“……?”
Yuwon tilted his head, unable to understand what intention Jiyoon had for saying such things. Jiyoon, who had been staring directly at Yuwon, spoke with a triumphant smile.
“Even if you deny it, it’s all obvious. Who wouldn’t notice when you’ve been desperately following around someone you just met here from the very first day?”
Who’s desperately following around? Yuwon scoffed.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Ah, so you’re going to play dumb like that?”
“……”
At Yuwon’s sharp denial, Jiyoon laughed again and said,
“Well, it doesn’t matter. Whatever happened between you two is none of my business. I find it entertaining anyway.”
Then he shot back at Yuwon, who was still frowning.
“But if you want to seduce that hyung, it’d be better to clarify your approach. When someone’s that scared, if you just push recklessly, of course they’ll run away. You think they’ll just stay put?”
At that moment, Sungjin’s face came to mind—how he always floundered and acted intimidated in front of him. That face that trembled as if someone was going to devour him, unable to even make eye contact.
When snorkeling, he smiled perfectly well, and with other people, especially women, he easily laughed and chatted, yet in front of him alone, he couldn’t even lift his head—it got on his nerves.
He felt a strange ambivalence. It was satisfying to see him swayed this way and that by his every word, not knowing what to do, but it was annoying that he kept being like that the entire time. Honestly speaking, even he himself wasn’t sure what he wanted. Even to himself, he seemed like a crazy bastard.
The moment he chewed over the fact he didn’t want to acknowledge, Jiyoon’s lips curled up slyly.
“I heard you’re famous for testing the waters with this person and that person, so I thought you’d be good at dating. But looking at it now, you were just stirring things up relying on your face alone. I guess even celebrities can’t escape being bad at dating, huh.”
At the words that seemed deliberately meant to grate on his nerves, Yuwon glared at Jiyoon. Regardless, Jiyoon hummed a tune and strode forward boldly. Yuwon, who had suddenly been left far behind Jiyoon, hurriedly quickened his pace to follow him. It was absurd what a disgraceful sight this was.
“Ah, the weather’s really nice~. Everyone must be having a fun time~.”
At the sentence full of intention to upset Yuwon, Yuwon tried not to react. However, the effect was excellent. His insides boiled so much he felt like he would burst. This was all because of Yoon Sungjin, that bastard.
***
All the schedules ended around the time a golden sunset began to hang in the western sky of Jeju. One by one, participants who had finished their tour schedule on the main island returned to the resort by boat.
They had clearly been awkward when departing, but on the way back, some people seemed to have grown quite close. Sungjin and Yunchae were representative of this.
“…are you okay? …shouldn’t you…?”
Yuwon, who had returned to the resort earlier than anyone else and was sitting on a bench placed outdoors watching people return, nearly lost his mind at the scene unfolding before his eyes. It wasn’t just that Sungjin and Yunchae were standing close to each other—they were walking while practically stuck together as if supporting each other.
“…I’m really okay. Look. If it were… I’d have to… but I’m perfectly fine.”
“Still….”
What situation is this right now? When Yuwon glared at Sungjin with terrifying eyes, Sungjin, who noticed Yuwon’s gaze as he approached the resort, was startled and widened his eyes like a rabbit. Even that reaction grated on his nerves now.
“Ah.”
Sungjin, who spotted Yuwon, hesitated for a moment then walked toward the resort again. But his posture was somehow strange. It felt like he was slightly dragging one foot as if his leg was uncomfortable.
Sungjin, who had come closer, explained to Yuwon first as if making an excuse. Even while speaking, he had an expression wondering why he was explaining this when Yuwon wasn’t even his guardian, but Sungjin was too scared of Yuwon.
“It’s nothing serious, but I slightly twisted my leg earlier. It’s not swollen or injured anywhere, so you don’t need to worry.”
Injured? At that moment, Yuwon glanced at Yunchae standing next to Sungjin. It meant to explain in a way he could understand. Yunchae was a bit surprised by Yuwon’s piercing gaze, but this kind of case was a situation she’d encountered countless times when doing her residency in the emergency room, so she wasn’t very flustered.
“I’m not familiar with horseback riding, so I stumbled and made a mistake, which seems to have caused Sungjin-ssi to twist his leg slightly. At least it’s fortunate that it’s not swollen…. I’m so sorry that you got hurt because of me.”
