Again, it’s that gaze that confuses people.
Does he really want us to become some kind of special relationship?
Hyedam didn’t avoid Leo’s gaze looking at him.
“Team Leader-nim.”
“The way you address me…”
“I like…”
Because everything happened simultaneously—the warning sound signaling danger, the shaking vehicle body, the dull pain, and unfamiliar noise—neither Hyedam nor Leo could completely finish the words they had brought out.
When the short commotion stopped and Hyedam raised his head that had instinctively shrunk, he noticed that Leo was completely enveloping him. Unconsciously exhaling the breath he had been holding while assessing the situation, Hyedam nodded slightly at the words asking if he was okay.
“What is it?”
Placing his hand on Leo’s shoulder that wrapped around him like a wall, Hyedam slowly pushed him away, and the first thing he saw was the cracked windshield.
The advertisement claiming perfect safety and complete autonomous driving that perfectly prepares for any danger was clearly an exaggeration. Although he hadn’t properly looked ahead because he was talking with Leo, this was the only car running on the quiet and secluded road.
It didn’t make sense for an accident to occur in a place with no oncoming cars, cars ahead, or cars following behind. Leo was the first to get out of the car that had been pushed to the shoulder instead of the roadway and stopped, whether due to collision impact.
The car door opened, and watching him standing beyond the broken window looking ahead, Hyedam also got out of the car and approached Leo’s side, slowly rotating his shoulders as they seemed stiff.
“…I should have killed all those wild boar piglets back then.”
Seeing the blood on the completely crumpled front section and cracked window, goosebumps rose. To experience roadkill here like this. Since nothing would change even if someone like him who was ignorant about cars looked at it, Hyedam, who was slowly looking around, raised his hand to hold his head when he saw a huge thing lying across the road.
He wasn’t sure if it was dead or alive, but the animal lying motionless was definitely a wild boar.
Watching Leo examining the car with his hand on his waist, Hyedam took out a handkerchief from his pocket and approached him. He wasn’t a bodyguard, but still, shouldn’t a secretary generally protect their superior? Since they were in a car that prided itself on being absolutely safe, neither of them were wearing seatbelts or anything like that.
“Besides your forehead, are you hurt anywhere else?”
He couldn’t tell exactly whether it was above the forehead or the forehead, but when he saw blood flowing from the forehead and reached out his hand, Leo immediately took the handkerchief from Hyedam’s hand and pressed the wound area himself.
“I’m fine, but how about you, Hyedam-ssi?”
“Thanks to you, I’m fine.”
“That’s a relief.”
Having a formal conversation asking after each other’s well-being with speech patterns that had returned, Hyedam took out his mobile phone from his pocket. First, he had to call the insurance company, and also inform Robert-ssi of this fact. After that, get in the car and see if it could operate…
Hyedam, who was kicking the broken bumper while calling the insurance company, briefly looked at Leo getting in the car but soon looked at the distant sky. They said it was a strong wind warning, and the wind was gradually getting stronger, but it was only just past 4 o’clock yet early night was preparing to arrive in the mountains.
What could the insurance company do differently? After hearing that they would dispatch as quickly as possible and also contacting Robert, but he too had nothing he could do. Whether it took several hours, they had no choice but to wait in the car for the insurance company to arrive.
Hyedam, who shrunk his body in the biting wind and looked at the car, stared at Leo who briefly boarded the car then got out.
“The power is completely out so nothing works. Even the temporary power won’t take, so the heater is also unusable.”
“The insurance company confirmed the current location here and said they’ll dispatch soon. However, since this place is so remote, they didn’t specify an exact arrival time. I also reported the current situation to Robert-ssi. Since we can’t fly drones, they’re looking for other methods, but the best thing in the current situation seems to be waiting inside the car.”
Although the emergency power wasn’t coming on and there was no heating, it seemed better to be inside the car than standing outside like this directly facing the cold wind.
Hyedam’s eyes widened as he approached the passenger seat and placed his hand on the door. Why won’t this open? When he rattled the door handle again with an urgent heart, he could see Leo, who had just gotten out of the car, also trying to open the door.
— Unauthorized external intrusion attempt detected. Security mode will now activate.
What’s this now? Both Leo and Hyedam had just gotten out of the car and closed the doors. At the short warning sound and announcement heard the moment they tried to open the door again, bewilderment appeared on both their faces.
“What?”
