🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter : 17
“Are you getting off work now?”
Taesin asked as Iseol approached.
How long had he been waiting there?
“Yes. You’re still here.”
“I was reading at the library and lost track of time.”
He didn’t say that he had been waiting.
Thankfully.
“Our school library facilities are pretty great, aren’t they? The city provides a lot of funding.”
Iseol turned her gaze away from Taesin as she took her heels out of the shoe rack and put her slippers back in.
Taesin nodded.
“I plan to use it often.”
To Iseol, it sounded like he meant he would keep waiting there in the future. Her face flushed without her realizing it.
Like the pink glow staining the sky as the sun sank beyond the hill.
Junpil, who had been walking while clearly displeased about the three of them going together, suddenly stopped and asked,
“Hey. Let me ask you one thing. Why did you come back?”
Caught between the two men, Iseol let out a quiet sigh.
“Do I really have to explain that?”
Junpil stepped closer to Taesin, his tone sharp with warning.
“No matter what your reason is, if Iseol gets even a scratch because of you, I won’t let it slide.”
Taesin’s jaw tightened.
Startled, Iseol grabbed Junpil’s arm to stop him.
“Sunbae, what’s wrong with you? Stop it.”
Even if they were close as seniors and juniors, he wasn’t her boyfriend. Acting like this crossed a line.
“You know it, and I know it too—you’re a dangerous person.”
“……”
“The people who stabbed you finding this place is only a matter of time, isn’t it? If you had any sense, you shouldn’t have come back to this island. Am I wrong?”
Despite Junpil’s aggressive accusations, Taesin didn’t respond with a single word.
“I told you to stop! This isn’t something you need to get involved in. You’re not even my boyfriend!”
Maybe Kim Heerok’s comment—asking if the two of them were dating—had been the trigger.
The thought that Junpil wasn’t even listening to her and acting like this might be the reason such rumors were spreading among the students made irritation flare up.
Junpil’s persistently hostile attitude toward Taesin ever since their first meeting also bothered her.
A cold silence fell.
Disappointment and self-pity flickered across Junpil’s eyes.
“Right. It’s not my place. I’m not your boyfriend.”
“……”
“Sorry. I overstepped.”
Junpil turned back the way he came.
Staring blankly at his retreating figure, Iseol eventually turned around and started walking again.
Taesin followed slowly behind her.
The road from the school to the health clinic was lined with apple blossoms at their peak, breathtakingly beautiful—but none of it registered.
After walking in silence, Iseol suddenly stopped and turned to face Taesin.
His face, bathed in the sunset, looked strangely gentle.
“I’ll apologize on his behalf for being rude.”
“There’s no need. He wasn’t entirely wrong.”
“And… I’m sorry, but please don’t wait for me anymore. If we keep walking around together, people will think it’s strange.”
“I can’t do that.”
“I’m really fine. If necessary, I’ll carry some self-defense gear.”
Taesin stepped closer.
His cool, clean scent mixed with the fragrance of apple blossoms brushed her nose.
“If even the tip of your finger gets hurt, just like the P.E. teacher said, I won’t be able to forgive myself. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be a cold corpse drifting in the sea by now.”
Her chest tightened, leaving her unable to speak.
She hadn’t realized he felt this responsible.
And the fact that her heart kept fluttering and wavering over words and actions that were nothing more than responsibility—that was a problem too.
“How… dangerous is it, really? They’re not after me, they’re after you. And since you fell into the sea after being stabbed, they might think you’re dead.”
“Unless they confirm my body, they’ll keep moving while considering the possibility that I’m alive. And if they find out that you’re the one who saved me, they won’t leave you alone either.”
“……”
“Of course, I’ll make sure they don’t find that out easily.”
Iseol swallowed hard.
She hadn’t realized the situation was this dangerous.
While his promise to protect her made her heart stir again, she was genuinely worried.
“Then what about the school? If they dig through the Office of Education’s database, they’ll find out you’re here in no time.”
“You don’t need to worry about that. I spoke with the prosecutors and made arrangements so our identities won’t be exposed.”
So he even had connections with the prosecution?
Just what kind of person was he?
“Are you… with the prosecution or the police?”
Taesin chuckled softly and shook his head.
Then was he closer to being a gangster?
But all the gangsters Iseol knew had terrifying faces and wore tattoos like armor. This man wasn’t like them at all.
“Are you disappointed?”
“No.”
The more she learned about him, the more complicated her thoughts became.
“Do you regret it? Saving me?”
“What kind of question is that? Even if I went back to that moment, I’d make the same choice.”
Something in Taesin’s eyes softened.
Barely tearing her gaze away from his almost hypnotic eyes, Iseol turned and began walking again.
“I appreciate you protecting me, but there’s a flaw in your plan, Lee Taesin.”
“Tell me.”
“If they find me, won’t my grandmother and my father be in danger too? You can’t protect my whole family by yourself.”
“……”
“And I have to leave the island every weekend to help my grandmother. Are you going to follow me even on weekends?”
He probably hadn’t thought that far.
She expected him to be at a loss for words—but unexpectedly, his answer came immediately.
“I’ve considered every possible scenario, so you don’t need to worry too much.”
Iseol quietly studied his resolute expression.
This, too, must all be because of his sense of responsibility.
“And you don’t have to worry too much about people’s eyes either. I’ll make sure we’re not alone together whenever possible.”
“That’s… a good idea.”
Before she realized it, they were standing in front of the health clinic.
The door opened, and Director Jang stepped out.
“Why are you so late? It’s time already.”
“Go ahead first. I’ll just drop my bag and come.”
“Alright. I’ve got the alcohol and fruit, so just bring yourself.”
Director Jang held up a large bottle of liquor and a basket of fruit.
“Yes.”
“Hurry up. Let’s go in first.”
Director Jang ushered Taesin toward the house next door.
Iseol rummaged through her wardrobe.
She had plenty of clothes, yet nothing seemed right.
What did I wear last year?
After changing several times, she finally settled on a dress and touched up her makeup.
As she reapplied her lipstick, she let out a quiet sigh.
He probably doesn’t think anything of it. Why am I getting worked up on my own like this?
—
“Welcome.”
When she crossed over to Taesin’s house, Yushin and Jaehyuk greeted her warmly.
The large dining table was filled with braised short ribs, japchae, pan-fried beef, salad, and more.
“You prepared so much.”
“It’s been a while since I showed off my skills.”
“Please sit here, teacher.”
Yushin pulled out a chair for Iseol.
“Thanks.”
Director Jang poured drinks for everyone except Yushin.
“This is dongdongju that Grandma Jeonghwa from the neighboring village made herself. It’s unbelievably good. You could drink together and not notice if one of you died.”
After taking a sip, Jaehyuk’s eyes widened.
“Wow.”
Every dish Jaehyuk made was delicious.
With good food and good alcohol together, the liquor went down smoothly.
“You could be a chef,” Director Jang said, enjoying the ribs, then continued.
“But before you came here, what did you do for work? You don’t have to answer if it’s uncomfortable.”
“I worked at a company.”
At Taesin’s reply, Director Jang asked back as if completely surprised.
“A company?”
“Does it not look like it?”
“Not at all. Then what about you…?”
Jaehyuk answered.
“I also worked at the same company as our big— hyung.”
Yushin struggled to suppress his laughter while gnawing on a rib, and Iseol and Director Jang’s eyes darted back and forth between the two men who claimed they worked at a company.