Since it was a statement from a current doctor, not just anyone, it was credible. However, what mattered to Yuwon was that Sungjin’s condition wasn’t normal anyway, and especially since the reason was Yunchae, he couldn’t help but lose his mind.
“How did you get injured?”
When Yuwon snapped at her as if interrogating, Yunchae, who felt the hostility, flinched and answered.
“Pardon? Well, I lost my balance a bit while getting off the horse….”
“You should have been careful. You’re not a child, you’re a full-grown adult—you can’t even maintain your balance and cause someone else to get hurt?”
Yuwon was aware in that instant that his words came out sharper than necessary, but he didn’t particularly want to care. That’s why you should have been careful. Does it make sense to just laugh it off saying ‘it can happen’ when someone got hurt? He immediately frowned at Yunchae’s explanation and reached out his hand to support Sungjin.
However, that hand never reached Sungjin. Because Sungjin avoided Yuwon’s hand by pulling his body back almost like a cat rejecting an unfamiliar touch. He stopped mid-motion, awkwardly stepping backward as if surprised himself.
Regardless, Yunchae was considerably flustered by Yuwon’s reaction. She knew Yuwon seemed particularly interested in Sungjin compared to others, but she didn’t know they were close enough for him to press her like this.
No, setting everything aside, he himself said he was fine. She felt a bit wronged, but since she had caused the problem anyway, she apologized, trailing off her words.
“Yes, I should have been more careful. I’m sorry, Sungjin-ssi.”
However, she didn’t feel like apologizing to Yuwon, who wasn’t even the person involved, so she apologized to Sungjin, not Yuwon, in a subtly defiant tone. Sungjin immediately shook his head.
“Ah, no, it’s okay. Really, it’s just slightly twisted, so I think after a little while I won’t feel anything.”
Yunchae tried to look at Yuwon with an expression that seemed to say ‘You heard that, right?’ then discovered him still with terrifying eyes and quickly averted her gaze.
Being sorry was one thing. She didn’t want to stay here longer and receive Yuwon’s glares. Yunchae quickly left the spot.
“Then, see you at dinner time. Rest well.”
“Ah. Yes. You rest too, Yunchae-ssi.”
Sungjin, who was left alone with Yuwon whose head was filled with inexplicable anger, made the judgment that he should flee quickly like Yunchae.
“Then I’ll go rest too.”
In the end, Yuwon was left alone at the resort entrance in an instant. The hand that couldn’t reach Sungjin was still floating in the air, unable to find its way. Yuwon blankly stared at the spot where even Sungjin had disappeared, then recalled what Jiyoon had said earlier while merrily mocking him.
‘When someone’s that scared, if you corner them, they’ll run away. You think they’ll just stay put?’
Then what am I supposed to do? No, why do I even think I want to seduce that person ‘seriously’ in the first place? Why would I? This was just me grinding my teeth to repay the first humiliation I’d ever experienced in my life.
It was absurd. Who would like such a person? Someone whose every action is foolish, a person whose only merit is their face? Yesterday, the moment an opportunity finally came, I committed the act out of an impulse to confirm just how good this trivial thing could be if it felt good. But that was merely the result of impulse.
He didn’t even care about the fact that just moments ago, his mind had gone haywire seeing someone other than him standing next to that person who had nothing but that face.
This was just stress from everything not falling into place as he wanted. There was no other way to explain it. Yuwon ground his teeth alone, then turned around sharply and entered the building.
Dinner was continuing in the dining hall. Basically, except when there was a filming schedule and they went outside, buffet-style meals were provided at set times.
Since today’s schedule was one where most pairs, except for a few, returned to the island before dinner time, when mealtime came, they gathered in the dining hall in small groups. For Sungjin, who had eaten outside yesterday due to the date and came back, this was his first dinner on the island.
‘Oh….’
When Sungjin entered the dining hall, the buffet-style dinner that the staff had prepared in advance caught his eye.
‘Looks delicious.’
Though he hadn’t done much, horseback riding was also a physical activity, so his appetite had returned considerably. It wasn’t the time to be leisurely savoring food, but there was no reason to endure without eating.
Sungjin gathered a plate and utensils and stood in front of the food.
‘Ah.’
However, the timing wasn’t very good—most of the main menu items were almost gone, with only scraps remaining. His mouth had been watering at the delicious smell, but disappointment washed over him.