Leo’s actions were faster than Hyedam’s. He tried putting his face to the smart sensor, tried his fingerprint, and even took out his mobile phone to try remote start.
While he attempted every possible method to open the locked car, Hyedam began looking for nearby places to take shelter. How long would it take to walk to the cafe? Still, since this is in the mountains, a hermitage or villa or something like that.
“…Damn it.”
Along with a deep sigh, hearing Leo’s low curse, Hyedam also took a deep breath.
“…Is there anywhere nearby to go?”
Running his hand through his hair and looking around the car once before speaking, at Leo’s words, Hyedam stated what he had just confirmed.
“It seems like it will take about 10 minutes on foot to the nearest cafe I searched for earlier.”
“Are your legs okay?”
“I’m not hurt anywhere. More than that, Team Leader-nim’s forehead wound…”
“The bleeding stopped. It seems like it got slightly torn from the impact, but it doesn’t seem to be a major injury. I think it would be better to walk than to stay here like this, what do you think?”
“Let’s move before the sun completely sets.”
From deliberation to choice to execution didn’t take much time. No conversation passed between the two who began walking. A chuckle flowed from Hyedam’s mouth as he walked along the road stretching long ahead.
He lowered his head and bit down hard on his molars trying to hold back the escaping laughter, but Hyedam, who failed at holding back his laughter, ended up laughing out loud.
Even if it’s a mess, could it be this much of a mess?
How should he say it—whenever an awkward and strange atmosphere formed, it seemed like an absurd incident occurred as if to break that situation. If not for the sudden accident, he almost asked him if he liked him.
To think that what stopped that ridiculous question was a wild boar.
The wild boar that he wanted to hunt while looking for a gun and looking for horses had absurdly popped out here.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because it’s funny.”
“What’s funny?”
“Just this whole situation.”
Hyedam, who had stopped walking while laughing, looked up at Leo standing in front of him. A sky holding more blue than the red sunset was spread out behind him. On top of that, the sparse thick clouds even made it look emotional.
“Laughing because you can’t cry?”
“Just purely funny.”
When he reached out his hand toward the forehead of him blocking the way ahead, he lowered his head, so Hyedam carefully parted his hair that had fallen down.
A completely healed wound was visible next to the wound where red blood stains were still visible. Of all places to get hurt, why did he have to hurt a similar spot? Hyedam, who took his gaze away from the wound in the place he had seen before, stepped back a couple of steps.
“What were you trying to say earlier?”
Hyedam, who was walking side by side in step, lightly shook his head at his question.
“Team Leader-nim, do you want to get close to me?”
“Yes.”
As the answer returned simultaneously with the question, the corner of Hyedam’s mouth rose slightly.
“Like dropping honorifics and comfortably calling each other by name, that kind of thing?”
“Probably.”
“Using honorifics at the company and calling each other by name outside?”
“…”
“Do you understand now?”
Since he’s not someone with a bad head, he should understand right away. The atmosphere had softened much more than when they first started walking. The peace enjoyed while walking in step together wasn’t very long.
“Is this the right place?”
“Yes.”
Hyedam plopped down on the stairs in front of the cafe they arrived at after walking the cold mountain path while seeing signs indicating there was a cafe from 3km away and checking the navigation.
While walking, the sun was setting gradually, and they walked while hoping against hope as there seemed to be but wasn’t any light that could brighten the darkness.
He rationalized forcibly that since it was so dark, the lights wouldn’t be easily visible, and there would be curtains on the cafe windows to block this cold. Having walked here with difficulty like this, the sign hanging on the entrance door completely extinguished even Hyedam’s small hope.
“Ah… fuck.”
Looking up at the sky while spitting out words bubbling from deep inside, a deep sigh flowed from Hyedam’s mouth.
White things were fluttering above the head of Leo, who was standing with an expression as troubled as his own.
Huh.
When Leo, who felt the cold touch on his face, reached out his hand, white trash landed on his palm.
If he had seen this scene from inside a warm room, he would have been happy. He would have celebrated. He would have been delighted.
To see the first snow here in this situation.
While riding in a warm car and moving, winter gear or anything like that wasn’t needed. On top of that, the attire of the two who departed right after working was suits with coats, and dress shoes. A perfect work outfit.
Still, they had walked diligently with the one hope of being able to rest at the cafe, but the cafe was closed and sporadic snow had started falling on this place of all places.
