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Chapter : 05
She thought her breath had stopped.
“I—I mean, s-so, what happened was… last night, you… grabbed me and hugged me…”
“…….”
“You said you were cold and told me not to go, and you held onto me… It’s true. I swear… we didn’t do anything…”
Lee Seol, who had been rambling excuses without even realizing her face had turned bright red, finally shut her mouth.
Why am I even making excuses?
I didn’t do anything wrong.
He was the one who hugged me saying he was cold.
The man showed no reaction.
The gaze resting quietly on her carried no emotion at all.
If anything, his expression looked more relaxed, and his breathing was steady.
Fortunately, it seemed his fever had gone down overnight.
At least the worst had passed.
“Anyway, I didn’t do anything. You were the one who grabbed me so I couldn’t leave. See this? Do you know how much trouble I went through trying to bring your fever down?”
Holding up a damp towel lying nearby, Lee Seol got up and sat upright, brushing her messy hair into place.
It’s already this late.
On Mondays there was a full staff meeting, so she had to leave earlier than usual.
The man tried to raise his upper body along with her but groaned and fell back down.
“Don’t push yourself. You need to rest for a few days. The knife didn’t go in too deep, but you still needed over twenty stitches. If you move carelessly, the wound could reopen.”
“Help me up.”
He held out his hand.
It looked like he was determined to sit up anyway.
With a low sigh, Lee Seol grabbed his arm to support him.
But as the man sat up, he suddenly tightened his grip on her hand and nodded toward the floor.
“What’s that black thing crawling over there?”
“Oh, that’s a centipede.”
The large centipede, with dozens of legs, hesitated for a moment before slowly heading in their direction.
“Can’t you do something about that?”
“Don’t tell me you’re scared of a centipede?”
It wasn’t exactly fear—more like he didn’t know what to do with small creatures.
“I can’t stand things with too many legs.”
He could easily kill it, but he didn’t seem to want to.
“There are a lot of centipedes on the island.”
She tried to pull her arm free, but he tightened his grip.
“If I’m going to catch it, you need to let go.”
After staring at her face for a moment, he released her hand.
“I’ll take care of it quickly, so stay still.”
Lee Seol finally freed herself, brought over a container, trapped the centipede inside, and blocked the opening with a flat dustpan.
“I spray repellent so they don’t come near the house, but sometimes they still get in.”
When she showed him the captured centipede, the man frowned and turned his head away.
“Get rid of it.”
Seeing how repulsed he was almost made her laugh, so she quickly turned away and released the centipede outside.
“Where’s my phone?”
“It wasn’t there. I don’t know if you dropped it somewhere or if it fell into the sea.”
“…….”
“Your wallet wasn’t there either. So… what’s your name?”
“…….”
“You have to write down your name and phone number to take the ferry, but I didn’t know your name. They said you could tell them later.”
After a moment of silent thought, the man spoke.
“Lee Tae-shin. But I don’t want anyone to know my name.”
She didn’t know the full situation, but since he was being chased by gangsters, she understood why he didn’t want to reveal it.
“Okay. I’ll just write something vague.”
“Can I use a phone?”
Lee Seol picked up the phone on the desk, unlocked it, and handed it to him.
“Go ahead. I need to get ready for work.”
This wasn’t a time to be lounging around.
“Where is this place?”
“Janghado.”
She left the room with her toiletries and change of clothes. In the kitchen, Director Jang, who was preparing breakfast, asked,
“Did you sleep well?”
“Huh? Oh, yes…”
It was an ordinary greeting, but there was amusement in his voice.
“Sure. Must’ve slept great, wrapped in the arms of a model-handsome guy.”
“Director!”
“Why are you yelling? I’m not deaf yet.”
Still grinning, Director Jang muttered,
“I didn’t wrap myself around anyone. That man said he was cold and hugged me without permission and wouldn’t let go…”
The more she explained, the more it sounded strange.
“Anyway, don’t misunderstand.”
“You don’t need to explain. They say strong denial is strong affirmation.”
“Director!”
Seeing Lee Seol’s ears turn red, Director Jang kept teasing her.
“Ah, youth is a wonderful thing. You saved his life—what’s the big deal if a young man and woman slept holding each other for one night?”
He seemed thoroughly amused, and her face burned even hotter.
“Please stop teasing me.”
“Alright, alright. But Teacher Yoon, you’re braver than you look. Jumping into the sea in weather like that—you could’ve died. How’s the patient?”
“His fever’s down, thankfully. I have to go to work, so please keep an eye on him.”
“Okay, don’t worry. Go on.”
After hurriedly finishing her preparations, she went back into the room and saw that the man was asleep again.
Had he managed to contact his companions?
Nothing bad should have happened to them…
Lee Seol quietly left the room, phone in hand.
After a hectic day, as she was getting ready to leave work, Jun-pil entered the third-grade teachers’ office.
Easygoing as ever, he exchanged a few words with several teachers before heading toward Lee Seol’s desk.
“You’re heading out now, right? Let’s go together. I need to stop by the mart anyway, and I can walk you home.”
He often made excuses like this to escort her to the clinic.
Lee Seol had been studying at a university in Seoul, but when her father’s business failed, she moved to the southern region where her grandmother lived and transferred into a teachers’ college. Jun-pil was a senior from that school.
They hadn’t been close back then, just exchanging greetings in passing, but after being assigned to the same school, they’d grown close quickly.
On an island where she knew no one, his presence had been a great comfort during lonely and difficult times—though sometimes, for reasons she couldn’t quite explain, he made her uncomfortable.
“How’s that guy?” Jun-pil asked quietly.
“He’s much better.”
“Then he’ll leave today.”
It sounded like he hoped so.
“It’s still too soon for him to move around.”
“…….”
As they crossed the schoolyard, some colleagues called out to Jun-pil.
“Mr. Park! Where are you going? Let’s play a game of jokgu!”
For the male teachers, playing sports like jokgu or table tennis and then drinking together afterward was the only real pleasure on the island.
Lee Seol gently nudged Jun-pil forward.
She didn’t think it would be good for him to run into Tae-shin again.
“Go ahead. I’ll be fine.”
Jun-pil shook his head and shouted back,
“Next time! I’ve got something to take care of today!”
“Right, right. Is jokgu more important than young love? Go on!”
The teachers cheered them on, shouting encouragement as they alternated looks between Jun-pil and Lee Seol.
Jun-pil laughed awkwardly, running a hand through his hair.
In the end, Lee Seol walked with him.
Yet her thoughts were completely filled with that unfamiliar man.
The closer she got to the clinic, the faster her heart began to pound.
Had he left?
Or would he stay one more day?
His recovery was fast, but he still needed to be careful.
She hadn’t even said goodbye yet.
Maybe she should’ve at least greeted him this morning.
Startled by her own sense of regret, Lee Seol quickened her pace.
“See you tomorrow, sunbae.”
As they reached the clinic and she was about to send Jun-pil off, he suddenly sniffed the air.
The smell of meat was wafting from inside.
“That’s pork belly. A sparrow can’t just pass by a rice mill.”
Jun-pil often dropped by the clinic like that, since it was always full of meat, fruit, and produce brought by elderly patients.
“Sunbae, wait—!”
Before she could stop him, Jun-pil had already gone inside.
With a sigh, Lee Seol followed.
On the table in the living room, meat sizzled loudly as it cooked.
Jun-pil’s eyes sparkled at the sight—he loved meat.
