Seoryeong sat further away, increasing the distance, watching the man who seemed to be speaking aimlessly, as if confused. His skin was pale and fragile. His trembling eyes looked very innocent for a man in his twenties. He was very thin, but not too small, quite tall, although lacking muscle, giving him a weak impression. The man got up with a creaking sound and sat back down on the bench. However, his upright posture with a straight back felt somewhat awkward. Although stealing glances at Seoryeong, he placed both hands on his knees in a very straight position, like a new recruit feeling out of place.
“Have we met before?”
Seoryeong asked casually, but the man immediately jumped in surprise.
“Ah, no? Just… nice, I mean, I really don’t know. This is the first time I’ve met you.”
“…….”
“Because you’re… very beautiful.”
“…….”
“Photos, you don’t like them, right? Your face is very… very three- dimensional… Ah… sorry, sorry!”
…What is he? Can this even be called a compliment?
“I’m just a little too excited…! Ah… no, no bad intention, I mean…”
“…….”
“Please forgive me for bothering you…! I really didn’t mean to…!”
That uncomfortable feeling came out of nowhere. Seoryeong frowned and looked at him suspiciously. The man was sweating profusely every time he spoke, his pale face showing a mixture of embarrassment and disappointment.
Finally, he hurriedly opened his bag and began packing his things. It seemed he intended to leave. However, although the man with the backpack looked like he wanted to run away, he instead peeked at Seoryeong with a strange gaze that was very persistent and full of longing. Why was he like that? Seoryeong narrowed her eyes, unconsciously starting to glance around, thinking maybe there was a familiar stray cat here…
“Do you know me?”
Seoryeong asked, trying to guess if he was someone she had met in the past, when she couldn’t see. The man firmly shook his head, but he lowered his hat even further and gripped the bag straps more tightly.
“Sis―!”
Suddenly, a rolling ball hit the tip of Seoryeong’s foot, and children with cheerful voices approached and began tugging at her pants. Her body almost fell over due to their rush.
“Sis, why are you only coming now? That uncle was always coming alone and waiting―!”
“Ah….”
“If you don’t come, the wheelchair can’t be used, so they don’t want to play with us…!”
Seoryeong felt like she was sweating, gently pushing the children away.
“Uncle’s angry, quickly kiss his cheek, okay…!”
Seoryeong bent halfway and tried to move away from the bench quietly, but her body suddenly stiffened.
“That’s right, like last time…! Then, Uncle will lift you onto the wheelchair, right…?”
Seoryeong just rolled her eyes towards Lee Wooshin, but fortunately, he seemed indifferent and was just brooding. Then, she had to leave before being discovered. She hadn’t expected this problem to become this big in such a short time.
“…Did you do that, that thing with that person?”
Suddenly, the young man who seemed startled approached and stared at her, the children wiggling their feet as if wanting to run over there. The man just stared with eyes shining like a cow’s.
“Shhh, everyone be quiet―!”
Seoryeong raised her hand, trying to calm the crowd. At the same time, she slowly moved away, ready to flee.
“No, I don’t have that kind of relationship with that uncle… your sister is just going for a little while.”
“Where to?”
“Ah… I’m just going for a little while…”
“With such a big bag, where are you going?”
“To… a ship…”
“Why do you have to take a ship?”
With a question that seemed to sniff out a mistake, Seoryeong unconsciously gave an answer. However, as soon as she realized, she knew that she wasn’t talking to the children, but to the young man next to her. The man had completely taken off his hat and was looking at her with an almost indescribable gaze. His look was so sharp, it couldn’t be called normal.
“Is it… too dangerous? The ship is narrow and the sea is too vast…”
“Huh?”
“You also have a lot of luggage… even so, you should tell your family before leaving…”
“Sorry.”
Seoryeong could barely restrain herself from speaking, but the man had already taken out his phone and started typing quickly. The hand pressing the screen firmly looked anxious. The sound of unlubricated wheels squeaking came from a distance. The heart-pounding that felt like it would explode resonated in her chest. Seoryeong stopped, held her breath, and turned around, seeing Lee Wooshin in his hospital gown, looking like he had risen from his wheelchair with a predatory expression. If she got caught here, her last chance to meet Kim Hyeon would be gone. Seoryeong immediately turned away and felt someone pull her backpack, not letting go. It turned out to be the young man next to her who had suddenly interfered.
“――!”
From that moment on, Seoryeong didn’t think anymore. Her body, controlled by instinct, immediately broke the man’s twig-like arm, then kicked his knee, causing him to fall. Quickly, Seoryeong pressed her elbow against the man’s neck and shouted frantically.
