost died if we slipped. I’m serious.”
“How could a perfectly fine sign suddenly become strange?”
“Huh? We left last, and it was fine then…”
Yeonwoo stopped mid-sentence as she sensed something odd. The signs had been fine until she and Junha set out, so why had they suddenly become strange?
‘Who went ahead of us?’
Her sharp gaze swept over Seokwoo and Eunyoung. Eunyoung visibly flinched and quickly turned her head away when Yeonwoo’s eyes met hers. A sudden, intense flame ignited inside Yeonwoo.
“It must have been you two.” she murmured, her eyes cold.
“Come to think of it, someone may have tampered with the signs on purpose.”
“Who would do that…”
The teacher was about to speak but paused at Yeonwoo’s unusually intense expression. He raised an eyebrow and looked behind her. Since Yeonwoo was normally well-behaved, he found her words believable.
Feeling the attention, Eunyoung panicked and yelled.
“Jang Seokwoo hit it on the way past!”
“Hey, when did I?”
“You did it!”
The two seemed to be conspiring, but their story didn’t match up. As the teacher approached them, they protested, claiming they hadn’t done it.
Eunyoung’s high-pitched shrieks, followed by Seokwoo’s curses, made the teacher’s face flush.
“So you’re saying this happened because of you two?”
“No, it wasn’t us!”
Seokwoo continued to protest, but it was clear the teacher didn’t believe him.
“You two are coming back to school with me. If you don’t, everyone else can go home. Yeonwoo, stop by the hospital.”
The teacher dispersed the children as he headed to the bus stop, making what looked like an urgent phone call to report that they were found.
Seokwoo and Junha exchanged glances. Seeing Yeonwoo cling to Junha’s back, a flare of anger lit in Seokwoo’s eyes, while Junha’s gaze, unwavering, was fierce.
“…You bastard. You said it was dangerous enough to kill someone.”
“Well…”
“Shut your mouth and don’t yap to the teacher.”
Seokwoo avoided Junha’s intense gaze and pulled out a cigarette, taking his frustration out on Eunyoung, who looked wronged.
“This is so annoying, you damn girl.”
Eunyoung wanted to protest but dared not, worried Seokwoo would hit her. Yeonwoo snorted.
“Who’s the dog now?”
“……”
“This is attempted murder.”
Lowering her voice, Yeonwoo made Eunyoung realize the seriousness of what she had almost done. She sheepishly turned her head.
Seokwoo spat on the ground, watching.
“She’s alive, but you’re acting crazy.”
“What?”
“Attempted murder, my foot. You clearly slipped on your own.”
“Hey, Jang Seokwoo.”
Yeonwoo straightened her neck defiantly. Her eyes narrowed as if to say, Where do you get the nerve? Seokwoo, seeing her, let out a small laugh, a smirk tugging at his lips.
“You two look pretty close, huh?”
Yeonwoo clenched her fists, veins standing out under her thin skin.
“Why, do you want a hit?”
“Why would I…”
As Seokwoo teased, Yeonwoo shivered. That was all it took. Junha carefully picked up the injured Yeonwoo and hid her behind him, as if no one could touch her.
“……”
“……What?”
Junha didn’t speak to Seokwoo, but his powerful stance made Seokwoo’s lips tremble.
“Pretending to be cool is disgusting.”
Though harsh words left her lips, Seokwoo panicked internally and instinctively reached back for a cigarette, finding nothing.
Realizing he had smoked his last one earlier, Seokwoo stiffened.
“Apologize.”
Yeonwoo shouted fiercely.