“Don’t come near me…! We’re just talking here. I don’t have time to fight with an instructor. I just stopped by for a moment!”
“…….”
As she grabbed the innocent bystander and slowly backed away, her face hardened even more. Lee Wooshin seemed to observe the captured bystander, then roughly squeezed his face while letting out a string of curses. After a week, her phone rang again. Seoryeong walked quickly with a thin man, lengthening her strides while touching her phone screen. This was the first call she had answered since she stole a kiss and ran away.
“I clearly told you not to come here…!” ―I understand, but let go of my hand first. A low, deep voice scratched her ear. ―Just look at you, looking like a weirdo, don’t go hugging people like that carelessly.
“What…?”
―I’m telling you nicely, before I count to three, let him go. That cold voice pierced through the phone receiver, and the young man flinched. Three, two… Lee Wooshin observed the two of them standing close together with a sharp gaze, starting to count down. The young man, whose face had turned pale, swayed his body, but the more he struggled, the tighter Seoryeong held him. As Lee Wooshin approached, the two people who had been standing close together were startled.
“Don’t move…! The instructor isn’t allowed to do anything…! If you come closer, I will…”
Seoryeong hesitated for a moment, then started speaking carelessly.
“Here, we’ll settle everything!”
―…What? He furrowed his brow angrily. The young man was also surprised, his face flushed red even though he still looked anxious. It seemed he wasn’t that afraid of me, but the young man had trouble lifting his face. Lee Wooshin just stood silently, clenching and unclenching his fists, then righted the overturned wheelchair. After the situation seemed to calm down, Seoryeong quickly changed the subject.
“I’m leaving for a place soon…! I’ll be back quickly, so make sure to get good care…” ―Where to? From behind his patient gown, his swollen chest revealed something unusual. ―When I said I would go with you, you held back, but now where do you want to go? Lee Wooshin bit his lip coldly, even though he knew that Seoryeong hadn’t said she was going to look for Kim Hyeon. They used to sit together at the dining table and talk freely, but… It seemed leaving this man alone in the hospital wasn’t easy for Seoryeong.
“I’m currently on Team Beta temporarily.”
―…What?
“Just for a few days.” ―Are you serious saying that…! Her black hair, gleaming under the sunlight, shone darkly. Lee Wooshin narrowed his eyes as if seeing a mirage, then covered his eyes with one hand. The corner of his lips lifted despondently. A soft laugh was heard through the phone receiver. ―Turns out, when I gave you a chance to think about becoming a good man, you did something futile instead.
“……!”
―But I still miss you, I even dream about you every night, and now, in just a week, you’re hugging strangers.
“This…”
―Seoryeong is really very kind, isn’t she? The suppressed voice sounded clearly ironic. Seoryeong looked at the man with a bewildered gaze. ―But when I see you like this, all the problems I was thinking about just disappear, even my headache goes away. So I can’t help it. The more I think about it, it feels more fitting if I just kill you. That voice full of bitterness was mixed with a faint laugh. ―Just once, I want to live like trash without caring about our positions… The rest of his sentence wasn’t heard. Lee Wooshin looked as if he was trapped in a hole even though he was standing in the sunlight. Even though he was laughing or speaking casually, he seemed to be hiding other feelings. ―Saying if you don’t take care of it, everything will rot. Saying it needs to be aired out and changed every day… In the crowded place, he still looked lonely. However, Seoryeong felt grateful that he didn’t approach recklessly. Then, could you say “farewell” in such an awkward way? The young man trapped in Seoryeong’s arm stopped resisting and followed obediently. Seoryeong moved further away from Lee Wooshin and impulsively opened her mouth. Although it wasn’t a promise or anything, the words just came out.
“Then, I’ll wait longer.”
―…….
“I even appear in your dreams. There’s someone you want to meet, but they never come. If I’m like this, I’m not too bad, right? Make sure to get good care. Don’t end up hating me and secretly thinking about your ex-wife.”
―……!
“If it’s really necessary, give me a name or contact information so I can reach you.”
Seoryeong smiled widely, even though it felt awkward, and Lee Wooshin looked thunderstruck, silent. As he watched Seoryeong walk further away, the man whispered softly like the wind. ―…Is that so?
“What?”
―If his legs heal, and if you come back, at that time.
His neck was bent as if pressed down, pale sunlight shining on his face. Seoryeong didn’t know what it meant, but her heart pounded. That was the farewell between the two of them.